IDF clashes with settlers surrounding Palestinian homes

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0:41Hello and welcome to NewsHour from the BBC World Service. We're coming to you live from London. I'm James Menendez. And coming up later, eclipse fever. I've travelled from Canada to come see the eclipse. Very excited to see it. I've seen one. It was beautiful, it was amazing and I'm so happy to have the chance to see one again. So what is it about the moon passing in front of the sun that enchants so many people on earth? We'll also hear from the internationally renowned Colombian ballet dancer Fernando Montaño who grew up near the epicentre of Monday's earthquake. He is still waiting to hear from some friends and family.

1:21We'll be speaking to him in half an hour. But we are going to begin today with a story we touched on in the programme yesterday. Two homes in a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank that are still, for a fourth day today, surrounded by Israeli settlers. They're stopping the families from getting in or out, and they've cut the power and water to the houses. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under both international and Israeli law. However, so far, the Israeli security forces haven't been able or willing to break up what is effectively a siege. Some soldiers were filmed praying with the settlers.

2:01Well, yesterday we heard from one of the families trapped in their home in Khuzra. A man called Yusuf Hassan described how they were short of food and that his young daughter needed medical attention. We've heard that an ambulance has since evacuated her and brought some supplies. Well, today we've had this from their neighbours. Kusai Aburida recorded a video on his rooftop with some men appearing to be Israeli settlers in the background.

2:32I am Kusai Aburida from the village of Kasra, south of Nablus. Four days ago, settlers came to the house and blocked us from leaving. They stopped anyone from coming to the house. We have been deprived of all necessities. They cut off the electricity and water and supply of health care. There is a family living in a nearby house. They have two children, age four and two. They have also been cut off from the outside world. We are unable to leave the house and our situation is tragic. The soldiers arrived at the house but they did nothing. We appeal to the humanitarian organisations to help us and protect us and provide food and medicine to the families who are besieged by the settlers.

3:20Khusai Abu Rida there. Well, the BBC's Middle East correspondent John Donison is in Khusra and joins us on the line now. John, good to have you with us. Just tell us what's going on right now and what happened earlier today. well we are on the hillside opposite these four houses we actually have just come back from trying to get to those houses we drove along the road along the ridge got to within about a kilometer and then we hit an israeli army roadblock they were perfectly friendly at that roadblock but they wouldn't let us go any further and then we actually saw the settlers coming down towards us on the back of a pickup truck and the army basically said we needed to get out of there pretty quickly.

4:04It's interesting in that clip you mentioned the family who had to evacuate yesterday. Well they're actually stood just three metres away from me, the two young girls with their mum and obviously a pretty difficult four days for them. Yes indeed. What then is the Israeli government and the army line on what's going on and why this is still going on? Well, the Israeli army line, pretty high up in the Israeli army, they have condemned really in pretty strong terms the actions of these settlers. In the past, we've certainly heard that the prime minister, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also condemning settler violence in the West Bank.

4:46I think the Israeli government knows that it plays pretty badly with the international community. However, the accusation from Palestinian families and from human rights groups is that the Israeli military, in effect, allows settlers to act with impunity. Prosecutions for settler violence are incredibly rare. And, you know, there is a bit of a crossover. There are settlers who are in the military, either as reservists or serving. and we did have these scenes at the weekend you mentioned where the soldiers who came to protect I suppose these houses, these Palestinian families, were actually seen praying with the settlers and I should say that within the Israeli coalition government there are far right-wing cabinet ministers who not only don't condemn the action of these settlers but are accused of actively encouraging them and indeed inciting them.

5:42What is happening in Kusra? Is it an isolated incident or is it part of a pattern that we've seen in the Occupy West Bank over the last few months and years? Well, it's kind of both because we have seen a surge in settler violence in recent years. The United Nations says as many as six attacks are happening on Palestinian communities every single day this year. There have been, I think, 12 Palestinians killed directly by settlers this year, as well as hundreds who have been injured. At the same time, this is a new tactic from the settlers. We have seen them using violence against Palestinian individuals.

6:28We've seen them burning property, setting fire to fields, olive groves, that sort of thing. But this tactic of, in effect, laying siege to Palestinian homes to basically starve people out, you know, they cut off the water, the electric, they weren't allowing food to get in, they weren't allowing for some time an ambulance to get in. This is a new tactic. And the aim is to try and take over Palestinian homes. John, is there going to be another attempt by the army to, well, I mean, let's put it like this, break the siege and remove the settlers? Is that going to happen today? Well, it's interesting because we spoke to the families this morning and they said the army were there this morning.

