Why do Palestinians place the American flag above their homes in the West Bank?
Palestinians with American citizenship in the town of Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah, resorted to raising the American flag above their homes, “in the hope that it will deter Israeli army incursions and settler attacks, or prompt the American embassy to intervene to protect them.”
The owners of the idea say that experiences in the town showed a difference in the speed of the embassy’s response when the flag was raised above the house, but some participants in the initiative fear that it will lead to an adverse reaction from the army or settlers.
In a visit by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee after these calls, he said that the mission of the embassy is to represent the American people and American policy. He told the BBC, "We listened to the challenges they face living in their homes and some intimidation practices carried out by people I can describe as terrorists."
An attempt to attract Washington's attention
Turmus Ayya is located about 20 kilometers northeast of Ramallah. Yasser Al-Kahla, who came up with the idea of raising the flags for the Middle East Diaries program via the BBC, says that the Palestinians in the West Bank have no means to defend themselves, and that any attempt to defend may be treated as an attack and the person who makes it may be arrested, assaulted, or killed.
Al-Kahla, a Palestinian who holds American citizenship and lives in the town, added that the idea is to raise American flags over homes and public facilities, in the hope that it will provide them with a degree of protection and place the American administration before its responsibilities.
He said: "We have a real opportunity to embarrass the American administration by raising American flags over our homes and public facilities."
Two houses on one street
Al-Kahla narrates that, weeks ago, the Israeli army took a house in the town as a military barracks, and informed its residents that it would remain there for 24 hours, before extending its presence for another day. The house belonged to an American citizen, but he was not raising the American flag.
After about 48 hours, according to Al-Kahla, the soldiers moved to a house opposite on the same street, the owner of which had been raising the American flag for years, and they also informed him that they would remain there for 24 hours, which could be extended.
He added that the town's residents then contacted the American embassy and informed it that entering the house represented "a challenge for the Palestinian and the Palestinian-American, as well as for the American administration and the embassy."
Al-Kahla said that the army left the house after about four hours of communicating with the embassy, adding: “We saw on the ground the difference between a house that raises the American flag and a house that does not.”
As for the Israeli army, when asked about the details of what happened in the house that Al-Kahla referred to, it said that the army “is working throughout the West Bank in accordance with urgent operational needs to protect the security of the residents of the region.” The army said, "These operations come to protect the security of the citizens of the State of Israel, while respecting human dignity and adhering to the law."
“In cases required by security necessity, Israeli army forces are authorized to temporarily seize buildings for a limited, pre-determined period, including private buildings and homes. In these cases, an appropriate seizure order is issued and presented to the residents of the house.”
“It was a moment of shock and sadness.”
Hassan Shukri, an American citizen of Palestinian origin, had a similar experience in his home in Turmus Ayya, despite the American flag being raised above it. Shukri said that the Israeli army stormed his house a previous time while it was empty, broke the doors and tampered with its contents, then stayed there for two days.
In another raid, Shukri was in the house when the forces asked him to vacate it within one hour for security reasons, without providing him with another explanation. He said, “It was a moment of shock and sadness,” adding that he contacted the media and the American embassy, before the forces withdrew from the house several hours later, without explaining the reason for the withdrawal.
Shukri believes that pressure from the American embassy contributed to the withdrawal of the forces, but he says that this result increased his feeling of sadness because the majority of Palestinians do not have American citizenship or a means to communicate their voice to the embassy and the media.
He added: "I do not seek to stir up controversy, but rather to share a human story: a story of a home, a memory, and a security that any human being would wish for."
He said that his message is to look at the human being first, and to enable everyone to live in their homes in safety and dignity, without their survival being linked to the nationality they hold.
When asked about the incident, the Israeli army pointed out that, “As part of counter-terrorism operations in the West Bank, Israeli army forces arrived at the aforementioned house and presented its owner with an order to temporarily seize the property for operational reasons. The civilians were not evacuated from the house and were allowed to remain in it, and it was later decided not to use the house.”
In response to the damage to the home and property, the army responded, “If any specific allegations are received regarding damage to property or physical harm to residents, they will be thoroughly examined. If they are proven to have occurred, they will be dealt with with the utmost severity.”
“The presence of the American flag is a protection against settler attacks.”
Samir Juma Hazma believes that raising the American flag over his house contributed to stopping the harassment of a settler residing near him.
Hazma said, "The American embassy can pressure the army to evacuate the homes of American citizens within hours."
He explained that his house is about 500 meters away from a settler who established a settlement outpost nearby, and that he raised the American flag over the house, so the harassment stopped about a month ago, he said.
According to United Nations statistics, at least 81 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since the beginning of the year. At least 23 of them were killed due to settler attacks.
The United Nations also reported that three Israelis, including security personnel and civilians, were killed by Palestinians in the West Bank during the same period.
From January 2023 until August of this year, 127 Palestinian communities in the West Bank witnessed complete or partial displacement, including 47 communities whose residents were completely displaced, affecting more than 6,390 Palestinians, according to the United Nations.
The United Nations has recorded that in 2026, about 3,800 Palestinians, nearly half of them children, were displaced due to settler violence, demolitions and evictions.
Fears of adverse reaction
However, Shukri says he cannot be certain that the American flag or citizenship was the reason for the rapid withdrawal of forces from his home.
He also wonders whether it is possible to generalize the experience in Palestinian towns where citizens with American citizenship live, and fears that “using science as a means of pressure will lead to an adverse reaction from the army or settlers, because of the embarrassment it may cause to the Israeli government.”
But Al-Kahla rules out that raising the flag will push the settlers to further attacks, and believes that it may contribute to preventing or reducing them, or at least prompt the soldiers to treat the residents of the house they are storming “with gentleness and respect.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the acts of violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, after dozens of them attacked the Palestinian town of Qusra, at the end of last August. Netanyahu denounced what he described as “acts of criminal violence” committed in two Palestinian villages. He described the settlers as "a few troublemakers who violate the law."
Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the acts of violence, which he described as "crossing a red line by law violators who act in complete contradiction to the laws and values of the State of Israel," and he saw what happened as "a stain on Israel's forehead."
Herzog called on the government, security services, judiciary and law enforcement authorities to work "by all available means and in full coordination to eradicate this shameful phenomenon and bring the rioters to full justice."
Contacts with the embassy and American legislators
Al-Kahla says that the campaign was not limited to raising flags, but rather included communicating with American legislators, including Senator Chris Van Hollen.
Senator Holen posted a clip on social media platforms in which he called on the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, to resign, adding that the US Ambassador's mission is to protect and defend the interests of the United States, which is "a mission in which Huckabee failed."
Huckabee's visit to the West Bank
He said, during a press conference, that he came to listen to "people's legitimate complaints. Our message is clear: crime is crime, and terrorism is terrorism. When people commit such acts, they should expect to face strict consequences."
Huckabee said in a statement to the BBC that he "made clear that there are restrictions on what the American embassy can do in another country. We cannot conduct investigations because we do not have that authority or authority, and we cannot adjudicate or decide cases."
“But we can influence, and we can draw attention to the things that need to be corrected, and to the fact that it is not fair for the vast majority of people who live peacefully on both sides of this border to have their lives materially disrupted or threatened, all of these things need to be addressed.”
