Palestinian American returns to West Bank home, says settler threat remains
A Palestinian American homeowner in the West Bank says settlers still threaten his family despite an IDF escort to his besieged home.
A Palestinian American who returned to his home in the occupied West Bank after more than a week under siege says Israeli settlers remain a threat, despite the presence of Israeli soldiers.
Loui Ridi, a 46-year-old who lives with his family in Ohio, managed to enter his home in the village of Qusra on Monday with a military escort. But on Tuesday, he confronted settlers on his property and demanded that Israeli forces remove them.
Video shared by Ridi shows him yelling at a settler to get off his land and calling him a terrorist. Israeli soldiers told Ridi to go back inside, declaring the area a closed military zone. They also asked the settlers to leave peacefully.
Ridi said the exchange showed that the army has been unable or unwilling to clear the area of settlers. He said he saw at least three settlers close enough to return and threaten his family if the army leaves.
"In the last 10 days, the IDF's presence was unable to remove the settlers," Ridi said. "This morning, I decided to go outside of my house in the backyard. I was walking within my own property. Then, three settlers came down to me trying to tell me that I need to leave their presence, and IDF was there."
Ridi said he has asked the U.S. embassy for help. "I'm demanding that they need to remove the siege out of the house from the settlers and the IDF," he said. "I need protection because right now I fear for my life, my family's life."
The standoff in Qusra has drawn international attention, but settler takeovers of Palestinian homes are not uncommon in the West Bank. In the neighboring village of Jalud, settlers surrounded a home last month, forcing the residents to flee.
Palestinian officials report that 87 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers or soldiers this year. Three Israelis have been killed, including two in a nearby clash last month.
Around 560,000 Israeli settlers live in communities and farming outposts across the West Bank, where some 2.8 million Palestinians live under Israeli military rule. The international community largely considers Israeli settlements illegal and an obstacle to peace.