The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sent reinforcements to the northern West Bank on Thursday to evict settlers who had laid siege on Palestinian families in Qusra, on the outskirts of the Nablus area.Soldiers demolished all of the illegal makeshift structures which were erected by the settlers. The siege began at the weekend when Jewish settlers closed off the road to the three homes in the Palestinian village of Qusra and set up a tent in their front gardens, refusing to allow anyone to enter or leave. The settlers had earlier cut off their electricity and water.The move by the IDF followed international criticism of Israel and unprecedented condemnation from the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, a staunch Israel ally who confirmed that Washington had exerted pressure on the Israeli government to act to end the siege.“Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting. No excuse for such thuggish behaviour,” he posted on X.Initially, as part of the operation, the IDF said it had planned to evict a number of Palestinian families from Qusra and take over their homes for a few days, claiming this was necessary to avoid friction with the settlers. However, following severe criticism the army backed down and said villagers would be allowed to remain in their homes.But on Thursday evening, Reuters, citing the mayor Abed Al Athem Wadi, said Israeli troops were still holding positions in three Qusra homes. .Radical settler youths established an outpost on Sunday near three isolated Palestinian homes and blocked approach roads to Qusra with rocks. The homes are in area B, which is under Palestinian civil control and joint Israeli-Palestinian security control. The families living there were effectively cut off from the rest of the village and feared leaving their homes.The IDF said in a statement: “Since this morning, soldiers have been deployed in the area of Qusra to protect the residents and maintain security in the area. The soldiers were instructed that the Qusra residents will remain in their homes.“Furthermore, the soldiers will not operate inside the Palestinian family’s home located near the site where the tent that was evacuated and dismantled had been erected.”Gadi Eisenkot, the main opposition challenger to Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu in October’s election and a former top general, said the Qusra affair showed the weakness of the government.“This is the result of a reckless policy, of a government of default managed with helplessness and irresponsibility which creates deliberate chaos and disorder,” he said. “In the face of anarchy and violent violation of the law by an extremist minority, the government abandons IDF commanders alone in the campaign.”Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a radio interview that while he admires the settlers building outposts, “there are some among them who really need to be stopped”. Settler council leader Yisrael Gantz described the Qusra incident as “improper and unacceptable”.Netanyahu’s right-wing government has done little to stop the increasingly frequent attacks by settler extremists in recent years that have forced thousands of West Bank Palestinians to flee their homes. Arrests are rare and only a few perpetrators have been prosecuted.Since January 2023, 127 Palestinian communities in the West Bank have experienced full or partial displacement, including 47 that have been entirely displaced, affecting more than 6,390 Palestinians, according to United Nations figures.Settlements are illegal under international law, but the Israeli government backs Jewish settlement across what it terms Judea and Samaria, the Biblical term for the disputed territory, which Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War. The government has held back from annexing the West Bank but has pursued a policy of creeping annexation, transferring huge resources to illegal hilltop outposts, where many of the perpetrators of attacks on Palestinians live. – Additional reporting: Reuters