Israeli police on Thursday arrested a 19-year-old illegal settler over a violent attack on the village of Qusra in the occupied West Bank where Palestinian homes were besieged for nearly three weeks.

Dozens of mostly young settler thugs attacked the village near Nablus on Saturday, throwing stones at residents and barricading themselves inside a house while Palestinians were inside, prompting the army to intervene.

Police said the 19-year-old from the northern West Bank had been “taken for questioning,” and at later court hearing they asked for an extension of his detention.

Last month, a group of settlers began blocking supplies from entering Palestinian houses on the outskirts of Qusra, trapping residents inside. The siege drew unusually strong criticism from the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, and Britain’s Foreign Secretary threatened a tough response to “appalling” violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

Arrests of violent Israeli settlers who assault Palestinians are rare, but amid widespread international backlash over the most recent attacks, Israeli police said on Thursday they would pursue those responsible.

“The joint investigation team of the police and the Shin Bet continues its efforts to collect evidence and take testimonies in order to locate and arrest all those who took part in this serious incident,” they police said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Saturday’s rampage as “criminal acts of violence”.

On Tuesday the Israeli army dismissed a reservist who was filmed with his troops last month praying with settlers who were besieging Qusra, rather than taking action against them.

Violence by Israeli settlers toward Palestinians in the West Bank has persisted for years, often with little or no legal consequence, but there has been a surge in attacks in recent months.

More than 500,000 Israelis live in illegal settlements in the Palestinian territory, alongside about three million Palestinians.

Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least 1,105 Palestinians in the West Bank, both militants and civilians, since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.