The recent encirclement of Palestinian residences by extremist Israeli settlers in the town of Qusra in the occupied West Bank is not an isolated event. However, the presence of an American citizen among the Palestinian homeowners has garnered more media attention compared to the frequent aggressive actions by hardline Jewish settlers targeting Palestinians to force them off their land.
Loui Ridi, a businessman based in Ohio, returned to Qusra on Monday, August 17, to safeguard his home, where his brother and nephew reside, as settlers surrounded it along with two neighboring residences.
During a video call with CBC news from Qusra after his return, Ridi recounted how his brother informed him of the lack of food at their home, expressing reluctance to leave but a pressing need for provisions. Ridi emphasized that leaving would only invite the settlers to seize their property.
Reflecting on recent events, Ridi remarked, “Just two months ago, settlers besieged my neighbor’s village in Jalud, subjecting the family to weeks of isolation, ultimately succeeding in evicting them from their own residence.”
The presence of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank is deemed unlawful under international regulations. These settlements have notably expanded during the tenure of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition partners, who are criticized for tacitly endorsing settler violence.
Upon his return to Qusra, one of Ridi’s initial actions was to hoist an American flag atop his building, following which he sought assistance from the U.S. Embassy.
Located approximately 16 kilometers south of Nablus, Qusra is surrounded by settlement clusters like Migdalim and Shilo, along with an increasing number of outposts occupied by radical settlers.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, incidents of settler assaults causing casualties or property damage have averaged about six per day this year, marking the highest frequency on record.
Loui Ridi shares his experience after traveling from Ohio to Qusra in the West Bank to aid his family members trapped in their home due to the encirclement by Israeli settlers. Political analyst Dahlia Scheindlin provides insights into the broader context of mounting settler violence towards Palestinians in the West Bank and the stance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government on the issue.
The turmoil in Qusra prompted a condemnation from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who labeled those responsible as “Israeli terrorists” on social media.
In a subsequent televised interview with Reuters, Huckabee expressed dismay over the criminal activities targeting families, which he found reprehensible and unjustifiable, distancing himself from the settlers by referring to them as “un-settlers.”
A staunch advocate of Israel’s settlement policy and Jewish historical claims to the land, Huckabee views the West Bank as Judea and Samaria. Over 700,000 Israeli settlers inhabit Palestinian territories under occupation, including East Jerusalem, with some residing in established blocs and others in unauthorized outposts, deemed illegal even within Israeli law in theory.
Despite dismissing violent settlers as a minority, critics argue that this stance overlooks what they perceive as a de-facto annexation of the West Bank through escalating violence.
