Palestinian American says he can't freely leave his home in the West Bank

The Palestinian American homeowner whose residence was besieged earlier this month by Israeli settlers said on Monday that he remained unable to move freely in the West Bank village of Qusra. Loui Ridi traveled from Ohio to the Israeli-occupied West Bank to join his relatives defending his home from Israeli settlers a week ago.

Palestinians whose homes have been besieged can only now move about following prior authorization from the Israeli military, which declared the area a closed zone to restore order in Qusra and converted a nearby home into a makeshift drone base.

Ridi said settlers returned throughout the week to the hill above his house, while he and his relatives had spent hours coordinating movement to purchase essential supplies like food and water.

Since Israeli settlers surrounded Ridi’s home more than two weeks ago, preventing occupants from leaving, Israeli soldiers have encouraged them to leave, but Israel’s police have not announced any arrests.

The siege — and Israel’s response — has sparked condemnation from Israeli rights groups and foreign officials, including U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who called the violence terrorism.

Palestinians consider the Israeli-occupied West Bank, home to some 3 million Palestinians and 560,000 Israeli settlers, the heart of any future state and have condemned Israel's expansion in the territory. It has seen a dramatic spike in violence carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinians this year.