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// DOSSIER — israeli-settler-siege-qusra-palestinian-homes
Israeli Settler Siege of Palestinian Homes in Qusra Triggers International Alarm and Human Rights Scrutiny
REL_TIME: 22 Aug 2026 00:42Z · LANG: EN
Around 15 Palestinians, including young children and a Palestinian-American citizen, faced a multi-day siege in three homes in the West Bank village of Qusra as Israeli settlers surrounded the properties and cut off water and electricity. Despite the Israeli military declaring Qusra a closed military zone, residents and local authorities accused soldiers of enabling the siege and blocking municipal and UN food deliveries. Homeowner Loui Ridi traveled from Ohio to raise an American flag on his roof in protest, while Human Rights Watch published a report documenting that state-backed settler violence has displaced 107 Palestinian communities since January 2023.
// Background
Escalating Israeli settler violence has intensified across the occupied West Bank, encouraged by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government and far-right ministers who advocate for settlement expansion. Human Rights Watch reported that settlers have established 65 new outposts in 2026, controlling approximately 18% of the West Bank. Over 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank alongside roughly 3 million Palestinians living under military rule.
// Key Developments
- Around 15 Palestinians, including children, were trapped for over a week inside three homes in Qusra facing starvation after settlers cut water and electricity.
- Palestinian-American Loui Ridi traveled from Toledo, Ohio, to Qusra to protect his property, raising a U.S. flag on his roof after securing a military escort to enter.
- Qusra Mayor Abdul-Azim Wadi accused the Israeli army of obstructing food aid from municipal authorities and UNICEF, causing delivered food to spoil outside.
- Israeli military forces declared Qusra a closed military zone but failed to arrest settlers, with residents reporting soldiers drinking and praying alongside settlers.
- A Human Rights Watch report released on August 20, 2026, revealed that government-backed settler violence has displaced 107 Palestinian communities comprising nearly 6,000 people since January 2023.
// Timeline
-
Settler violence forcibly displaces 107 Palestinian communities comprising nearly 6,000 people across the West Bank.
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Settlers surround three Palestinian homes in Qusra, cutting power and water supply and trapping around 15 residents.
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Palestinian-American Loui Ridi arrives at his Qusra home from Ohio with an Israeli military escort and raises a U.S. flag on his roof.
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Ridi confronts settlers on his property and demands their removal, but Israeli soldiers instruct him to return inside due to closed military zone orders.
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Human Rights Watch publishes a comprehensive report alleging that the Israeli government actively enables deadly settler rampages and mass displacements.
// Perspectives
[Besieged Palestinian Residents in Qusra]
Accuse settlers of trying to forcibly seize their properties and state that the Israeli military actively aids the siege by blocking food aid and enforcing movement restrictions on residents instead of removing settlers.
[Human Rights Watch (HRW)]
Maintains that the Israeli government actively enables, funds, and arms settler violence to forcibly displace Palestinian communities across the West Bank.
[Israeli Military]
Claims forces were deployed to rein in settlers and maintain security, declaring the area a closed military zone while occasionally dismantling settler tents.
[U.S. Officials (Ambassador Mike Huckabee)]
Condemned the unrest and explicitly referred to the extremist settlers committing violence in the West Bank as terrorists.
// Quotes
“I can't let the settlers steal my house while I was watching.”
“The Israeli government and the settlers share the same goal of maximum land and minimum Palestinians, with the authorities not only failing to stop settler violence, but actively enabling it.”
“I suspect that the army and the settlers are working together.”
