US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has called on the Trump administration to pressure Israel to protect Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank amid growing violence by illegal Israeli settlers.
"The ongoing siege of Palestinian homes in the West Bank by violent, lawbreaking settlers is unacceptable. Enough," Jeffries said in a post on the US social media platform X.
"The Trump administration must compel the Israeli government to protect the lives, property and livelihood of innocent Palestinian civilians."
Jeffries' remarks came amid growing international outrage over attacks by illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and increasing concern over the Israeli military's handling of settlers who besieged several Palestinian homes in the village of Qusra.
Last week, the UN warned that settler violence in the occupied West Bank had reached unprecedented levels, documenting more than 1,430 attacks targeting around 260 Palestinian communities since the beginning of this year.
Along with demolitions and evictions, the attacks have displaced 3,800 Palestinians, nearly half of them children.
Raids, outposts, and military restrictions
Illegal Israeli settlers and army forces escalated activities across the occupied West Bank on Monday.
Settlers attacked the outskirts of Al-Mazraa Al-Sharqiya east of Ramallah, sparking clashes with local youths.
In Bethlehem province, illegal settlers established a new illegal outpost on land belonging to Nahalin town, while bulldozers carved a settler road near homes in Deir Ammar and expanded outposts north of Burqa.
Concurrently, Israeli forces carried out raids and tightened movement restrictions.
Troops raided Shuqba, fired tear gas, and erected checkpoints at the entrances to Shabtin and Nabi Saleh.
Checkpoints at Nabi Saleh and Atara, north of Ramallah, as well as at Jaba, north-east of occupied East Jerusalem, caused severe traffic congestion.
Troops also raided Sair north-east of Hebron, while illegal settlers conducted tours in Khirbet Samra in the northern Jordan Valley.
Since the Gaza genocide began in October 2023, Israeli forces and illegal settlers have killed more than 1,183 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, wounding around 13,000 and arresting nearly 25,000, according to Palestinian figures.
