Mike Huckabee condemns West Bank settler violence targeting American family

An American-Palestinian family trapped under days of siege by radical settlers in the occupied West Bank has been forced to leave their homes by the Israeli military, according to Bluewin reporting. The escalation has drawn an unusually sharp and direct rebuke from Washington's top diplomat in the region, according to Cbc coverage.

The ordeal centered on a home in the village of Qusra—also referred to in reports as Kusra—located south of Nablus. Since Sunday, local officials and family members explained, a group of up to dozens of men gathered near the property, hurling stones, trying to bring down a nearby stone wall, and preventing the occupants from leaving as provisions ran dry. Loui Ridi, the owner of the house, spoke by phone from Ohio to describe the terrifying conditions to reporters, noting that his 48-year-old brother and teenage nephew had been holed up inside without access to food or water for several days. Ridi added that the property had faced months of prior harassment, including severed water and electricity lines and property damage that also affected at least one neighboring house, leaving them feeling like hostages.

By Thursday morning, the family's situation reached a breaking point. Qusai Abu Rida, the owner's brother, confirmed that he and his teenage son were evacuated from the property by the Israel Defense Forces. It remained unclear what would ultimately happen to their home or at least one other targeted property in the area. Local residents voiced deep concern that the radical settlers might seize the vacated houses, a fear compounded by reports from the Palestinian news agency Wafa that a large military contingent moved into the village and converted 16 additional houses into military barracks. Village head Abdul Asim al-Wadi detailed how military vehicles and a bulldozer entered the area in the early morning hours. According to the Times of Israel cited in regional coverage, the deployment was intended to persuade the remaining settlers to depart after tents had been removed.

The crisis prompted a fierce reaction from United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Despite his long-standing reputation as a staunch ally of Israel's settler movement and a supporter of Israeli control over the occupied territories, Huckabee took to the social media platform X to condemn the perpetrators. According to Cbc and Bluewin, the ambassador labeled the individuals Israeli terrorists and described their actions as a horrific and repugnant act of terror meant to intimidate and harass the family. He asserted that there is no excuse for such brutal, thuggish behavior, while the U.S. Simultaneously urged Israeli authorities to clear the radical elements from the village entirely.

The Israeli military stated that the incident remained ongoing. Troops intervened in recent days to restore order, carrying out operations overnight Thursday that dismantled two illegal outposts on the outskirts of Qusra and a nearby village, seizing equipment and detaining one Israeli. Additional soldiers surged into the area to conduct defensive missions and patrols, even as journalists on the perimeter reported that roads into the village were tightly sealed.

Critics, however, argue that official action is long overdue. Palestinians and the Israeli opposition have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of turning a blind eye to escalating settler attacks. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted that the surge in violence is a direct consequence of political backing, protection, and complete impunity provided by the government and the military. Observers note that accountability for attackers remains rare.

The wider context of the World news landscape highlights a tense backdrop in the region. Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War in 1967. Today, approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers live alongside roughly three million Palestinians in the territory. Palestinians claim the land for a future independent state, while many settlers and their supporters argue the entire area belongs to Israel for historical, religious, and security reasons. Internationally, all settlements are viewed as illegal and represent a major barrier to a two-state solution, a stance reinforced by the United Nations.

The situation in Qusra follows a string of violent incidents in recent weeks, including a mosque set on fire in an apparent settler attack following clashes that left two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinian villagers dead. As tensions remain high across the Israeli-occupied West Bank, further developments are anticipated regarding the fate of the evacuated properties and whether additional outposts will face clearance.

Chronology of the Qusra Crisis

• Sunday: Settlers begin gathering near the American-Palestinian family's home in Qusra, initiating a blockade and throwing stones.
• Preceding weeks: A local mosque is set on fire following clashes that left multiple Palestinians and Israeli soldiers dead.
• Overnight Thursday: The Israeli military dismantles two illegal outposts on the outskirts of Qusra and detains one Israeli.
• Thursday morning: Family members holed up in the house are evacuated by the military, while home security footage shows settlers still hiding near damaged walls.