The Fight for the West Bank
The Daily
This episode of The Daily explores the escalating violence in the West Bank, focusing on the experiences of Palestinian-American Loui Ridi,
Key takeaways
- Israeli settlers have intensified attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, often with impunity due to government support.
Main topics
- Violence in the West Bank
- Israeli settler aggression
Notable quotes
I am currently in my house in the West Bank under siege by Israeli settlers, extremists. We are not allowed to leave the property.
Conclusion
The episode underscores a growing crisis in the West Bank where legal lan
Transcript preview
Speaker 2 (0:00) I gave my brother a New York Times subscription. We exchange articles. And so having read the same article, we can discuss it. Speaker 1 (0:07) She sent me a year-long subscription so I have access to all the games. Speaker 2 (0:11) The New York Times contributes to our quality time together. It Speaker 1 (0:14) enriches our relationship. It was such a Speaker 2 (0:17) cool and thoughtful gift. We're reading the same Speaker 1 (0:20) stuff. We're making the same food. Speaker 2 (0:22) We're on the same page. Learn more about giving a New York Times subscription as a gift. Speaker 2 (0:29) Hi, Speaker 1 (0:36) Louis. This is Rachel Abrams from The Daily. Speaker 3 (0:39) Hi, Rachel. Speaker 1 (0:40) Thank you so much for making time to speak with us. Speaker 3 (0:42) Thank you. Where Speaker 1 (0:43) are you physically right now? Speaker 3 (0:45) I am currently in my house in the West Bank under siege by Israeli settlers, extremists. We are not allowed to leave the property. Speaker 3 (1:01) The settlers want my family, the neighbor's family to leave. So simply they can steal the houses and take over. They want the entire land, the entire mountain, all the houses. Speaker 1 (1:16) What's happening right now, Louis? Like, are there settlers outside that you can see from inside your house right now? Speaker 3 (1:22) Yes, I am watching them as we speak. There's three settlers. That's about 300 to 400 yards from me. They brought couches and they sit in the sun. And moments ago, there's three soldiers. And I was watching, wondering what's the soldiers going to do to them. Are they going to arrest them? Are they going to remove them? Are they going to tell them it's a closed military zone? Because this is what they told me yesterday. Absolutely, they did nothing. They just looked around. They talked to them. probably for five minutes, and they just left them. It's insane. Speaker 1 (2:06) From The New York Times, I'm Rachel Abrams, and this is The Daily. For the past year, there's been a huge increase in violence in the West Bank. Israeli settlers have been terrorizing Palestinians, setting fire to their property, uprooting their olive groves, and stealing their animals, all in an effort to drive them off their land. Speaker 1 (2:29) According to the United Nations, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been injured and more than 20 killed so far just this year. That's more than twice the number of killings, as in 2025. But the settlers seldom face any consequences for their actions, in part because they receive broad support from the Israeli government. Today, we talk to Palestinian-American Louis Reedy in the West Bank about the settlers that have arrived at his doorstep. It's Wednesday, September 2nd. Speaker 1 (3:11) When we called Louis Reedy, he was in his house in Kusra, a small village of about 5,000 people in the northern West Bank. Louis talked to us from his bedroom, where he could look out the window and keep an eye on what was happening outside. I wonder whether you ever expected that this would be your view. Speaker 3 (3:29) Absolutely not. Speaker 1 (3:32) This is actually Louis' second home. He normally lives in Ohio, where he emigrated to in 2004. Speaker 1 (3:40) But Kusra is where Louis grew up and never used to be like this. Speaker 3 (3:45) Back in the days, we did not have no issues with the settlers. Speaker 1 (3:51) They Speaker 3 (3:52) were not aggressive as happening right now. We did have a settlement next to our village. I remember that settlement when I was a kid. But we always told that it's going to be temporarily and there is going to be a peace agreement and they will leave. Soon, none of them will be here. So just never dealt with any of them, never interact with any. Just drive in and pass them, you know, that's it. Speaker 1 (4:29) Given that this was kind of a quiet period, Louis, what was it like to grow up in Kusra, the town of Kusra? Speaker 3 (4:36) So our town is really a good, special town. It's about 850 meters above sea level. So you can be on the mountain and looking down, you see the entire village. Speaker 2 (4:53) The weather here is beautiful. Speaker 3 (4:55) No matter how hot it is, you always have a breeze coming directly from the sea. Speaker 2 (5:02) Most Speaker 3 (5:02) of the people was farmers. So there's a lot of olive trees, figs and grapes and peaches. Speaker 3 (5:16) And my family, we are nine brothers and one sister. Oh, wow. My dad, he used to have a junkyard with cars and auto parts. And my mom staying at home, we always gave her a hard time dealing with nine brothers when we were kids. Speaker 1 (5:35) Boys really outnumbered her. Speaker 3 (5:37) Yes, with only one sister. Speaker 3 (5:41) One of my favorite memories was school. Once a year, they used to arrange a road trip. It's like a vacation, all day vacation, Speaker 2 (5:52) to Speaker 3 (5:54) take us to the Dead Sea. Oh, yeah. Because in that time, you know, there's Mediterranean Sea. It's only one hour. But none of the West Bank residents allowed to go to the beach. We always see it on TV, kids jumping in the pools, swimming, but we never Speaker 2 (6:17) experienced Speaker 3 (6:17) it. So in that time, probably was my first time to swim in the water. Speaker 1 (6:25) And Speaker 3 (6:25) it was like a dream becomes true. To us, probably one of the most wonderful experiences. So we did have a lot of good memories in Kostra. Speaker 1 (6:53) Do you remember, Louis, when you first started thinking about emigrating to the United States? Speaker 3 (6:57) My older brothers, they were in the United States in the early 90s. And that's why I thought I would have a better future and opportunity if I go to the United States. So I applied for the University of Toledo and I learned English there. So, yes, I was the fortunate one to be in the United States. and become a successful Speaker 2 (7:22) businessman. Speaker 1 (7:23) And Speaker 3 (7:24) even more fortunate that I end up for love and marry my wife. Now I have a beautiful family. I have two girls. I have a 19 years old. She just started second year in college, Sam University, Toledo. Speaker 1 (7:39) Oh, you must be so proud. Speaker 3 (7:41) Yes. And I have a 10 years old. She's started fifth grade two days ago.