A Palestinian American has returned from the United States to his family home in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra after it was surrounded by Israeli settlers for more than a week, raising an American flag over the property after finally gaining access.

Loui Ridi, 46, who lives in Toledo, Ohio, reached the house on Monday after travelling thousands of miles as the confrontation around his family’s property drew international attention and a sharp rebuke from Washington. 

Reuters documented Ridi’s journey from the United States to Qusra, south of Nablus. After entering the property with assistance from Israeli forces, he climbed onto the house and hung a large US flag. 

For seven nights before leaving the US, Ridi had been watching events unfold through security cameras from Ohio.

His house is one of three Palestinian homes on the outskirts of Qusra that settlers have surrounded since 9 August. Settlers erected tents around the properties, blocked access and cut water and electricity, according to residents and reports from Reuters and the Associated Press. 

Ridi’s brother and nephew remained inside his property during the confrontation, fearing that leaving it unattended could allow settlers to take control of the house. They endured days without normal access to water and electricity. 

The property carries particular significance for Ridi. He grew up in Qusra before emigrating to the United States and began constructing the house around three years ago on land belonging to his family. He told Reuters that he wanted his daughters to have a home connecting them with their Palestinian heritage. 

A journey back from Ohio

Ridi had initially watched the confrontation from thousands of miles away.

As the days passed and settlers remained around the house, he decided to travel personally to the West Bank.

He left Detroit on Sunday, 16 August, bound for Tel Aviv before continuing towards Qusra. By Monday, he had reached the village and reunited with relatives who had remained at the property.

His arrival did not mean the wider confrontation in Qusra had ended. Israeli forces had declared the area a closed military zone and deployed additional troops after repeated attempts to remove settlers failed to prevent them from returning.

Rare condemnation from Washington

The siege prompted an unusually strong response from US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

Huckabee described the actions against the Palestinian families as a “horrific act of terror” and said Israeli authorities should act immediately against those responsible. 

The comments were notable because Huckabee has long been a vocal supporter of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli military itself described the settlers’ conduct as “reprehensible” and deployed forces around the affected homes. But residents said settlers repeatedly returned despite military intervention. 

Footage from the area also showed settlers and men in military uniform praying together. The Israeli military said disciplinary proceedings would be taken against soldiers found to have participated. 

Qusra at the centre of settler violence

The confrontation comes amid a wider surge in settler attacks across the occupied West Bank.

According to UN figures cited by the Associated Press, 1,476 settler attacks had been recorded in the West Bank in 2026 by mid-August, while 87 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli troops and settlers during the year. 

Qusra has been particularly affected, recording more settler attacks this year than any other Palestinian community, according to the UN data reported by AP. 

More than 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Settlements are regarded as illegal under international law, a position rejected by Israel. 

For Ridi, however, the confrontation is centred on one house.

After a week of watching from Ohio as his relatives remained inside without normal utilities and settlers gathered outside, he is now back on the family land where he grew up.

And above the home at the centre of the dispute, he has raised the flag of the country whose citizenship he carries.