Siege in Palestinian village draws US criticism as Israeli settlers dig in

QUSRA, West Bank, Aug 14 - Jewish settlers set up a tent outside a Palestinian home in the village of Qusra in the occupied West Bank on Friday before Israeli soldiers arrived and it was taken down, footage showed, as settlers pressed a siege which Palestinians say aims to drive them from their land.

Settlers have been besieging homes in Qusra for almost a week, intensifying pressure on Palestinians in an area where rights groups say settlers are mounting a concerted effort to seize more land, further eating into territory where Palestinians aim to establish a state.

The siege has drawn U.S. criticism, and White House officials are pressing for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn the siege, according to a U.S. official and an Israeli official with knowledge of the discussions.

Washington began to protest after learning that the home of a Palestinian-American was among those under siege, said the two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive discussions.     Netanyahu has not commented on the siege in Qusra.

His government, the most right-wing in Israeli history, has spearheaded a rapid expansion of settlements in the West Bank, territory captured by Israel in a 1967 war. Israel has established dozens of new settlements and settler outposts in the area, which Israel calls Judea and Samaria.

The footage, shot by a Palestinian resident trapped in his home and obtained by Reuters, showed seven settlers outside, standing by a blue tent. One is seen throwing stones toward the nearby village, as another arrives with chairs.

Israeli army vehicles and soldiers later arrive and the tent is seen collapsed on the ground.

"Israeli civilians erected a tent in the Qusra area, and IDF soldiers operated to remove it while protecting the local residents," the Israeli military (IDF) said in a statement.

MEN IN UNIFORM PRAYED WITH SETTLERS

The siege began at the weekend when settlers closed off the road to the three homes and set up a tent in their front yards, refusing to allow anyone to enter or leave. They had earlier cut off their electricity and water.

The Israeli military has said soldiers have deployed in Qusra since Thursday morning to protect residents and maintain security.

Video from earlier in the week showed several Israeli men in green military garb joining the settlers in a morning prayer in the tent. The military said it was taking disciplinary action against any personnel involved.

The United Nations has said some 15 Palestinians including two children were trapped inside their homes with no water or electricity.

KATZ SHIFTS ENFORCEMENT ROLE TO BORDER POLICE

The West Bank is home to some three million Palestinians and 500,000 settlers. There are some 146 settlements in the West Bank, as well as 390 smaller outposts, according to the Israeli settlement watchdog group Peace Now.

The Israeli military frequently says that responsibility for enforcement against settlers lies with the Israeli border police, including in instances when settlers enter an area declared by troops as a "closed military zone", like in Qusra.

On Friday, Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had asked the military to transfer "all enforcement powers" regarding settlers to the border police.

"It is not the IDF's role, nor is it capable of handling the enforcement of civil issues in Judea and Samaria", he said in a statement.

Palestinians say the enforcement distinction is meaningless in a territory where they are subject to Israeli military law, while settlers are governed by Israeli civil law. They accuse the military of aiding the settlers and using the enforcement distinction as an excuse for inaction.

Rights groups say that settlers have been trying to seize properties on the outskirts of Qusra and neighbouring Jalud as part of a strategy to seize the land between them and join it up with settler outposts to the south and larger settlements to the west. REUTERS