Israeli settlers obstructed an army escort intended to return Mahmoud Tubasi and his family to their home in the occupied West Bank village of Jalud. Israel’s military says the operation could not be completed, and Tubasi says his family had to leave again. Police reported three arrests. The confrontation leaves the family unable to resume living at home despite a military attempt to take them there.
Mahmoud Tubasi and his family tried to return to their home in Jalud, a village in the occupied West Bank, with an Israeli military escort overnight into Tuesday. Settlers obstructed the operation, and the army acknowledged that the family’s return was not completed. Tubasi told AP the soldiers initially took them to the house, but the confrontation forced the family to leave again in a military vehicle. They had been displaced for about two months.[1], [2]
Israel’s military said more than one hundred settlers blocked roads, threw stones at security personnel and set Palestinian property alight. Israeli police reported the arrest of three settlers suspected of taking part. Local residents described serious damage to two Tubasi family homes, while Tubasi said the property could no longer be lived in. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gidon Saar and President Isaac Herzog condemned the riot. The arrests concern suspected participation, not convictions.[1], [2]
The family had a court decision concerning its return, making the failed escorted visit the new development after earlier settler pressure. The Israeli military says its personnel tried to protect residents. Local accounts accuse soldiers of favoring settlers and making the family evacuate. Both sides agree that the return failed; their descriptions of the soldiers’ conduct differ. Tubasi still cannot live in the home, and the reported property damage raises a separate question about whether a later return will be possible.[1], [2]
