Tubassi family’s West Bank return disrupted in reported settler attack
NBC News reported that settlers re-entered the Tubassi family’s West Bank home after an escorted return, with three arrests reported.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
2 min read
The Tubassi family’s attempt to return to its home in the West Bank was disrupted by a reported settler attack shortly after Israeli security forces escorted them inside, according to an NBC News report broadcast Sept. 29.
Homeowner Mahmud Tubassi told NBC that settlers had occupied the house for weeks before the family returned. He said the property had been damaged, including its floors, doors and toilets.
NBC reported that a group of settlers then forced their way into the home again. The broadcaster said the house was later set on fire, based on its reporting from the scene.
What happened when the Tubassi family returned home?
The Israeli military said settlers attacked both the Tubassi family and Israeli security personnel during the confrontation, NBC reported. The IDF said three border police officers were injured.
Security forces said they arrested three settlers, according to NBC. The report did not say whether anyone had been charged, and it did not provide a later update on whether the family was able to stay in the house.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the settler attacks and said those responsible should face prosecution to the fullest extent of the law, NBC reported.
An earlier attack on the family
The return followed another incident reported by NBC about a month earlier. The broadcaster said masked men carrying sticks and stones stopped near the Tubassi home, smashed the windshield of its crew’s car and beat Mahmud Tubassi’s wife, Ida Tubassi, unconscious.
Ida Tubassi, 51, later recovered, NBC said. That incident was separate from the reported confrontation during the family’s return to the house.
Other West Bank incidents are separate cases
Violence involving settlers has also been reported elsewhere in the West Bank, though those episodes do not establish what happened to the Tubassi family after NBC’s broadcast.
In August, the Associated Press reported that settlers had surrounded three homes in Qusra for days, with residents and local officials describing blocked exits and shortages of food and water. Israel’s military said it dismantled two illegal outposts nearby, detained one Israeli and sent more soldiers to the area.
Separately, the BBC reported in September that residents and school staff in al-Mughayyir feared for children’s safety amid settler-related violence. The Israeli military gave accounts of separate incidents there, saying in one case stones had been thrown and in others its forces had responded to what it called a violent riot.
Neither report concerned the Tubassi home. The available reporting does not establish the family’s current housing situation or the outcome of the arrests.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.