Israeli Press Council Demands Answers After Channel 14 Reporter Granted Access to Besieged West Bank Village

The Press and Communications Council in Israel has formally requested an urgent meeting with the IDF Spokesperson's Unit following allegations of selective enforcement against journalists covering the ongoing standoff in the West Bank village of Kusra, where three Palestinian families remain besieged by Israeli settlers for a sixth consecutive day.

Israeli Press Council Demands Answers After Channel 14 Reporter Granted Access to Besieged West Bank Village

Jerusalem — The Press and Communications Council in Israel contacted the IDF Spokesperson's Unit on Friday to request an urgent meeting after allegations surfaced that only a Channel 14 reporter was permitted to enter the village of Kusra and broadcast from the scene, while other journalists were denied entry. The council's move comes amid a broader political firestorm over settler violence in the northern West Bank, the military's enforcement policies, and the government's handling of a crisis that has drawn sharp international rebuke, including from Washington.

Council Alleges Discriminatory Access to Kusra

The Press and Communications Council, the independent body that oversees media ethics and freedom of the press in Israel, said it recognizes the IDF's authority to declare an area a closed military zone in accordance with security needs. However, the council argued that a serious problem arises when restrictions are not applied equally to all media outlets.

"Distinguishing between journalists permitted to enter and those denied entry could harm freedom of the press and the public's right to receive information about what is happening at the scene," the council stated in its formal complaint. The council emphasized that journalists, both Israeli and foreign, seek to fulfill their professional role and provide the public with an accurate picture of events, and that the military must allow them to do so equally, subject to legitimate security restrictions.

IDF Says Reporter Entered on Own Initiative

IDF officials who spoke with the Israeli daily Maariv said the Channel 14 reporter did not receive official authorization and entered the area on his own initiative. The military has declared Kusra a closed military zone, a designation that restricts entry to the area for both civilians and media personnel.

The council's demands include equal freedom of movement for all journalists, a review of existing procedures governing access to closed military zones, and the prevention of what it termed "discrimination between media outlets." The council also called for the eradication of "improper norms of abuse of power and discrimination against media outlets" and the renewal and implementation of equal procedures across the board.

MK Cassif Says He Was Delayed at Village Entrance

The press freedom dispute unfolded alongside a separate incident involving Hadash-Ta'al MK Ofer Cassif, who said IDF troops attempted to prevent him from entering Kusra on Friday. Cassif claimed the military was "allowing settlers to freely establish their outposts" in the village.

"I arrived today in the village of Kusra to see with my own eyes what is happening and to try to assist the besieged Palestinian families, who are being denied food, water, and medicine solely to protect a settler terror outpost that was reestablished today," Cassif said in a statement.

According to Cassif, at the village entrance the IDF delayed him, claiming the area fell under Area B — a designation under the Oslo Accords that grants the Palestinian Authority civil control while Israel retains security authority. A short time later, the area was declared a closed military zone, "apparently especially for me," Cassif alleged. After approximately 20 minutes, and following the intervention of the Knesset Sergeant-at-Arms, he was permitted to enter.

Cassif said he brought food, water, and medicine, was allowed through the police checkpoint, met with the besieged families, and delivered equipment to reconnect water pipes that had been damaged by settlers. "This is exactly what apartheid looks like. This is exactly what occupation looks like. We will not give up," he wrote.

An IDF Spokesperson's Unit representative confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that Kusra had been declared a closed military zone.

The Siege: Six Days Under Settler Pressure

The standoff in Kusra, a village of roughly 10 miles (16 km) from Nablus, entered its sixth day on Friday. The siege began on Sunday when settlers established an outpost near the homes of three Palestinian families, cutting off water and electricity in what residents described as a campaign to steal their land.

Aisha Abu Rida, one of the residents under siege, told Al Jazeera earlier this week: "We are surrounded by settlers, but we are steadfast... We will not leave our home, no matter what happens. Despite the water and electricity being cut off, we will remain steadfast."

Qusai Abu Rida, inside his home, watched on Friday as settlers moved from a tent erected in front of his house to the valley below rather than returning to their outpost. The home is owned by his Palestinian American brother, Loui Ridi, who lives in Toledo, Ohio. "I just don't know when this will end," Abu Rida said, describing a recurring pattern in which the army removes settlers, only for them to return after troops withdraw.

