US Ambassador Calls Israeli Settlers "Terrorists" After Days-Long Siege of Palestinian Homes in West Bank

Trapped With Dwindling Supplies

The siege began Sunday, when dozens of settlers surrounded the houses, threw stones and blocked the occupants from leaving. One of the homes belongs to Loui Ridi, a Palestinian American in Ohio who watched the standoff unfold on his security cameras while his brother sheltered inside with his teenage son, drinking well water after the lines were cut.

"Since Sunday, no one can visit us other than the Red Cross that took our daughter to the hospital," one resident trapped inside said. Israel's military condemned the siege as "illegal, reprehensible, and unacceptable," declared Qusra a closed military zone and dismantled two outposts, but families say the settlers keep returning after troops leave. "It's a cycle," Ridi said.

An Unusual Rebuke From Washington

"Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting," Huckabee wrote on X, adding there was "no excuse for such thuggish behavior." He said Israeli forces went to Qusra at the US embassy's request.

The criticism lands awkwardly for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government has presided over record settlement expansion and who faces reelection in October. Qusra has been hit harder than any other West Bank community this year: the UN recorded more settler attacks there than anywhere else in 2026, and Palestinian officials count 1,476 settler attacks across the territory this year.

What Comes Next

The military says families may remain in their homes, but they had not returned as of Thursday, and residents say water and electricity lines were cut again after being restored. With over 560,000 settlers now living among 2.8 million Palestinians and no peace talks in over a decade, Qusra's mayor offered a warning: "Too much pressure eventually causes an explosion."