Palestinian American Reunites Under West Bank Siege

Palestinian American Loui Ridi traveled from Ohio to the West Bank to visit his family home in Qusra, which has been under siege by Israeli settlers for about a week. News accounts describe settlers roaming the village while Israeli security forces patrolled the area, and Ridi was escorted to the house by military vehicles as journalists accompanied him. Ridi, who grew up on land his grandparents farmed, said the home’s location had been placed under Palestinian Authority control by 1990s peace accords, and he expressed that the settlers should not be there. He publicly raised an American flag on the roof, emphasizing his desire to preserve his family’s ties to the village and protect the property from seizure. The situation has drawn condemnation from the United States and highlighted ongoing tensions over land and settlement activity in the occupied West Bank. Reports also note that the Israeli military declared the area a closed zone during the siege, and that the broader pattern of settler violence in the region continues to flare up.