US State Department Calls for Arrest of Those Responsible for West Bank Violence

The U.S. State Department responded to riots that occurred over the weekend in the Palestinian village of Qusra in the West Bank, where dozens of Israeli rioters broke into a Palestinian home and threw stones at Palestinians and other civilians. The State Department called for those involved to be prosecuted, though it did not identify who was responsible for the events.

A State Department spokesperson told i24NEWS, "We are in constant dialogue with our partners regarding improving stability and security in the West Bank. We condemn criminal violence by any party in the West Bank and call for the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of those responsible."

Following the Qusra incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the violence, stating, "I strongly condemn the heinous acts of violence committed in the villages of Qusra and Jalud by a handful of rioters who break the law, cause immense injustice to the law-abiding public of settlers, interfere with the IDF in carrying out its missions, and harm Israel's standing in the world."

Approximately three weeks prior, following a similar incident where a Palestinian home in Qusra was besieged, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman referred to the Israeli rioters as "terrorists." On Tuesday morning, anti-Semitic graffiti targeting Friedman was discovered on the walls of a mosque that had been set on fire in a West Bank village, reading, "Friedman, greetings from the terrorists."