Activists March to Replenish Supplies

The standoff entered a new stage on Friday as activists supporting the Palestinians marched toward the besieged homes to replenish dwindling food and water supplies. Qusai Abu Rida's 18-year-old nephew Ahmed was among those trapped inside, with the family relying on a temporary solar power system and leftover well water after supply lines were severed.

Loui Ridi, speaking from Ohio, said his brother told him, "I only have supplies for two to three days left. And if no one is able to provide us with food, I am not sure what else I can do." Ridi has been watching the siege unfold through security cameras, which went offline on Thursday. He plans to travel to the West Bank next week to deliver food and "do whatever I can to protect my brother and my house."

Ridi also alleged that soldiers knelt to pray alongside the settlers at the scene, in footage that circulated on social media. "They basically did nothing," he said. Earlier on Wednesday, more Israeli forces arrived, dismantled the settlers' tent and clashed with about 50-60 settlers before withdrawing. "They were unable to evacuate the settlers because they were not firm with them," Ridi said.

Rights Groups: A Game of Cat and Mouse

Israeli rights group Yesh Din has been monitoring the situation closely. Executive director Ziv Stahl described the dynamic as "a kids' game, like cat and mouse... It's clearly not a matter of capability but a matter of will."

Itamar Weil, an Israeli human rights activist with the group Bnei Avraham, said the army threatened to use tear gas against activists and forced them to leave, even as settlers remained in the valley below Qusra. "The army used to prevent settlers from carrying out this kind of violence... Now, with a government that fully supports them, they're not doing their job," Weil said.

Katz Transfers Enforcement Powers to Police

In a key policy move announced on Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he would transfer all enforcement powers against Israeli civilians in the West Bank from the army to Israel's police. "The (Israeli military's) role is to fight Palestinian terrorism, focus on protecting the borders and settlements against threats... and not chase after boys on the hills," Katz said.

Historically, the army can arrest Palestinians and bring them before military courts, but for Israeli civilians it can mostly only use temporary detention; arrests, investigations and prosecutions go to police and civilian courts. Katz's move comes after he ended the use of administrative detention against Israeli civilians in November 2024 — a policy the military had used to contain settler violence by detaining suspects without charge and removing them from the West Bank.

Rights groups said transferring all powers to police was unlikely to restore order or ensure Palestinian safety. Stahl argued that Katz's announcement wouldn't stem the violence because police will still require army escorts to operate in Palestinian areas. "Unless (Katz) means he's going to apply Israeli law and have the police control the West Bank, the military is still the main body in charge," she said.

Political Context: Elections and Settler Support

The Kusra standoff unfolds against a charged political backdrop. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved more than 100 new settlements and is courting ultranationalist voters ahead of a difficult reelection campaign expected in October. Cabinet members have largely dismissed settler violence concerns as overblown, attributing it to fringe groups of a few hundred youths. Rights groups, however, say government policies make it harder to restrain settlers, who are rarely punished.

Palestinian officials report 1,476 attacks by Israeli settlers in 2026, including earlier instances of settlers staging takeovers of Palestinian homes on the outskirts of other West Bank towns. A total of 87 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the West Bank this year, according to the Palestinian Authority's Health Ministry. Israel says some of those killed were involved in terrorism, which it defines broadly to include militancy and rock-throwing. Three Israelis were killed by Palestinians, including two in a July clash in which four Palestinians were also killed.

International Rebuke and the Road Ahead

The siege has drawn a sharp US rebuke, with the Washington Post reporting on the administration's criticism of the settlers' actions. Some 2.8 million Palestinians live under Israeli military rule in the West Bank alongside more than 560,000 Israeli civilians in settlements. The international community overwhelmingly considers settlements illegal. The Palestinian Authority exercises limited autonomy in the largest cities, but 1990s agreements give Israel security control over large swaths of territory, including agricultural areas and communities such as Kusra.

Both Israel's military and police have referred questions about Qusra to the other, reflecting the institutional confusion that Katz's announcement aims to address. The Turkish Anadolu agency reported that the Qusra mayor was told by the Israeli army that the military operation would continue until Sunday morning.

For the families under siege, the immediate future remains uncertain. As Qusai Abu Rida put it: "I just don't know when this will end." The Press Council's demand for equal access for journalists, meanwhile, raises a separate but equally pressing question: whether the Israeli public will be able to see for themselves what is happening in Kusra, or whether the story will remain filtered through the lens of selective access and closed military zones.

This article was produced with AI-assisted research and editorial support. Sources: The Jerusalem Post, AP News, Al Jazeera.

By Hannah Berg, Staff Writer