In a video aimed at international audiences, Israeli public diplomacy advocate and Samaria resident Ezra Tubi challenges media reports about the village of Qusra, arguing that claims of a Jewish "siege" are false and part of a broader campaign to delegitimize Israel.
As international headlines continue to portray the events surrounding the Palestinian village of Qusra as another example of "settler violence" and a "siege" on Palestinian homes, Israeli spokesman and Samaria resident Ezra Tubi is presenting a very different narrative.
Standing on a strategic hill overlooking the area, Tubi opens his English-language video with a direct challenge to the international media.
"Behind me are the 'terrorist settlers' you've been reading about," he says. "But I'm about to show you a completely different story."
According to Tubi, the Jewish presence on the hill is not only rooted in historical and biblical ties to the land but is also driven by urgent security concerns.
"This is our ancestral homeland," he says. "But just as importantly, this location has enormous strategic significance for the safety of thousands of Israelis."
Tubi links the current tensions to the October 7 Hamas massacre, arguing that support for the attack was openly expressed in Qusra.
He points to an official statement issued by the village municipality one day after the massacre, announcing a general strike in honor of what it described as the "heroic martyrs of Gaza." For Tubi, this demonstrates that the security threat is far from theoretical.
"Based on our experience," he says, "we have every reason to believe that, given the opportunity, they would do exactly the same thing to their Jewish neighbors."
He goes on to argue that the struggle over the hill is not accidental but part of a much larger battle over strategic terrain.
"This is one of the highest points in Samaria," he explains. "Whoever controls this hill controls the surrounding area. The expansion of Arab construction here has not been random. It is part of a deliberate strategy, backed by funding and political support from hostile Arab countries and European governments."
According to Tubi, a group of young Jewish residents established a presence on the hill in an effort to prevent what they viewed as a strategic takeover.
"From the moment the Israeli flag was planted here," he says, "the entire world turned against them. Livestock was poisoned, explosive devices were planted, and young Jews were targeted in lynching attempts."
A central focus of Tubi's message is the widely reported claim that Jewish residents imposed a "siege" on Palestinian homes near Qusra.
He dismisses the allegation outright.
"The media keeps repeating the word 'siege,'" he says. "But where exactly is the siege? These are the two houses everyone is talking about. Where is the evidence? Where are the videos showing a siege? A group of Jews standing in an area during an active conflict is not a siege."
Tubi concludes by arguing that the controversy surrounding Qusra is merely one chapter in what he describes as a much broader information war against Israel.
"This is just another propaganda campaign," he says. "Yesterday it was allegations of deliberate starvation, genocide, or killing babies in Gaza. Today it's 'settler violence.' Don't be fooled. This is not a campaign against settlers. It is a campaign against the State of Israel and against Jews around the world."