{"id":1007679,"date":"2026-08-18T01:51:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T01:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1007679\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T01:51:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T01:51:23","slug":"palestinian-american-raises-us-flag-upon-return-to-qusra-home-besieged-by-settlers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1007679\/","title":{"rendered":"Palestinian-American raises US flag upon return to Qusra home besieged by settlers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Palestinian-American owner of a house besieged by extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank returned to the home in Qusra on Monday, raising an American flag, as he called for the US embassy to offer him protection.<\/p>\n

Louai Abu Ridi owns one of the three houses in Qusra, near Nablus, which settlers began surrounding more than a week ago in an apparent effort to force the residents to flee, trapping residents inside, and generating condemnation around the world.<\/p>\n

His brother, Qusai Abu Ridi, is stuck inside the house and has been relaying the situation of residents to the outside world.<\/p>\n

Accompanied by several journalists, Louai waited 100 meters (328 feet) from his home\u2019s entrance for around half an hour before a military vehicle escorted the group through his large concrete gate.<\/p>\n

The Palestinian-American began construction on the house three years ago on land owned by his grandparents and farmed by his family for generations. He said he wanted his daughters to have a home in Qusra so they could connect to their roots.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
\n\t\t\tby email and never miss our top stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n

He entered the house around 7 p.m., the sunset casting a purple glow on the horizon. Louai went to the roof and raised an American flag.<\/p>\n

\n

I was with Palestinian-American Loui Ridi tonight when he made it to his home in Qusra.
One of the first things he did was raise an American flag over his house.
I\u2019ll have much more on this story soon- pic.twitter.com\/xAZpeJrZlH<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) August 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

When Louai landed in Israel, he told reporters, \u201cI\u2019ve been watching this live for many days and now this is the second week I can\u2019t sleep,\u201d adding: \u201cI can\u2019t let the settlers steal my house while I was watching.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Abu Ridi said he was hoping to stay in the house on Monday night, and that he was \u201cterrified for my brother and his son. Fearing for his safety. Now I\u2019m going to fear for my own safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019m not sure how the struggle is going to be for me to get there. And if I get there, are they going to allow me to go in and out freely in my own house? I\u2019ll find out today,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

Related: From Ohio, a Palestinian American watches as settlers besiege his family in Qusra<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Abu Ridi said he was \u201casking the US officials, the embassy, to provide me protection.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Palestinian-American voiced frustration at the Israeli military\u2019s inability to remove a handful of settlers from the site and called for more action to resolve the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time for everyone to act. I heard a saying in America: Talk the talk and walk the walk. So if they\u2019re talking on social media and they condemn it, so they need an action on the ground,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

After Abu Ridi traveled to Qusra, he first visited his mother\u2019s home, which is not besieged. Photos published by AFP showed emotional reunions with family members.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tUS-Palestinian dual citizen Louai Abu Ridi, whose home in the Israeli-West Bank village of Qusra is besieged by Israeli settlers, arrives to greet his mother, Aisha, at her home in the same village, south of Nablus on August 17, 2026. (JAAFAR ASHTIYEH\/AFP)<\/p>\n

The Israel Defense Forces last week removed the settlers\u2019 illegal outpost, which they had initially constructed outside the house. But the settlers themselves have frequently returned to the area. So far, one settler has been detained, and there have been no arrests.<\/p>\n

For the past two days, soldiers have been stationed at the entrances to the homes, according to footage and residents who spoke with The Times of Israel.<\/p>\n

Soldiers have also remained inside one of the besieged homes for the past five days, all in an effort to prevent the reestablishment of the outpost.<\/p>\n

However, the Palestinian residents have been told by the IDF that they are still prohibited from leaving their homes.<\/p>\n

Settlers were also filmed roaming around the area of the homes on Monday, with several of them seen speaking with the soldiers outside one of the houses for several minutes, even though the area has been declared a closed military zone and Israelis are prohibited from entering it.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIsraeli soldiers (foreground) and settlers (background) are seen near besieged Palestinian houses, in the West Bank village of Qusra, south of Nablus, August 17, 2026. (AP Photo\/Majdi Mohammed)<\/p>\n

United Nations representatives arrived at the homes Sunday, bringing residents food and water, according to videos and accounts from the homeowners who spoke with The Times of Israel.<\/p>\n

The homeowners also said the UN representatives brought a water tanker with them, but that security forces did not allow it to remain at the site. The IDF said Monday they had determined that the tanker was not necessary, as the water line to the houses \u2014 which settlers had damaged, according to the residents \u2014 had been repaired.<\/p>\n

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has offered unusually strong criticism over the incident in recent days.<\/p>\n

\u201cActions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting,\u201d he wrote on X on Thursday.<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\tHelp us report truthfully on social media\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism<\/strong> produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform \u2014 from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.<\/p>\n

This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant<\/strong> on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible<\/strong> short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism<\/b>, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. <\/b>Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tSupport our work\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tSupport our work\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\tYou’re a dedicated reader\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWe\u2019re really pleased that you\u2019ve read X Times of Israel articles<\/strong> in the past month. \n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we started the Times of Israel – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.<\/p>\n

So now we have a request.<\/strong> Unlike other news outlets, we haven\u2019t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE<\/strong>, as well as accessing exclusive content<\/strong> available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n

Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a>
\n\t\t