Palestinian-american Hangs U.S. Flag to Shield Family From Israeli Settler Siege in West Bank Village

Loui Ridi, a Palestinian-American who arrived Monday from Toledo, Ohio, to his family's besieged home in the West Bank village of Qusra, hung a large U.S. flag in plain sight to remind everyone that, despite being Palestinian and Muslim, he is as much an American citizen as anyone else. His goal is to pressure his country, Israel's main ally, to end a nearly surreal situation: ten Qusra residents have been locked inside their own homes for ten days, unable to leave. First, radical Israeli settlers surrounded the homes, cutting off water and electricity.

Then, only after Washington intervened, Israel deployed soldiers to the area, ostensibly to protect the local population. Today, the most powerful army in the Middle East has not yet prevented a handful of radical settlers from roaming the area—as happened Tuesday, when one confronted Ridi—while the besieged residents cannot even go out to shop. Their last food delivery came from a UN team that received special permission to reach them.

"I am in a prison in my own house. That is how I feel now, Ridi said. "Estoy en una prisión en mi propia casa. Así es como me siento ahora.