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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israeli spokesman: 'The 'Qusra siege' is a propaganda campaign, not reality' |
| 2026-08-31 |
| [IsraelNationalNews] In a video aimed at international audiences, Israeli public diplomacy advocate and Samaria resident Ezra Tubi challenges media reports about the village of Qusra, arguing that claims of a Jewish "siege" are false and part of a broader campaign to delegitimize Israel. As international headlines continue to portray the events surrounding the Palestinian village of Qusra as another example of "settler violence" and a "siege" on Palestinian homes, Israeli spokesman and Samaria resident Ezra Tubi is presenting a very different narrative. Standing on a strategic hill overlooking the area, Tubi opens his English-language video with a direct challenge to the international media. "Behind me are the 'terrorist settlers' you've been reading about," he says. "But I'm about to show you a completely different story." According to Tubi, the Jewish presence on the hill is not only rooted in historical and biblical ties to the land but is also driven by urgent security concerns. "This is our ancestral homeland," he says. "But just as importantly, this location has enormous strategic significance for the safety of thousands of Israelis." Tubi links the current tensions to the October 7 Hamas massacre, arguing that support for the attack was openly expressed in Qusra. He points to an official statement issued by the village municipality one day after the massacre, announcing a general strike in honor of what it described as the "heroic martyrs of Gaza." For Tubi, this demonstrates that the security threat is far from theoretical. "Based on our experience," he says, "we have every reason to believe that, given the opportunity, they would do exactly the same thing to their Jewish neighbors." He goes on to argue that the struggle over the hill is not accidental but part of a much larger battle over strategic terrain. "This is one of the highest points in Samaria," he explains. "Whoever controls this hill controls the surrounding area. The expansion of Arab construction here has not been random. It is part of a deliberate strategy, backed by funding and political support from hostile Arab countries and European governments." According to Tubi, a group of young Jewish residents established a presence on the hill in an effort to prevent what they viewed as a strategic takeover. "From the moment the Israeli flag was planted here," he says, "the entire world turned against them. Livestock was poisoned, explosive devices were planted, and young Jews were targeted in lynching attempts." A central focus of Tubi's message is the widely reported claim that Jewish residents imposed a "siege" on Palestinian homes near Qusra. He dismisses the allegation outright. "The media keeps repeating the word 'siege,'" he says. "But where exactly is the siege? These are the two houses everyone is talking about. Where is the evidence? Where are the videos showing a siege? A group of Jews standing in an area during an active conflict is not a siege." Tubi concludes by arguing that the controversy surrounding Qusra is merely one chapter in what he describes as a much broader information war against Israel. "This is just another propaganda campaign," he says. "Yesterday it was allegations of deliberate starvation, genocide, or killing babies in Gaza. Today it's 'settler violence.' Don't be fooled. This is not a campaign against settlers. It is a campaign against the State of Israel and against Jews around the world." British activist who was detained by settlers to be deported after UK intervenes [IsraelTimes] Lawyer for Finn Joughin says he was trying to protect Palestinians’ property, after settlers took him into custody for allegedly assaulting a minor before handing him over to cops A British activist who was detained on Saturday by settlers and then handed over to police is to be deported from Israel. The decision came after a UK government spokesperson told the News Agency that Dare Not be Named that embassy officials raised the case with Israeli authorities. Finn Joughin was taken into custody by armed settlers on Saturday in the southern West Bank village of Umm al-Kheir, where he was trying to protect the locals amid repeated attacks from settlers who set up illegal outposts on the neighboring hillsides. The volunteer activity is known as protective presence and has become increasingly common throughout the West Bank amid a surge in settler violence. The settlers who detained Joughin, later holding him in a structure before giving him to police, accused him of assaulting a minor. In footage of the incident, Joughin is seen holding on to a fence, next to an Arabic sign that reads "Welcome to Khirbet Umm al-Kheir," and pressing his body against that of a child in an apparent attempt to prevent the child from passing through. His lawyer, Inbar Shaked Vardi, said the video shows he was trying to protect the village. Fellow activists accused the settlers of kidnapping him. He "stood next to the fence in an attempt to prevent its dismantling and damage to the property of the villagers, while the settlers got close to him and were trying to forcibly pass by him," she told Haaretz. She added that Joughin was filmed without his consent and was subjected to baseless accusations in Hebrew, which he does not speak. She said her client suffered "severe damage to his right to privacy and to his reputation." She said that, to the best of her knowledge, police did not question the men who detained Joughin at all when they came to take him. According to Israel Police, Joughin was detained by the head of the security squad of "one of the settlements adjacent to Ma’on," a recognized settlement south of Hebron, signaling that the settlers involved in the incident were residents of an illegal outpost in the area. He was detained "on suspicion of performing an indecent act against a minor," police said late Saturday in response to a query. The interrogation of the British national "included, among others, the taking of testimonies that indicated a suspicion of a case of assaulting a minor," police said. "The suspect was arrested at the end of his interrogation and the investigation of the case is ongoing." Joughin attended a hearing at the Population and Immigration Authority ahead of his deportation, according to Haaretz. Israel has deported dozens of activists who have traveled to the West Bank to help protect Paleostinians from settler violence. Settler violence has surged in recent months, with daily attacks and harassment. Prosecutions are rare, and critics accuse the IDF and Netanyahu’s government of condoning or even encouraging the violence. The most senior IDF officer in the West Bank reportedly warned during a closed-door security assessment on Monday that mounting settler violence could ignite a broader escalation in the territory. Related: Qusra: 2026-08-30 West Bank: IDF soldiers and Israeli Border Police forces intervened in clashes in Qusra by Israeli rioters Qusra: 2026-08-19 Palestinian official worries US ‘replicating’ PM's strategy of boosting Hamas at PA's expense Qusra: 2026-08-18 Palestinian-American raises US flag upon return to Qusra home besieged by settlers |
| Posted by:Grom the Reflective |
| #1 |
| Posted by: Grom the Reflective 2026-08-31 04:11 |