Settler siege of Palestinian homes in the West Bank a 'horrific act of terror,' U.S. ambassador says

QUSRA, West Bank (AP) — Israeli settlers have besieged three homes in the occupied West Bank for several days, including one owned by a Palestinian American, in what the U.S. ambassador called a "horrific act of terror" on Thursday.

Mike Huckabee's remarks on X represented an unusually sharp rebuke from the Trump administration of the latest episode in a surge of settler violencein the region.

Settlers have targeted three homes for days

Starting Sunday, settlers gathered around three houses in the village of Qusra, according to local officials, Palestinian American homeowner Loui Ridi, and Ridi's brother. At times numbering dozens, the settlers threw stones, attempted to bring down a stone wall nearby, and prevented the occupants from leaving as their food and water dwindled.

Israeli troops have intervened to try to restore order. On Thursday morning, Ridi's brother, Qusai Abu Rida, who had holed up in the house with his own teenage son to defend it, said they were moved by Israel's military to another home but still cannot leave the area, which is about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the Palestinian city of Nablus.

The military said that its troops dismantled "two illegal outposts" near the homes on the outskirts of Qusra and a nearby village, and detained one Israeli. It added that additional soldiers were sent to "carry out defensive missions and patrols."

Mayor Abdel Azim Wadi said that Israeli forces evacuated seven homes in total to take positions in the village. The settlers, though removed from their outposts, remain in other parts of the village, he added. The military said the soldiers have subsequently been instructed to allow families to remain in their homes and not to operate in them, but families have not yet returned, Abu Rida said.

It's still not clear when families in the besieged area will be able to get basic supplies and what would happen to their homes.

"No one is allowed to enter. Even food and water are prohibited from reaching those besieged," Yasser Ahmad, a resident of a neighboring village, said as he watched the operation unfold from one hilltop over.

Journalists on the outskirts of Qusra said roads into the village were closed on Thursday afternoon. Israeli police did not immediately respond to questions about whether any detained Israelis had been arrested.

Settler violence has surged in recent years

Palestinians and the Israeli opposition accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-line government of turning a blind eye to attacks by settlers against Palestinians that have increased in the last few years.

Israeli ministers and Cabinet members have downplayed settler violence and described it as the actions of a few fringe youth acting outside the law. Huckabee is a longtime ally of Israel's settler movement and in the past has expressed support for Israeli control over the occupied West Bank, while condemning settler violence.

"Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting," Huckabee said in his post, noting that the embassy has been coordinating with the Israeli military and police.

The siege began five days ago

Settlers began their siege of the homes five days ago, blocking the doors and preventing inhabitants from leaving, Abu Rida said. Israel's military condemned the siege as "illegal, reprehensible, and unacceptable" on Tuesday and declared the area a closed military zone. But by Wednesday, dozens of settlers had returned and begun to block the road with rocks.

Speaking to The Associated Press by phone on Wednesday from Ohio, where he lives, Ridi said his 48-year-old brother and nephew had not had access to new food or water supplies for several days.

Ridi said that settlers have been targeting his home for months before the situation escalated in recent days, saying they had cut off the water and electricity to his house and thrown stones, causing damage to the property.

"We are prisoners in our own house, hostages in our own house," he said.

Qusra is in one of the most violent pockets of the northern West Bank, surrounded by settlements.

Last month, a mosque in Qusra was set on fire in another apparent settler attack. That followed the killing of an Israeli settler, triggering violence that left two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinian villagers dead.

Settlers have been building more outposts in an effort condemned by many in the international community as aimed at dismantling any remaining hopes of establishing a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinians seek the West Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 war, as part of a future state. Many settlers and their supporters say the entire area should belong to Israel for historical, religious and security reasons.

Metz reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Sam Mednick and Giovanna Dell'Orto contributed from Jerusalem. Koral Saeed contributed reporting from Herzliya, Israel.