U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee condemned a multi-day settler siege of an American-Palestinian family’s home in the West Bank village of Qusra as a horrific act of terror, following days of escalating violence, stone-throwing, and property destruction that prompted the Israeli military to declare the area a closed military zone and dismantle two illegal outposts.
Ambassador Mike Huckabee called the siege a horrific act of terror
in a post on X. The rare and pointed rebuke from Washington targeted a wave of settler violence that left families blockaded inside their homes with dwindling supplies of food and water.
According to family members and local officials, the standoff began on a Sunday when dozens of Israeli settlers gathered near the properties on the outskirts of Qusra. The crowd threw stones, attempted to dismantle a nearby stone wall, and severed water and electricity lines to the homes. Qusai Abu Rida was holed up inside with his teenage son while dozens of settlers erected tents outside.
Family Stranded as Settlers Encircle Homes
Miles away in Ohio, the home’s owner, Lou Ridi, watched the siege unfold via security cameras while trying to secure updates on his relatives. Speaking by phone, Ridi described the agonizing isolation of the occupants, noting that his brother and nephew had been trapped inside without access to basic provisions for several days. Residents huddling indoors and running short on food and water had initially hoped the Israel Defense Forces would intervene to clear the blockade.
Instead, residents and rights groups accused security forces of moving too slowly. Ridi emphasized the cyclical nature of the harassment, stating that the property had faced months of intimidation before the total blockade severed essential utilities.
Ridi added that the authorities’ past interventions had been insufficient to deter the crowds. They need to be prevented from the entire area, not just removed and moved 100 feet away so when the (Israeli military) leaves, they come back,
he said.
Military Intervention and Closed-Zone Lockdown
As the standoff dragged on, the military moved to lock down the area. Israeli troops poured into the village early Thursday amid a tense standoff with violent settlers, effectively sealing off the municipality as authorities tried to regain control over the spiraling crisis.
Earlier in the week, Israel’s military condemned the siege as illegal, reprehensible, and unacceptable,
and declared Qusra a closed military zone. Despite the designation, dozens of settlers returned, blocked roads with rocks, and clashed with soldiers.
By Thursday morning, Qusai Abu Rida and his teenage son were evacuated by military personnel. Qusra Mayor Abdel Azim Wadi reported that forces evacuated more than a dozen homes to establish tactical positions within the village. While the army dismantled two illegal outposts
on the outskirts of Qusra and a nearby village and detained one Israeli individual, Mayor Wadi noted that many settlers remained scattered across other parts of the municipality.
Broader Political Pressures and Surging West Bank Tensions
The violence in Qusra forms part of a broader escalation across the occupied territory. According to the United Nations humanitarian office, Qusra recorded more settler attacks than any other West Bank community earlier this year. The tensions follow a sequence of lethal events last month, including the fatal killing of an Israeli settler that triggered clashes resulting in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinian villagers, alongside an arson attack on a local mosque.
Critics, including Palestinians and members of the Israeli opposition, have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of tolerating settler aggression. Netanyahu’s coalition, regarded as the most ultranationalist and religious in Israeli history, has overseen a surge in settlement construction while opposing the establishment of a Palestinian state in territory captured during the 1967 war.
For Washington, the incident presents a diplomatic challenge. Ambassador Huckabee, a long-standing ally of the Israeli settler movement who has previously defended Israeli control over the West Bank, issued his condemnation while simultaneously praising the military’s response. Huckabee stated on social media that Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting,
noting that the U.S. Embassy has coordinated with Israeli police and military officials.