7:15They came, they dismantled some of the settlers' tents and they told them to move on. But then within an hour after the soldiers had moved back, the settlers were back. Now, as I say, we went to this Israeli army roadblock there. There were a few military vehicles. There were maybe half a dozen, maybe 10 soldiers. And we did see them heading up to confront these settlers as they came down the road in their pickup truck. While we were there, it looked to be pretty peaceful. They didn't seem to be getting them to move on. But that may happen later in the day. John, thank you very much indeed. Our correspondent John Donison joining us live there from Khusra.

7:53Well, as John mentioned, the Israeli military has condemned what is going on as illegal, reprehensible and unacceptable. That's the establishment of settler outposts inside Palestinian villages. And yet, as we have also been hearing, there seems to have been little effort to remove the settlers. Doran Minot is also in the village of Khusra. He's a retired colonel in the Israeli military, the IDF, who's now a member of Looking the Occupation in the Eye, a volunteer group opposed to the Israeli occupation. Why is the Israeli army finding it so difficult to break up that siege of these Palestinian homes?

8:32Look, the army don't use weapons, OK? They're not shooting the settlers. They're not killing them. They try to do it like a game, you know, to catch them without using a weapon. And when they are not using a weapon, So the settlers are young people, and they run away, they run on the hills, and the army cannot do anything about it. The only option is only if there will be 100 soldiers or maybe 1 ,000 soldiers, so maybe they can do something. If they send only 20 soldiers, nothing could happen. This place, this outpost, the army tried to destroy it maybe more than 10 times and didn't succeed. The armies should get a decision and do it much more seriously, because what they are doing now is a kind of game.

9:24We saw some images of some of the soldiers praying with some of the settlers. What does that tell you about the army's position, or at least the army that is in Qusra, their position on what the settlers are doing? A big part of the army are in the same side of the settlers. These particularly soldiers that you saw playing with the settlers are settlers by themselves. A soldier from the next settlement, in Hebrew it's called Hagmar, a special kind of unit that builds from the soldiers, from the settlers. And these settlers are in the side of the settlers that are in the outpost. So there's no chance that this kind of soldier will take them away from there.

10:17And what they do, they are their friends, as you see. Exactly what you say. They pray with them, they drink coffee with them. In Ibu we say they are a good friend. So even though the military command on Tuesday denounced what was going on as illegal, still reprehensible and unacceptable. I mean, what you're saying is that there is sympathy or even support among sections of the IDF for these illegal outposts. I think, first, the army's duty is not to talk, is to do things. The army shouldn't be against them and say that they are against them. The army should act against them, not talk about it.

11:04And this morning, the commander of the Central Command, which is the Brigadier General, Avi Blut, has been there and promised the Palestinian resident that he is going to solve the problem. And he didn't do it yet. You know, maybe he will do it in the close future. But yet he didn't succeed to do it. And it's very embarrassing, I think, for him and for the IDF. And do you think that the soldiers who are sympathetic to the settlers, do you think they're in the majority or are they still a minority in the army? I don't want to speak about the army generally, but the people that are in this area, in the West Bank, a very big part of them are in the side of the settlement.

11:55Not only soldiers, even though some of the commanders, it's not serious. I think they have to work against all the outposts. And the reason why they didn't do it and succeed to do it now is because in the past they let them grow and let them get strong. And the state of Israel gives them everything. Okay, gives them electricity, gives them water, gives them protection by the army. And now they try to work against them, but they cannot because they are too strong. As I said before, if they get a real decision and bring it, if the army, I mean the IDF, not only the people here, the soldiers here in this area, the IDF will decide that this is the main mission, it could do it.

12:46But, you know, they don't have the government support. And that was Doron Minot, who was a colonel in the Israeli military, the IDF. He's now a member of Looking the Occupation in the Eye, a volunteer group. He was speaking to me from Khuzra, that Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank. We have continued to request an interview with the Israeli Defence Forces, but so far we've had no luck. You're listening to NewsHour from the BBC World Service.

13:38Still to come on the programme, as people dig for survivors after Colombia's earthquake, we hear the experience of one woman who dug like a dog, as she puts it, after Iran's big earthquake more than 20 years ago. So what I would do is I would stand up, then fall to my knees, scream into the ground, put my ear to the ground, listen, scream again, and then stand up and repeat that process and go up and down, back and forth to try and make sure I didn't miss any spot. That interview coming up in 20 minutes. Our main headlines from the newsroom at the moment as we've been hearing Israeli settlers are continuing to trap two Palestinian families in their homes in the occupied West Bank after clashing earlier with the Israeli security forces.

14:24And President Putin has threatened to seize European ships after the EU said it would intercept vessels suspected of being part of Russia's shadow fleet.

