Still no arrests over settler attack on Qusra, though some suspects are identifiable

As of Sunday evening, there had still been no arrests made in connection with a settler attack on the Palestinian West Bank village of Qusra on Saturday, even though footage showed the faces of a number of those involved.

The attack, in which dozens of settlers descended on the town from a nearby hillside and occupied a Palestinian home there, was the latest in a string of assaults on the village, which was besieged by settlers in recent weeks, and took place amid a months-long surge in settler violence. Saturday’s attack, in addition to an attack on a crew of journalists in the nearby Palestinian town of Jalud, has drawn international condemnation.

President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the attack, though Netanyahu attributed it to a “handful of rioters” who don’t represent settlers writ large.

Those condemnations have not come alongside arrests of those responsible for the attack, although the alleged perpetrators are identifiable in international footage and photos of the raid.

Dozens of settlers attacked the village on Saturday, with footage showing them arriving in pickup trucks and an ATV.  The assailants took over a Palestinian home while the family was inside. The military was called to clear the settlers from the home, though none were taken into custody.

Qusra, located southeast of Nablus, has been the target of a wave of recent settler attacks, including a weeks-long siege on a number of Palestinian homes, which has drawn international attention to the village and has caused a prolonged military deployment in the area. That itself has led to the forced displacement of several Palestinian families from their homes.

The army says its forces have maintained a presence in the area to prevent settlers from rebuilding makeshift structures and again blocking access to the residents’ homes.

Footage from Saturday’s settler raid on the village showed that IDF soldiers were in the area when it occurred, but that they stood by and allowed the rampaging extremists to attack a home on the outskirts of the town.

EU envoy visits Qusra, condemns attack; Huckabee echoes PM

EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process Christophe Bigot visited Qusra the morning following the attack, an EU spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday.

During a visit to the Nablus governorate, Bigot, along with representatives of the EU Representative Office and humanitarian organizations, was briefed by the head of Qusra’s village council “about the recent incidents of settler violence and the siege of some residential homes in Qusra by extremist settlers,” the statement said.

Bigot also spoke by phone with a resident of the home that was besieged in the weekend attack, the statement added.

“The EU takes this opportunity to underline its consistent position in condemning extremist settler violence and in calling to ensure accountability for the perpetrators of crimes. The EU supports initiatives to protect and provide assistance to Palestinians threatened by extremist settlers,” the statement concluded.

Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, also criticized the attack. However, he echoed Netanyahu’s contention that only a small group of settlers was responsible, and is not representative of settlers more broadly.

Huckabee shared Herzog’s condemnation, which said the attackers crossed a “red line” and acted “in total opposition to the laws and values of the State of Israel.” The president called the assault “another instance in a series of events that are a stain on the image of Israel and demand swift and forceful action.”

Huckabee wrote in his own message that Herzog’s “strong statement… shows universal condemnation of violence in Judea/Samaria [the West Bank]. The half-million Israelis living peacefully in J/S are most disgusted by [the] small group of thugs often called ‘settlers’ who often don’t even live there.”

Netanyahu has also claimed previously that Jewish extremists perpetrating violence in the West Bank are not from the settlements, despite footage and evidence showing that attacks on Palestinian villages usually come from residents of neighboring settlements and outposts.

In recent months, the West Bank has seen near-daily settler harassment and attacks on Palestinians and their property. Arrests in such incidents are rare, and prosecution is rarer still.

Critics of the government have accused the IDF and Netanyahu’s coalition of condoning or even encouraging the settler attacks. Troops are regularly filmed not taking action in the face of settler violence, and IDF brass has warned that the attacks could spark an escalation of violence in the West Bank.

Foreign Press Association slams settler attacks on journalists

The Foreign Press Association, meanwhile, said it was “deeply alarmed” by attacks by settlers on journalists and Palestinian civilians, a day after masked individuals were filmed attacking a woman and a group of NBC News reporters.

“Journalists were once again attacked in the occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers while carrying out their work,” the association said in a statement.

“This is not an isolated incident — it is part of a recurring pattern of violence against members of the press and Palestinian civilians,” the FPA said.

???????????? ???????? Masked settlers ATTACKED an NBC News crew filming a Palestinian woman in the West Bank

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The team was interviewing Aida Ahmed Abdullah, 51, in Jalud near Nablus about settlers forcing her family from their home when a vehicle with Israeli plates pulled up.

At least four… https://t.co/3WVnCHlUgE pic.twitter.com/oZrwUa5z3o

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 30, 2026

The FPA called on the IDF’s Central Command, which has responsibility for the West Bank, and the police “to investigate the attacks, hold those responsible accountable, and immediately take concrete steps to guarantee the safety of journalists reporting in the West Bank.”

On Saturday, alongside the attack in Qusra, a group of masked Israeli settlers was filmed carrying out an attack on the NBC crew that was in the nearby Palestinian village of Jalud to interview a woman who was recently kicked out of her home by settlers.

There have been previous settler attacks on journalists from AFP and CNN.