Yossi Schwartz ISL (RCIT section in Israel/Occupied Palestine) 27.09.2026
In the United States, White House guards are blocking journalists on Trump’s orders in defiance of the court’s decision. In the West Bank, settler terror continues, and families who have been expelled from their homes cannot return to their homes, contrary to court decisions.
Two months have passed since the Tubasi family was expelled from their homes on the hill opposite the village of Jalud, in Area B – an area that has been under a closed military zone order in recent months. They were supposed to return to their homes in accordance with a High Court order, but military coordination around their return was eventually postponed to an unknown date this week. On Thursday, they were forced to watch footage from security cameras showing settlers invading their homes again. On Wednesday evening, settlers were also documented there, and the access roads were again blocked with stones. According to testimonies, the sounds of destruction by the settlers in the houses could be heard all the way to the village. “The wound is still bleeding from the inside every time we see the settlers inside our house,” said one of the family members. We recognize them from afar, each of them,” said a relative of hers. Yesterday, the settlers built a sukkah in the yard of the house, and then the Border Police dismantled it.
In a High Court hearing, the justices harshly criticized the functioning of the security establishment, and on September 6, the court ordered the state to coordinate the return of the Tubasi family within 14 days. The state was supposed to secure the family members and update the court by September 22 on their return and on the measures being taken to prevent the return of the rioters. Instead, she informed the High Court of Justice that due to operational constraints, the return had been postponed and would take place “in the coming days.” According to a member of the Tubasi family, on Tuesday the DCO informed his relatives that they were expected to return to their homes on Thursday. The date came, but the return was postponed.
“I think it’s a game. There was a court decision, and nothing has changed,” said a family member in frustration. The settlers closed the roads because they knew we were coming back. If the army and police wanted to, the settlers wouldn’t be able to do it.” He said, “The children won’t come back. There are no doors, no windows, we have to rearrange the whole house. If we feel safe, we will bring the children back as well. We want to go back, but we are afraid for our safety.” His relative explained that the presence of settlers in Jabal Ein Anya, the outpost at the top of the mountain in Qusra, makes it difficult to return to their homes. “We are sitting on the road when they get there,” he said. Indeed, footage of masked Israeli settlers fleeing Qusra on 29 August – when dozens besieged and invaded a Palestinian building in front of soldiers – shows the vehicles climbing up the hill on which the Tubasi family houses stand. In fact, it is used by settlers to reach deep into the area.
On the 40 dunams owned by the extended family, hundreds of vines, fig trees, almonds and pomegranate trees have been planted and they generate vital income. But since the outpost was established in January, Abu Yousef said he has not been able to gather his crops. “Twice we tried to go up to the ground, and they attacked us. The first time they shouted at me to go and beat me, I was bleeding from my face,” he recalled. “The second time we tried to go up to the land, they attacked us and then they came down from the mountain and attacked the village.”
On the same day in February, IDF forces were called there and made extensive use of tear gas. Several Palestinians were injured by live fire. The footage shows an Israeli security vehicle next to the masked settlers. Since then, Abu Yusef has not tried to return to his land. While his main source of livelihood continues to be damaged, in recent weeks settlers have settled in his building – with the Israeli authorities’ knowledge. They were also informed of this in a petition filed by the residents of Qusra.
During the hearing, Supreme Court Justice Khaled Kabub dwelt on an annual report by the “News of the Hills” channel, which is affiliated with the hilltop youth. When a criminal boasts of a long list of hundreds of house and vehicle fires… what kind of enforcement is that?” He wondered. “It insults the commander in charge of law enforcement when the criminals take pride in the data in public – and this is our product this year.” The state’s representative responded: “We are working to improve.”
The petitioners also submitted footage from New Year’s Eve, in which settlers are seen blowing the shofar at the army guard post located in the closed military zone, near the houses that have been besieged. The commander of the Samaria Brigade, Col. David Cohen, claimed at the hearing that “youths from the lower area came up, started blowing the shofar, and gave them five minutes to evacuate the area – a reasonable amount of time.” The footage shows the settlers walking away from the post. Cohen then referred to the takeover of Abu Yusuf’s building, and the footage showing soldiers sitting next to a minivan used by the settlers. “It’s a closed area and no one is there, certainly not for a long time and certainly not in recent weeks,” he said. However, in a video submitted to the court, “Standing Together” activists are seen waking up a group of minors sleeping in the building.
“Judge Ofer Grosskopf asked Cohen if the soldiers document the details of the settlers who entered the closed military zone. “Of course,” the brigade commander replied. Some of them are detained at the station, some by the police.” In practice, the forces keep the settlers a little further away, but do not make sure that they leave the extensive area of the order. Meanwhile, over the past month, the military has refused to respond to Haaretz’s questions about the lack of enforcement against settler violations and has not provided the number of Israelis who were detained by the forces and transferred to the Border Police or the police. However, according to a police source, poor documentation of closure order violations affects the effective handling of enforcement.
On 18 February, a military closure order was imposed on the outpost and its surroundings and is still in effect. However, in many cases where forces were dispatched to the area due to ongoing clashes, the soldiers did not evacuate the Israeli settlers who violated the order. Last March, for example, an Israeli settler shot and killed Amir Odeh, a 28-year-old Palestinian. Before the shooting, a confrontation was reported and forces were called to the area. The soldiers spoke to the settlers, allowed them to stay there, and left. Half an hour later, Odeh was killed.