American Citizens Under Siege
Eighty percent of residents in Turmasaye, near Ramallah, are U.S. citizens. They are now taking extreme measures to protect against settler attacks, including setting up barbed wire on their fences, welding their windows shut, and in some cases raising American flags in hopes of obtaining protection. However, the presence of these flags has not prevented Israeli soldiers from entering Palestinian homes.
Dr. Hassan Shukri, a neurologist from Syracuse, New York, was visiting Turmasaye when Israeli soldiers took over his home. He was given one hour to pack his belongings and leave. "We took everything quickly, fast," he recounted. "We collected everything we have. We're under so much stress, anxiety, and wow, this is unbelievable, how this could happen to somebody." The family contacted the U.S. embassy, and four hours later the soldiers departed. However, these break-ins are not isolated incidents. Two years earlier, Israeli soldiers broke down all the doors in Dr. Shukri's home and remained for days, leaving it severely damaged. On that previous occasion, the embassy did not intervene.
Restricted Access to Land
From Dr. Shukri's balcony, which overlooks all of Turmasaye, the impact of settler expansion is visible. Israeli settlers have barred landowners from accessing two-thirds of their property. "We don't, we cannot go beyond this house here, my cousin's house over there, and this house over there. The first one you came here, we cannot. Everybody go there will be in there," he explained, pointing to buildings now occupied by settlers and marked with Israeli flags.
Daily Threats and Legal Precedent
Fear is palpable throughout the community. Settler attacks occur daily, and during a recent visit, settlers were observed expanding another illegal settlement outpost on Palestinian land. One resident expressed a common concern: "My biggest fear is, you know, having a settler come into my house and asking me to leave at gunpoint."
Yassir, who practiced law in Anaheim, California for 36 years and now serves as a council member in Turmasaye, has experienced settler aggression directly. "I, for myself, own two acres just down from here, about 100 meters down from here, and I cannot reach it because I tried many, many times. The usual response I get is a settler with a gun asking me to leave. You know, if somebody points a gun at you and asks you to leave, you're going to leave." He noted that while U.S. citizenship should theoretically provide protection, lived experience in Turmasaye tells a different story. The American flag, he suggested, should offer residents a cushion of protection—but in practice, it has not.