According to a report by Reuters on August 18th, in the village of Kusra on the West Bank, a Palestinian-American named Roy Riedy hung a large American flag on the roof of his house, hoping to deter aggressive Jewish settlers who are encircling the property.
Ridhi returned to Kusla village from the United States on Monday evening. He said he was worried that he might lose this property, as Jewish settlers have been encircling three Palestinian homes in the village for more than a week.
Ridhi grew up in the West Bank area occupied by Israel. On the morning of the 18th, while walking near his home, a Jewish settler approached from above the hill. Reuters reported this encounter.
That resident was holding a scroll that seemed to be from the Torah, while using his phone to photograph Ridi. He challenged in Hebrew, “You’re here to cause trouble, aren’t you?”
Ridi didn’t sit back and used her phone to take pictures of the other person, and retorted, "You’re a terrorist asylum seeker, do you know that?"
An Israeli military vehicle passed back and forth several times. Then soldiers approached and spoke with Jewish settlers, informing them that the area had been designated as a military closed zone.
Ridley told the soldiers that the existence of Jewish settlers was illegal, and they should be arrested.
This confrontation highlights the tense situation in this village. About a week ago, settlers began encircling these homes. Human rights organizations claim that this is part of a broader effort by the settlers to take more land from Palestinians and further encroach upon the territory they hope to use for establishing a state.
Since the settlers still remain outside the houses, these families dare not leave their homes. After Ridi arrived, the American flag was raised on his property.
Ridley said, "I decided to raise this flag. If I cannot protect this house, and if the settlers eventually take over here, they will raise their own flags. But before they do that, the American flag must be removed—that’s the message I want to convey."
The violent acts of Jewish settlers on the West Bank are on the rise. Some of these individuals have become even more bold under the encouragement of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is leading efforts to expand settlements on a large scale.
American officials estimate that tens of thousands of American citizens live in the occupied West Bank. Many of them reside in a series of villages between Ramallah and Nablus, where Qusla village is also located.
Ridi’s choice is not an isolated case. In the neighboring village of Tormus Aya, located about 7 kilometers southwest of Kusla, nearly 80% of the population holds American citizenship.
58-year-old Yasir Alkam is the spokesperson for the Palestinian American community in the village. He said that he and many others in the village have American flags hanging on their houses for multiple reasons.
He said: "This is a security measure, also a protective means. It has deterrent effects on settlers and is equally effective for the Israel Defense Forces."
Regarding this, an American official and an Israeli official stated on the 14th that White House officials were pressuring Netanyahu to publicly condemn the actions of settlers.
Netanyahu has not commented on the siege of Kusla.
