Trapped Under Siege: Palestinian Families Face Isolation in the West Bank

In the occupied West Bank village of Qusra, Loui Ridi had been building a home for his two daughters. Having grown up in Ohio, the girls had fallen in love with their father’s Palestinian roots during family trips and asked for a home where their grandmother lives and where their father was raised, Ridi told CNN. That dream is now stalled as a group of Israeli settlers lay siege to the hilltop where Ridi’s and two other houses stand in an effort to displace the Palestinian residents.

The settlers erected a tent, severed water and electricity supplies, and blocked roads to prevent anyone from reaching the property. Trapped inside are Ridi’s brother, Qusai, and Qusai’s son, who have only enough food to last a couple more days. "They have their eyes set on the house and on this hilltop; they want to take it," Qusai stated. "We will not surrender and we will not leave, even if we have to drink salt and water in this house and if there’s not a single piece of bread left."

Watching via security cameras from Ohio, Ridi contacted Israeli authorities, who hold security responsibility in the area. To his surprise, Israeli soldiers arrived, greeted the settlers warmly, and joined them in prayer. Although Israeli soldiers and border police later arrived to dismantle the tent and attempt to remove the settlers, the effort failed when dozens of additional settlers arrived, throwing rocks and moving boulders into the road. Security forces deployed sound grenades and pepper spray before withdrawing.

When journalists arrived hours later, they were blocked by Israeli soldiers and settlers who declared the area a closed military zone. Unable to reach the home directly, reporters spoke to Qusai via video call from the base of the hill. The Israeli military launched a more forceful operation on Thursday morning, initially evicting more than a dozen Palestinian families to use their homes as temporary bases against the settlers. Hours later, the military reversed course and instructed that residents could remain in their homes.

By Friday morning, settlers rebuilt their tent outside the besieged properties. Although soldiers tore it down again, they left the canopy behind. Human rights activists marched to Qusra with supplies, which were eventually delivered to the trapped residents by Ofer Cassif, a left-wing Israeli member of parliament who managed to bypass the soldiers. Nevertheless, the families remain trapped and fearful.

This situation is part of a broader pattern across the West Bank. Last month, the same group of settlers successfully surrounded Mahmoud Tubasi’s home in Jalud, forcing his family to leave. According to the United Nations, over 3,200 Palestinians have been displaced across the West Bank this year due to settler attacks and demolitions, amid rising extremist rhetoric from Israeli officials and government-approved funding for new settlements.

Loui Ridi pleaded with the US Embassy in Jerusalem for assistance, ultimately receiving a condemnation of the settlers' actions from US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who described the situation as a horrific act of terror. "Things have to change. All we are asking – we need to live in peace and dignity," Loui said.