Palestinians Fortify Homes Against Escalating Settler Violence in the West Bank

In the occupied West Bank town of Sinjil, Palestinians are establishing night watch shifts to defend their homes against escalating settler attacks. Abdul Rahman Jabr, a 32-year-old resident of al-Mughayyir village east of Ramallah, has seen his life profoundly impacted since his home was targeted by Israeli settlers over a year ago. Following the attack, he installed barbed wire in an attempt to deter future settler pogroms.

His home, constructed in early 2023 before his marriage, is situated on the village outskirts, an area historically prone to settler violence. Now living there with his wife and two-year-old daughter, Jabr has witnessed a surge in settler attacks on his property and those of his neighbors. In April 2024, settlers set his vehicle on fire and smashed his home's windows with stones. He has lost count of the number of times his home has been targeted, with settlers reaching his property seven times in the past week alone, forcing him to miss work to ensure his family's safety. "I thought about my wife and child. How could I protect them from the settlers when there is no protection for us? I began surrounding the house with barbed wire and an iron fence. This isn’t a sufficient measure, but it’s the only thing I can do on my own," he told Al Jazeera. "All the neighbouring households have had to install these fences to protect themselves. We’ve made countless appeals, but no one listens, so we had to take this step. At the very least, it has helped keep their livestock away from our yards."

Abdul Rahman Jabr's experience is not isolated; it reflects a significant increase in settler activity across the West Bank since the commencement of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023. According to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, part of the PLO, settlers carried out 14,742 attacks against Palestinians, their land, or properties between October 7, 2023, and October 4, 2026. In the first seven months of 2026 alone, the commission recorded 4,113 attacks, a 63 percent rise compared to the same period in 2025. This period also saw a wave of attacks on Palestinian farmers during olive harvests.

In response, Palestinians are organizing to protect their families and homes. In Sinjil, a group of young men has formed an unofficial guard committee to safeguard residents' homes. Basel Awad, using a pseudonym for security reasons, explained that each night, 20 to 30 unarmed individuals gather at strategic points used by settlers for raids. However, these efforts have come at a cost: the Israeli army has arrested six members of the guard, and at least 10 have been injured, in what appears to be an effort to dismantle the neighborhood watch. "We had set up a tent in the Jabal al-Batin area, which is frequently targeted by attacks. Soldiers arrived last winter and fired tear gas canisters inside. We all suffered from suffocation, and then they demolished the tent and confiscated it," Basel told Al Jazeera.

Despite the risks, Palestinians are determined to remain on their land. Nasr Radwan, 53, from Beitillu village west of Ramallah, whose family owns 1,500 dunams of land with over 100 springs, frequently faces settler raids. He has been assaulted by settlers on multiple occasions but, along with his brothers, insists on daily presence on their land. An outpost established near his land in June serves as a base for attacks on crops and family members. "The most recent attack took place last Saturday. We were on our land harvesting olives when settlers attacked us, smashed the windows of our vehicles and beat my brother. Even so, we continue to go there every day," he stated. For three years, settlers have attempted to seize the family's land, blocking access roads and forcing family members to walk 5km (3 miles) to reach it. "We know that being on our land means facing constant attacks. It could even cost us our lives. But we also know that if we abandon it, it will be lost forever," Nasr said. "This is not just land or a source of livelihood; it is our soul, our memory and our very life."

The article highlights that settler raids often occur with the sanction of Israeli authorities, leaving Palestinian residents with inadequate protection and limited legal recourse. Human Rights Watch reported in August that Israeli authorities have failed to prosecute settlers for violence against Palestinians. Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights organization, noted that by the end of 2025, only 3 percent of hundreds of documented cases since 2005 had resulted in convictions. Omar Rahhal, director of the Ramallah-based SHAMS Center for Human Rights, emphasized that while Palestinians resort to self-protection, Israel, as the occupying power, retains its legal responsibility under the Fourth Geneva Convention to protect civilians. He described these measures as temporary solutions to the settler issue, given the significant power imbalance. Rahhal pointed to the presence of Israeli soldiers during settler attacks and land razing as an illustration of this imbalance. "Impunity, the arming of settlers, the allocation of funds to settlements and policies adopted by ministers in the Israeli government are factors that contribute to the continuation of attacks and the resulting increase in the number of victims," he concluded.