In the West Bank town of Sinjil, located between Ramallah and Nablus, a group of around 15 Palestinian volunteers has organized regular night patrols to monitor and defend against settler attacks. These grassroots patrols have emerged in response to what residents describe as increasing violence from nearby Israeli settler outposts and what they perceive as inadequate protection from Israeli security forces.

Sinjil’s volunteers use flashlights and community WhatsApp groups to communicate and alert one another of potential threats. The town’s residents say they often face attacks from settlers, whom they accuse of being supported or shielded by Israeli authorities. “We have been left on our own. You are facing settlers supported by their government,” said volunteer Fadi Alwan. He added that calls to Israeli police and military for assistance frequently go unanswered or come too late, and he claimed the military sometimes fails to intervene when violence occurs. The Israeli military responded that it deploys troops to disperse confrontations but noted that civilian incidents fall under police jurisdiction. Israeli police did not comment.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has approved the expansion of hundreds of settlements and outposts in the West Bank, a policy critics say fuels tensions and violence. Israel maintains that settlements are strategically important to its security and future borders, though much of the international community considers these settlements illegal under international law, a characterization Israel disputes.

Residents of Sinjil say the violence has intensified since the start of the conflict in Gaza in October 2023. According to Moataz Tawafsha, head of the Sinjil municipality, settler attacks since then have killed two Palestinians and displaced more than 100 Bedouin families living on the town’s lands, with an additional 20 families displaced within Sinjil itself. Tawafsha described the town as feeling like a “collective prison,” citing closures of four of five town entrances and the erection of a metal barrier restricting access to 2,000 acres of private Palestinian land.

Incidents reported by residents include a Molotov cocktail attack on a family home, forced displacement, and physical assaults. Volunteer Alwan said he was recently beaten by a settler armed with a spiked club while harvesting wheat. He also recounted an earlier incident in which settlers fired live rounds at a watch tent erected by volunteers; in the aftermath, Israeli troops dismantled the tent, though the military has not commented on that action.

Local Palestinian leaders have responded by taking an active role in organizing community defense as security forces are seen as insufficient. Some residents credit these grassroots efforts with helping to protect the town. One resident, Abed Foqahaa, installed metal bars and a tall fence after his house was targeted with firebombs. After the attack, neighbors organized through the WhatsApp group to help rescue his wheelchair-bound father when Israeli troops initially tried to prevent their intervention.

Settler representatives, including the Yesha Council, have not responded to requests for comment regarding the incidents or any measures taken to address settler violence around Sinjil. The ongoing clashes contribute to a wider cycle of tension and insecurity in the West Bank, where Israeli military presence and expanding settlements intersect with Palestinian communities seeking to maintain their homes and livelihoods.