Israeli settlers harass Palestinians marching in protest against attacks in Sinjil

Middle East Eye

13 hours ago

A march by Palestinians in the West Bank village of Sinjil on Friday to protest against Israeli settler attacks on nearby farmland was disrupted by settlers and evolved into a standoff, AFP reported on Friday.
After local Palestinian residents and activists had begun their march, settlers appeared on a hill belonging to the village. Palestinian youths headed towards the hill to drive away the settlers and started a fire at the base of the hill to keep them away.
Settlers threw rocks from the high ground and also started a fire, locals reported.
Several Israeli military jeeps arrived at the scene, and soldiers fired shots in the air, causing Palestinians to retreat back to the village.
Anwar al-Ghafri, a lawyer and member of Sinjil's city council, told AFP that such incidents are not new but have intensified in recent days in the area, just north of the West Bank city of Ramallah.
"A group of settlers, with support and approval from the Israeli army, are carrying out organised attacks on citizens' land," he told AFP.
"They assault farmers, destroy crops, and prevent people from reaching or trying to reach their land," he said, describing the events that had prompted Friday's march.
Israeli authorities recently erected a high fence cutting off parts of Sinjil from Road 60, which runs through the entire West Bank from north to south and which both Israeli settlers and Palestinians use.
Mohammad Asfour, a 52-year-old resident, told AFP that the fence was isolating his community, like other Palestinian cities and towns that recently had gates erected by Israel to control access to the outside.
"Sinjil is suffering greatly because of this wall. My house is near it, and so are my brothers' homes. The settler has the right to come to Sinjil - but the sons of Sinjil aren't allowed to climb up this hill," Asfour said.