14:39This is James Menendez with NewsHour live from the BBC. Now, the German government has approved sweeping new powers for the country's domestic and foreign spy agencies. It's been warning for some time now that the country is facing a range of hybrid attacks, with Russia the prime suspect. Last week, a drone loaded with explosives was found at Leipzig Airport, a major logistics hub. Well, let's speak to our Berlin correspondent, Jessica Parker, who joins us on the line. Jess, what sort of new powers? Well, what they're looking at, as you say, cuts across their domestic and foreign intelligence services.

15:17So to give you a flavour of what those services may be able to do in future, this still needs to go before lawmakers in the autumn. They could be able to manipulate, disrupt, hack the IT infrastructure of a foreign power if Germany was undergoing a cyber or disinformation attack. They could agents potentially be able to break into a residence and replace explosives with something that's harmless as part of counterintelligence operations. And in the sort of data retention sphere where Germany has had long for a long time, very strict privacy rules, they'll loosen those rules. So there'll be longer data retention periods, greater powers in terms of surveillance as well via telecommunications.

16:08So that's a flavour of what they'll be able to do. And some people listening might be thinking, weren't they able under certain rules and thresholds able to do this anyway? Well, not really. In Germany, there have been very strict guardrails and constraints on the intelligence services as a legacy of what Germans experienced at the hands of Nazi spy spy agents, Nazi spies, and as well the Stasi in East Germany as well. So this is about loosening restrictions that really are very historically embedded in Germany here. And of course, the plans certainly have their critics of people who think that there's overreach going on.

16:47Tell us, though, about the context, because clearly that's what's driving this. Is this a response to the threat from Russia or is there more to it too? I think it's absolutely a response to the threat from Russia. You mentioned Leipzig last week and this bomb laden drone. Germany has been very careful not to point a finger at anybody publicly. But U.S. media have been reporting that American officials have seen links to Russia. Moscow's denied any involvement. So I think you could absolutely see this or it's beginning to be seen as part of that Zeitung vendor that was announced in the wake of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine, where Germany basically acknowledged that for a long time it had underinvested in its military and that it needed to be more robust in terms of security and intelligence and its intelligence agencies absolutely now becoming part of that Zeitung Wende.

17:43So I think that's absolutely important context here. And Germany's government says that it is the target of, Germany is the target of daily hybrid attacks, hybrid warfare attacks, whether that might be disinformation, whether that might be cyber attacks, whether that might even be sabotage as well. So it's saying it has to get more robust in the face of hostile actors, but it will apply in the domestic sphere as well. There's some various divisions of powers that are a bit complicated to go into between the domestic and the foreign intelligence services. But I think that absolutely is the overall context.

18:22And this this sense, traditionally, Germany's intelligence services have been described as somewhat vegetarian, whilst other Western allies have been more carnivorous. And they're trying to bring them a bit more up to the standard of other Western agencies, although they are being clear that they won't be sanctioning the use of example for lethal force. Thank you very much indeed. Our Berlin correspondent, Jessica Parker. Now, millions of people in several parts of Europe will be able to see a total solar eclipse of the sun later today the first on the continent for 20 years For a brief minute or so, the moon will move across the sun, perfectly covering it, leaving only an eerie halo In the UK, it will be a partial eclipse but that hasn't stopped a scramble for the glasses that will allow people to watch it safely Hour by hour, the supply just keeps changing I just tried to come here and they're completely out.

19:15I'm on my lunch break, so I need to get back to work. So I've got half an hour to go and find somewhere else. It's very much word of mouth because Google's not showing anything. Very long queues, many sell-outs. Well, the path of the total eclipse began at sunrise over the Arctic coast of northern Siberia before sweeping over the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, Iceland, the North Atlantic, and then by evening, Portugal's far northwest and northern Spain, where our science correspondent, Paleb Ghosh, is waiting to see it for himself.

19:49The cathedral bells of the picturesque medieval city of Burgos call the faithful to prayer. It's done so for centuries, but now it's a magnet for pilgrims of a different sort. Visitors are flocking here to witness a total solar eclipse. I've travelled from Canada to come see the eclipse. Last time there was an eclipse in Buruz, it was in 1905. So we've been waiting for this for 121 years. Very excited to see it. I've seen one. It was beautiful. It was amazing. And I'm so happy to have the chance to see one again. In a total eclipse, the moon completely covers the sun's bright disk, revealing its shimmering atmosphere.

20:33It hangs in the sky like a gigantic shimmering black pearl. For a few moments, day turns to night and reality into a dream as we witness the sun's hidden beauty. It's quite magical. It's very otherworldly. Once people have seen one, many follow them all over the world, such as Paul and Julie Lee, who've travelled here from Henley-on-Thames in southern England. This one is in a beautiful country in the middle of the summer, what's not to like? And actually, it's going to be a very different eclipse, I think, from the ones that I've seen before because it's very low on the horizon. The shared experience part of it is truly remarkable and I think people who don't get underneath the totality don't ever appreciate that.

