West Bank town sets up night watches against settler attacks
About 15 Sinjil residents took turns scanning the hills at night, using searchlights and WhatsApp alerts as they brace for settler attacks authorities do not stop.
On a cool June night, about 15 Palestinians climbed a hilltop above Sinjil in the occupied West Bank and scanned the valleys for any movement that might signal an attack. The small watch party was part of a volunteer protection network that residents have built themselves, using searchlights, patrols and WhatsApp alert chains to warn the town when settlers appear.
Residents call the Israeli police and military when trouble starts, but the responses often come too late or not at all. Volunteer Fadi Alwan: the community feels abandoned and left to fend for itself against settlers effectively supported by their government.
Expanding Israeli settlements and the smaller outposts that often accompany them have become staging grounds for violence that pushes families off their land. The Israeli government’s settlement policy is meant to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state with the West Bank at its center. Most of the world considers settlement activity in the West Bank illegal under international law, while Israel disputes that view.
A legal system treats Palestinians and Israeli citizens differently in the same territory. A U.S. Department of State human-rights report states Israeli citizens arrested in the West Bank are tried under Israeli civilian courts, while Palestinians arrested there face Israeli military courts. The Israeli military deploys troops to disperse confrontations, and responsibility for Israeli civilian actions rests with police. The police did not respond to a request for comment.
UN data show 1,732 settler-violence incidents causing casualties or property damage in the 12 months to Oct. 31, 2025, up from 1,400 in the previous period. More than 2,895 Palestinians have been displaced since January 2023 because of settler violence and access restrictions, including 636 in 2025, and settler attacks are continuing at an average of about five a day.
A June 2026 report showed settlers grazing livestock inside Sinjil and damaging a Palestinian farmer’s crop.
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