Arab News | Israeli police detain teenage settler over attack on Palestinians in Qusra

LONDON: Israeli police said a teenage settler turned himself in on Tuesday, several weeks after authorities issued an arrest warrant over his alleged role in an attack on Palestinians in the northern West Bank village of Qusra.

Police said officers had questioned the 17-year-old, a resident of the northern West Bank, and he was expected to appear in court on Wednesday for a hearing about whether his detention would be extended, Israeli media reported.

Palestinian authorities said several people were injured, including a woman, when dozens of Israeli settlers allegedly entered a house in the Palestinian village of Qusra on Aug. 29 and took it over while the family that lived there was inside.

Other settlers surrounded the home, trapping at least four people inside and setting fire to nearby land, according to Palestinian media reports. They also allegedly threw stones at the building and Palestinians.

Israeli forces said they removed the settlers from the house, seized their vehicles and would maintain a presence in the area to prevent further clashes and restore order. No one was arrested during or immediately after the attack, despite the presence of Israeli security forces nearby, the Israeli media reported.

Police said an arrest warrant was issued for the teenager shortly after the attack but he had evaded arrest.

The incident followed weeks of rising tensions in the area, near Nablus. Since early August, settlers have besieged about 15 members of three Palestinian families in the Ras Al-Ain area of Qusra, trapping them in their homes, blocking access to food and water and cutting off electricity.

Palestinians said the aim was to force the families from their land. Israeli authorities deployed military forces to Qusra and said the troops were there to maintain security, but the settlers remain in the area.