New Israeli Roadblocks Deepen Permanent Siege on Homes in West Bank Village of Qusra

Roqayya Ridi, the wife of Palestinian-American Loui Ridi, walks with their daughters, Kinda, 2, and Hoor, 4, at their home in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra, south of Nablus. The family's home has been besieged by Israeli settlers and soldiers since early August.

When Israeli authorities set up three new roadblocks at the Ras al-Ain hill in Qusra on Wednesday, Abdel Hakim Wadi knew he was about to lose access to his land below permanently. These roadblocks utilize large yellow and orange metal bars placed on concrete blocks, a common fixture across the West Bank that has multiplied since the war on Gaza began in October 2023. Only Israeli forces hold the keys to these gates.

Israeli soldiers previously placed a gate at the main entrance of Qusra, forcing Palestinians to take alternative routes that are frequently closed as well. Three homes in this area of Qusra have been besieged by Israeli settlers since August 9, drawing global condemnation. Although Israeli forces declared the area a closed military zone, the siege has effectively continued with locals trapped inside.

Instead of lifting the siege, the new roadblocks have been placed in strategic locations. "They are pushing the Israeli settlers 100 to 150 metres away from [our] houses, but now they have established checkpoints," Wadi told Al Jazeera. "[It is] a much more permanent siege."

One of the gates was erected at the entrance of the house belonging to Loui Ridi, a Palestinian-American from Ohio who returned to Qusra to defend his property after the siege began. Israeli soldiers are stationed outside his home, preventing him from leaving since his arrival on August 17. A second roadblock is positioned further up the hill near a house under construction, and a third is located above a building site to the left. Together, these barriers encircle the summit and the homes upon it, cutting off the area from the land below and rendering a connecting road to Talfit and Jalud ineffective.

Ridi noted that Israeli settlers remain in the surrounding area, and security forces continue to restrict movement for him and his neighbors, a family with two young children. "We have been calling on the US embassy ... or the international community to end the siege," Ridi said, adding that little concrete action has been taken despite international condemnation of settlers cutting off water and electricity.

Wadi's nearly one-hectare land, featuring olive, almond, and fig trees, lies near one of the new gates and has been inaccessible since the siege began. Israeli settlers have also taken over a water well on his property, where Wadi reports seeing them bathe. He fears the new gates will permanently block his access, suspecting that Israel intends to replace the visible settler presence with the army while quietly continuing the land grab in the West Bank piece by piece.