Spain Condemns Siege of Palestinian Families in Qusra, Demands End to Settlers’ Impunity

Madrid: Spain condemned the siege of Palestinian families by settlers in the town of Qusra, south of Nablus, calling for an end to the acts of violence and intimidation committed by settlers against Palestinian citizens, and an end to their impunity. According to Union of OIC News Agencies, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, stressed the need to protect Palestinian citizens under occupation, in accordance with international humanitarian law, and to hold perpetrators of violence accountable, calling for an end to all colonial activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, as they are contrary to international law. Madrid reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to implementing the two-state solution, ensuring that Palestine and Israel live side by side in peace and security, stressing that the two-state solution is the only way towards achieving a just, sustainable and lasting peace in the region. Terrorist settlers had besieged homes in Qusra earlier last week, blocking roads leading t o them with stones, setting up a tent in the vicinity, and preventing medical teams and foreign solidarity activists from reaching the besieged families. The besieged families of Abdel Salam and Abu Rida issued an urgent appeal to international and humanitarian organizations to intervene to break the siege, in light of the settlers continued attacks on the area for more than four months, and their attempts to establish a colonial outpost in the vicinity of their homes. According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, terrorist settlers carried out 3488 attacks during the first half of this year, targeting Palestinian villages, towns, citizens, and their properties. These attacks ranged from assaulting residents and shooting at them, to burning houses, attacking roads and vehicles, in addition to establishing settlement outposts and seizing citizens' lands. The commission noted that 17 citizens were killed by settlers in the West Bank, 42 new settlement outposts were established, and 4379 dunams of citizens' land were seized during this period.