The family of a Palestinian-American man remain holed up in his West Bank home for more than a week, after Israeli settlers laid siege to the house and the Israeli army then turned it into a closed military area. UNICEF delivered food, water and medicine over the weekend to a Palestinian family who has been under siege in their home in the occupied West Bank. Extremist Israeli settlers attacked the home for days, and the Israeli military has now sealed off the area.
NPR's Frank Langfitt has the latest on this bizarre standoff, which has made headlines around the world because the home's owner is Palestinian American. FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE: I'm looking out at the house. It's on a hillside surrounded by olive trees.
It's a very nice, modern house, 4,000 square feet. Settlers have been trying to basically take it over for more than a week - throwing rocks, cutting off electricity and water. I just saw two buses full of soldiers come up the road to the house.
And Qusai Abu Ridi, who lives inside - he can't get out. QUSAI ABU RIDI: (Through interpreter) The situation is catastrophic here in this household where I'm living with my neighbor and his family and his children. Neither him nor I are able to conduct our normal works, so we are not working at all.
Secondly, the children are in panic, are afraid. LANGFITT: Abu Ridi is speaking to me by phone and NPR producer Nuha Musleh. He says the army has run the settlers off at times but failed to detain them.
Abu Ridi says this is all political theater. ABU RIDI: (Through interpreter) They claim that they are conducting a military campaign in order to evict the settlers. Actually, they are choking us.
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