Palestinian Village Safeguards Community Against Escalating Settler Incursions

SINJIL: On a cool June evening, 15 residents of Sinjil in the occupied West Bank positioned themselves on a hilltop to monitor nearby valleys for signs of incoming settler activity.
These volunteers form a grassroots defense network similar to others in the region, addressing the town’s inability to rely on Israeli authorities to counter rising settler violence. Fadi Alwan, a key organizer, stated: “We have no support—we are confronting settlers backed by their government.” The recent surge in Israeli settlements and outposts has displaced thousands of Palestinians. While Israel claims its settlements are strategic, international bodies deem them illegal under international law. Residents report that when they contact police or military, responses are delayed or biased toward settlers.
“The army protects them and doesn’t halt them. We call them, and it’s ineffective,” Alwan emphasized. When asked about the escalating attacks, Israel’s military claimed it disperses confrontations but deferred responsibility to civilian police, which declined to comment.
To counter threats, residents employ searchlights and encrypted WhatsApp groups for real-time alerts. On June 26, a volunteer used a searchlight to track potential attackers, while others conducted patrols. Alwan recounted being assaulted with a spiked club during a daylight harvesting operation, sustaining visible injuries. Settlers reportedly targeted volunteer tents with gunfire, though Israeli military disputes involvement in dismantling such structures.
The Yesha Council, a settler representative body, did not immediately respond to inquiries about Sinjil’s violence.

GRASSROOTS SOLUTION Geographically isolated along the Ramallah-Nablus corridor, Sinjil faces heightened risks due to settlements surrounding its hills. Local authorities claim Israel blocked four of its five entrances and constructed a metal barrier severing access to 2,000 acres of land. Municipal head Moataz Tawafsha noted a sharp rise in attacks since October 2023, during which two Palestinians were killed and over 100 displaced from Bedouin lands. Approximately 20 families were forcibly evacuated from central Sinjil during this period.
“We live under collective detention,” Tawafsha remarked. Since late 2023, the municipality has assumed primary security duties.

CALL FOR HELP Abed Foqahaa reinforced his home with metal bars and erected a high fence after a Molotov attack two years prior. During the incident, he and his family sheltered inside as settlers ignited flames. He activated the town’s WhatsApp alert system to solicit assistance. Historically deterred by military interference, young men from Sinjil arrived despite warnings and aided in evacuating his wheelchair-bound father. “They saved us,” Foqahaa stated, acknowledging the volunteers’ critical role.

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