Palestinian American Loui Ridi returned to his home in the West Bank village of Qusra on August 18, 2026, confronting Israeli settlers who have besieged his property for over a week. Ridi, a U.S.-Palestinian dual citizen, arrived from Ohio after watching the siege unfold via security cameras for days. The confrontation followed a tense face-off in which a settler entered Ridi’s land before Israeli soldiers intervened.
On the morning of August 18, Ridi was taking a walk near his cherry and fig trees when a settler approached, holding what appeared to be a Torah and filming the encounter. The settler, speaking in Hebrew, told Ridi, “You came to make a mess, ha?” Ridi responded by calling the settler a “terrorist settler” and filming the interaction. Israeli soldiers arrived shortly after, declaring the area a closed military zone and instructing Ridi to return inside his home. The settler later retreated up the road, joined by two others, before leaving the area.
Ridi had traveled to Qusra after settlers encircled three Palestinian homes in the village, including his own, for more than a week. The siege prompted condemnation from the U.S. government, with Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee referring to the settlers involved as “terrorists” in a public statement. Ridi told reporters at Ben Gurion Airport that he could not allow settlers to seize his home while he watched from afar. “I’ve been watching this live for many days and now this is the second week. I can’t sleep,” he said. “I can’t let the settlers steal my house while I was watching.”
Israeli troops have been deployed to the area, ostensibly to maintain order, but settlers remained in the vicinity as of Ridi’s arrival. His brother and teenage nephew had stayed inside the home to protect the property during the siege. Ridi’s mother and sister were also present in Qusra, reuniting with him before he proceeded to his house. The standoff in Qusra reflects broader tensions in the West Bank, where settler violence has escalated in recent months amid government policies perceived as emboldening such actions.
Israeli military response
Israeli soldiers told Ridi that the area was a closed military zone and instructed him to remain inside his home. One soldier told Ridi, “Just be inside, they go and you’ll be inside. Don’t talk to each other, ok? I’ll solve this problem.” The soldiers also asked the settlers to leave, but Ridi later stated that at least three settlers remained close enough to threaten his family if the army withdrew. “If I need to walk outside of my house, I’m not able,” Ridi said. “I have to get permission and coordination, and it’s going to take hours if it’s even possible to leave.”
The settler who initially confronted Ridi told soldiers, “I’ll leave if they leave. There are a lot of guys here. We’re all just guarding our territory. If they go inside the house, we’ll leave.” He did not respond to a question from Reuters about his presence on the property. The Israeli military has not publicly commented on the specific incident beyond designating the area as a closed military zone.
Broader context of settler violence
The siege of Ridi’s home is part of a wider pattern of settler attacks in the West Bank, where violence has surged in recent years. According to Palestinian health officials, Israeli forces and settlers have killed 87 Palestinians in the West Bank so far in 2026, while Palestinians have killed three Israelis in the same period. The Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem has documented joint attacks on Palestinians by settlers, police, and soldiers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to establish new settler outposts and legalize existing ones, a policy that activists say has contributed to the rise in settler aggression. The U.S. State Department has condemned the siege of Ridi’s home, calling for the protection of Palestinian property and the removal of settlers from the area. The Israeli military has stated that its troops are deployed to maintain order but has not addressed specific allegations of inaction against settler violence.
Ridi’s legal and personal stakes
Ridi, who grew up in Qusra, owns the property he has been defending. He told reporters that he feared losing his home to settlers who have long illegally seized Palestinian properties in the West Bank. His return to Qusra marked the first time he had been physically present during the siege, which had lasted over a week. “I can’t let the settlers steal my house while I was watching,” he said.
The standoff in Qusra highlights the precarious position of Palestinian property owners in the West Bank, where legal protections are often insufficient to prevent encroachment by settlers. Ridi’s case has drawn international attention, with calls for intervention to ensure the safety of Palestinian residents and the integrity of their property rights.