US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on August 13 denounced the multi-day siege of Palestinian homes by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, calling it "terrorism." The statement comes as three Palestinian families in the village of Qusra near Nablus have been cut off from water, electricity, and other essentials.
In a post on social media platform X, Huckabee wrote: "The actions of those carrying out this horrendous act of terrorism to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting. There is no excuse for such thuggery." Notably, Huckabee is known as a staunch supporter of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories.
According to Al Jazeera's correspondent in the West Bank, Qusra "is under siege." All entrances to the village are blocked by the Israeli military, preventing other Palestinians from coming to aid the trapped families. "It's not just the three families trapped in their homes, but the whole village is under siege for something they didn't do," correspondent Nida Ibrahim observed.
Loai Ridi, a Palestinian-American who owns property in Qusra, said his brother Qusai Abu Rida and 18-year-old nephew Ahmed are among those trapped. The family relies on a temporary solar power system and well water left over from winter after supply lines were cut. "My brother doesn't want to leave the house. If he leaves, the settlers will take over immediately," Ridi said.
A besieged Palestinian woman, Aisha Abu Rida, declared: "We will not leave our homes, no matter what happens."
The same day, the Israeli military said it dismantled "two illegal outposts" on the outskirts of Qusra and Jalud, confiscated equipment, and detained one Israeli. Earlier, Israeli forces and police had tried unsuccessfully to evacuate settlers. According to The Times of Israel, settlers used rocks and tents to block the Palestinian homes and remained in the area as of the morning of August 13.
Violence and land seizures in the West Bank have escalated in recent months as the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accelerates settlement expansion. Qusra is in Area B of the West Bank, where Palestinians have administrative control. The village has repeatedly come under attack, including the burning of a newly built mosque last month. In the neighboring village of Jalud, a similar two-week siege in July forced two Palestinian families to abandon their land before settlers took possession.
More than 500,000 Israelis now live in settlements in the West Bank, considered illegal under international law, alongside roughly three million Palestinians. Israel has occupied the territory since 1967.
