Symbolic imageIsrael to hand West Bank policing to police as Qusra siege holds
Israel's defence minister ordered the army on Friday to hand civilian law enforcement in the occupied West Bank to the police. Settlers have besieged Palestinian families in Qusra since Sunday.
Israel Katz gave the order after meeting chief of staff Eyal Zamir on Thursday, 13 August, saying the police would receive the powers and budgets for civilian matters while the army fights what he called Palestinian terrorism. He tied the change to plans for 104 new settlements. Palestinian vice-president Hussein al-Sheikh called it a flagrant violation of international law and urged international intervention against what he said would entrench annexation.
Soldiers pull back in Qusra
Settlers pitched an outpost at the village edge on Sunday, 9 August, and residents say food, water and medicine are running out. West Bank commander Avi Bluth returned on Friday, but troops withdrew and forced one family from its home to use as a base.
A spring diverted into a settler pool
Reuters reports that settlers at Fasayil in the Jordan Valley seized a farmer's irrigation line in June and diverted the water to an ancient pool for bathing, backed by 3 million shekels ($1 million) from finance minister Bezalel Smotrich. UN data count at least 160 settler attacks on water facilities this year.
Other opinions
The Jerusalem Post foregrounds Israel's ambassador in Washington condemning the settlers; The National and Al Jazeera frame the day as de facto annexation.