Sinjil, near Ramallah, has witnessed multiple incidents of settler violence over the years [Getty/file photo]
Israeli settlers carried out a wave of attacks across several Palestinian towns and villages in the occupied West Bank on Monday, escalating a campaign of violence and intimidation carried out under the protection of the Israeli military.
In the town of Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah, settlers gathered at the entrance of the town and near roads leading to privately owned Palestinian farmland, where they performed Talmudic prayers and religious rituals for the second consecutive day in a deliberate provocation aimed at blocking Palestinians from reaching their land.
“It was planned for us to head today to plough the lands in the northern area, which are privately owned by the residents of Sinjil, who have been prevented from accessing them since the beginning of the war on Gaza,” Sinjil mayor Mutaz Tawafsha told The New Arab.
He said residents had coordinated access to the farmland in advance through the Israeli Liaison Office and had been given a scheduled date to cultivate the land.
“However, we were surprised by gatherings of settlers at the entrance of the town, near the road leading to these lands. They also gathered at the entrance of the municipality, where they performed their religious rituals and Talmudic prayers in what appeared to be an attempt to provoke residents and create tensions and confrontations,” he said.
“This appeared to be a clear attempt to obstruct the residents’ access and prevent them from exercising their natural right to reach and cultivate their land.”
Israeli soldiers prevented Palestinian farmers and residents from accessing the area while settlers gathered under military protection.
Tawafsha said the attacks reflected the daily reality facing Palestinians under occupation.
“What is happening reflects the daily challenges faced by our people and reinforces our responsibility to remain steadfast on our land, protect it, and defend the rightful owners’ access to and cultivation of it,” he added.
On Sunday, settlers had performed similar Talmudic prayers while attempting to block farmers from reaching their agricultural land as part of ongoing efforts to seize territory around the town.
In the Bethlehem governorate, armed settlers on four-wheel-drive motorcycles stormed the village of Abu Njeim, southeast of the city, entering residential areas and attempting to terrorise residents through reckless driving, intimidation and loud disturbances.
In Hebron, settlers hurled Molotov cocktails at a sheep pen and an oven in the Wadi al-Rakhim area south of the city, setting both on fire, according to videos circulating online.
Settlers also attacked the home of Palestinian resident Riyad Shanaran under the protection of Israeli soldiers, sparking a fire that wounded Shanaran as he tried to extinguish the flames.
Elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, settlers vandalised Palestinian property and uprooted olive trees.
According to the Al-Baydar organisation, settlers cut down olive trees in Taybeh, east of Ramallah, while also storming the nearby Abu Faza’ al-Kaabneh community and harassing Palestinian children on their way to school.
These attacks come amid escalating attacks targeting Palestinian villages and properties, amid speculations of field coordination between the Israeli forces and settler groups in various areas of the West Bank.
Also on Monday, Israeli troops raided the towns of Beit Sahour and al-Khader, as well as the village of Khallet al-Louza, while soldiers also stormed the village of al-Walaja and deployed at its main entrance.
In the northern West Bank, Israeli forces bulldozed Palestinian land planted with olive trees in the Azzun area east of Qalqilya.
Backed by military vehicles, soldiers entered the Mahjar area and uprooted olive trees across around 500 square metres of land near the illegal settlement of Ma’ale Shomron.
Israeli settler and military violence in the occupied West Bank has sharply intensified in recent years, particularly since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023 and again during the joint US-Israeli war on Iran earlier this year.
Settler attacks have killed and wounded Palestinians, destroyed homes, farms and livelihoods, and forcibly displaced entire communities.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), March 2026 recorded the highest level of settler violence in the occupied West Bank in the past 20 years.
At least 4,700 Palestinians have been displaced by settler attacks and related violence as of early 2026, including around 1,700 this year alone.
Between 700,000 and 750,000 Israeli settlers currently live across settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank, all considered illegal under international law.
Since returning to power in December 2022, the far-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accelerated settlement expansion across the occupied territory despite widespread international condemnation.
