US Ambassador Calls Settlers 'Terrorists' as Qusra Siege Continues
August 14, 2026. America's ambassador to Israel made a rare condemnation of settler violence as families in Qusra remained under siege, while Washington pressed Netanyahu to speak out. Here's each story in brief, with links to the original reporting.
Huckabee Calls Qusra Settlers 'Terrorists'
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee issued a rare condemnation of the week-long settler siege of Palestinian families in the West Bank village of Qusra, calling the settlers "Israeli terrorists". Washington also wants Netanyahu to condemn the violence, Al Jazeera reports.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera
UN and Palestinian Officials Condemn Qusra Siege
The UN rights office and the Palestinian Foreign Ministry described the settler siege of family homes in Qusra as criminal and inhumane, while Israeli soldiers blocked aid deliveries to the families, Al Jazeera reports.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Settlers Target Christian Town of Taybeh
Taybeh, the last all-Christian Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank, has faced coordinated attacks by settlers, Al Jazeera reports.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Kushner to Visit Israel After Netanyahu Rejects Gaza Plan
Jared Kushner will travel to Israel after Netanyahu rejected a Board of Peace plan for Hamas disarmament and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a board official told Al Jazeera.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Art Helps Gaza's Kids Heal
Young survivors in Gaza are finding safe spaces through art to work through trauma and find some joy again, Al Jazeera reports.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Analysts: Israel Can't Disown Settler Violence
Rights groups say settler attacks and state policy in the occupied West Bank serve the same goal of displacing Palestinians and annexing land. They argue Israel cannot call the violence fringe behaviour when soldiers look on or join in and prosecutions are vanishingly rare.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Soldiers Stop Aid Reaching Trapped Families
Footage from Qusra shows soldiers blocking aid to families trapped in their homes for days. Residents said supplies of food, water and medicine were running out while settlers moved around outside without restriction.
Sources: Al Jazeera
Soldiers Accused of Backing Qusra Settlers
Residents and Israeli activists say soldiers in Qusra shielded the settlers besieging the village instead of the families inside, with troops standing beside masked men who blocked roads and cut supplies.
Sources: Al Jazeera
The Bigger Picture
Nearly a year after the ceasefire announced in October 2025, civilians in Gaza still face daily danger amid widespread destruction, continuing strikes and limits on the supplies and equipment needed to rebuild. Gaza's health ministry says more than 73,900 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023 and over 174,000 wounded, including at least 1,381 killed since the ceasefire took effect.
Sources: Al Jazeera, OCHA
In the occupied West Bank, the UN reports settler attacks affecting 275 Palestinian communities so far in 2026, nearly matching the 279 recorded in all of 2025, the highest annual total since records began in 2006. Permit demolitions have destroyed more than 1,100 Palestinian structures in 2026 and displaced over 1,500 people, a third of everyone forced from their homes in the West Bank this year. With 98 percent of Gaza's schools damaged or destroyed and over 90 percent of the territory in ruins, thousands of families are living in structures already declared unsafe.
Sources: OCHA
Medical services remain near collapse. Hospitals are rationing power because of fuel shortages, oxygen is limited, and agencies report that specialist medicines, including cancer drugs, have repeatedly run out. Most UN member states now recognize Palestinian statehood, but recognition has not changed conditions on the ground, and Palestinian officials argue that without enforcement the occupation continues unchanged.
Sources: OCHA
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