21:15It's not the same as watching it on the telly? It's certainly not the same as watching it on the telly, not even the BBC. Eclipse glasses are essential when looking at the sun. Dr Martin Griffiths, an astronomer turned eclipse guide, briefs his party on the risks. It's so bright, so strong, that you could end up damaging your eyesight. But he tells me the glasses can be taken off once the moon completely covers the sun's bright disk. So wait until totality to look at it with the naked eye. But also remember that there are lots and lots of astronomical societies across Spain, across the UK, who are putting on shows so that people can come along and see things properly, through properly filtered telescopes, and of course they'll all have eclipse glasses as well.

22:00The total eclipse begins over northern Siberia at sunrise, crosses the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, Iceland and then sweeps across the North Atlantic and the northern half of Spain clipping a corner of Portugal before ending near the Balearic Islands at sunset. But many others in Europe, including the UK, will see a partial eclipse where the moon covers more than 90 % of the sun according to Dr Tim Revel, who's executive editor of New Scientist. So with a partial eclipse, it begins with the moon slowly starting to move in front of the sun. And over the course of about an hour or so, it will take progressively bigger chunks out of the sun as it slowly moves across.

22:43And you'll notice the sky starts to get a bit darker. You start to see crescent shadows on the floor and eventually it will reach the maximum. And then the same thing will happen in the reverse again over the course of an hour. And you'll see the skies go darker. It might become a little bit colder. the birds might become a little bit quieter and then that will be the full experience of the partial eclipse. The sun sets over Burgos Cathedral. When it rises again, those gathered here will witness one of the great natural wonders of the universe. Whether it's total or partial, it's a moment that moves us all, reminding us of the wonder of the universe and our place in it.

23:24That was our science correspondent, Palab Ghosh, reporting there from northern Spain. We'll be returning to the story later here on NewsHour.

23:38The US has long been suspected of trying to sway elections in other countries, but is something more brazen going on these days? I'm Osama Khalid, and I'm one of the hosts of the Global Story podcast from the BBC. Brazil has accused the US of meddling in its upcoming vote. The US has dismissed the allegation. But how do these claims fit into the long legacy of American electoral interventions? Check out The Global Story on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

24:10You're listening to NewsHour. President Trump has confirmed reports he was taken off his official plane and transferred to another aircraft in a catering truck on his way home from a NATO summit in Turkey last month. A number of US media outlets said it was because of fears that Air Force One might be attacked by Iran. Here's what the president had to say at a noisy airbase in Maryland. Can you tell us about your ride on the airport catering truck in Turkey? Why did you need to do that? Well, it's only up to Secret Service. I just follow what they'd like to do. So I go by Secret Service and the military.

24:46They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety, but they wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say. However, the whole episode has left those who remained on board Air Force One wondering whether they were in effect acting as decoys. Alex Brandon is a photographer for the Associated Press and was part of the journalist pool. As a veteran of presidential flights, he said he knew immediately something odd was going on. As we arrive at Air Force One, we drive up on the tarmac in the motorcade, and I look up and I see those catering trucks. I've been covering the president in Washington for 20 years and presidents going back to Reagan for 20 years before that.

25:28I've never seen that before. I immediately started taking pictures, alerting my editors that this was unusual, that we make sure we use it. It seems normal for us, but that's real unusual for Air Force One. We get to the plane, stop, get out, and the president has already exited the limousine and is already up the stairs and on the aircraft. That's not unusual. That happens. We typically go underneath the wing of the aircraft and photograph. And sometimes the journalists will shout questions and try to get the president to come over and talk to us. So that wasn't unusual that he was already on the plane.

26:04And then we board the plane like normal. I get in my seat, which happens to be a window seat. I immediately lift the blind, which is shut. And a flight attendant, which is a U.S. Air Force enlisted officer, comes over and says, blinds have to be kept down. And I say, why? And she says, Secret Service says so. And so, of course, I shut my blind, you know, not noticing or thinking anything out of the ordinary. We've been told that we were switching from the Qatar donated Air Force One to the legacy original Air Force One. And so I thought maybe there was a little bit of enhanced security or something like that, that they wanted to observe.

26:43That's the only indication I got whatsoever. One of my biggest concerns is if, God forbid, the plane that we are on is taken out of the sky and the president continues on, the world thinks that the president is dead. And in that moment, the world needs an independent journalist to say, hey, I'm here. I'm with the president. Everything's fine. It is critically important to have that independent verification. And that's why we do what we do, so that the world knows that, yes, the president is safe in this moment. That was Associated Press photographer Alex Brandon there. You're listening to the BBC.