The U.S. condemned the siege of Palestinian homes by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, where they cut off water, electricity and essential supplies to residents. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called the settlers’ actions an “act of terror,” adding to American pressure that has prompted Israeli forces to intervene. Nick Schifrin reports. Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.
William Brangham:
Today, the U.S. condemned the siege of Palestinian homes by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, where they have cut off water, electricity, and essential supplies to some residents.The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, called the settlers' actions a -- quote -- "act of terror," adding American pressure that appears to have prompted Israeli forces to intervene.Nick Schifrin spoke with one family victimized by the recent violence, but, first, a look at how it started.
Nick Schifrin:
The siege began when Israeli settlers turned a home into a prison brick by brick. They closed the only road in, cut off the water and power, and trapped nearby families. Dozens of settlers, as seen in security camera footage, swarmed a home in Qusra, built by a Palestinian-American, trapping his family inside, Qusai Ridi and his teenage son, Ahmed.Just 2.5 weeks ago, settlers set fire to the village mosques, burning the inside, and on the blackened facade left a menacing message: "The land of Israel is redeemed with blood. Revenge."Outside the Ridi family home, the settlers remained even overnight. Their threat forced much of the rest of the village to flee, including 28-year-old Ruqaya Hassan and her daughter.Ruqaya Hassan, House Besieged by Settlers (through interpreter): We woke up many times at night to the sound of stones being thrown at our house, just like the sound of bullets.
