Settler violations escalate: Stealing homes, destroying Palestinian land, arrests under enemy protection
Several areas in the occupied West Bank witnessed a series of attacks carried out by settlers against Palestinian homes, property, and agricultural lands on Sunday, coinciding with clashes with Israeli forces.
In the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, settlers stormed the home of Abdul Munim Dar Khalil, wreaking havoc in its surroundings and vandalizing its exterior contents before stealing flashlights, according to al-Baydar Human Rights Organization. This incident is part of an escalating pattern of attacks targeting homes and property in areas adjacent to settlements, endangering residents and increasing tensions in the town.
In the village of Farkha, west of Salfit, settlers renewed their attacks on olive trees in the northwest part of the village, cutting down and breaking dozens of trees daily and grazing sheep on agricultural land.
The head of the village council, Mustafa Hammad, explained in a statement that the settlers have been seeking to control the lands and prevent farmers from accessing more than 75% of their land since the establishment of the “Shoval” colonial pastoral outpost west of the village in October 2024.
Hamad emphasized that the goal is to strip farmers of their rights to their lands, calling on the international community to pressure the enemy to stop these practices, while documenting the attacks with photos and videos.
In the village of al-Riha, south of Hebron, Israeli forces arrested three citizens, and others suffered from tear gas inhalation during clashes with settlers.
According to Safa News Agency, forces arrested Awda Suleiman al-Tubasi (52 years old), Muhammad Issa al-Tubasi (35 years old), and Suleiman Muhammad al-Tubasi (36 years old), while landowners were organizing a peaceful protest against the seizure of their lands in Khallet al-Ma’aser area. Settlers, protected by Israeli enemy forces, have erected 20 caravans in the area this month, damaging approximately 150 dunams of the village’s land.
These attacks confirm the continued targeting of Palestinian land and property in the West Bank, amid growing calls for the international community to intervene and halt these practices, which escalate tensions and constitute a flagrant violation of Palestinian rights.