In the West Bank, the inhabitants of Sinjil are organizing to cope with the increasing number of settler attacks.

In Sinjil, a Palestinian town near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, residents have set up volunteer patrols to try to protect their community from the increasing attacks by Israeli settlers. Equipped with spotlights and connected via WhatsApp groups, they watch the surrounding hills every night for possible incursions.

According to residents, this organization was born out of a feeling of having been abandoned by the authorities. "We are left to fend for ourselves. We are facing settlers supported by their government. We have no one. So we are forced to stay here and protect this town," said Fadi Alwan, one of the volunteers participating in the surveillance patrols.

Residents say settler violence has escalated since the start of the Gaza war and accuse the Israeli army and police of not responding quickly enough, or even of protecting the perpetrators of the attacks. The Israeli army rejects these accusations, stating that its soldiers are deployed to disperse clashes, while acts committed by Israeli civilians fall under the jurisdiction of the police. The police did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters.

During their night patrols, the volunteers communicate constantly via WhatsApp groups, allowing them to quickly alert residents in case of danger. According to Fadi Alwan, if settlers approach homes, a message is immediately broadcast so that residents can gather and try to repel them.

The volunteer claims he was recently attacked by a settler armed with a spiked club while harvesting wheat. He also alleges that settlers opened fire last year on a tent used by volunteers for nighttime surveillance, before the Israeli army dismantled the structure the following day. The army has not commented on these allegations.

The Israeli government continues to approve the establishment of new settlements and outposts in the West Bank, claiming that this policy is driven by security imperatives and aims to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state. However, the Palestinians and much of the international community consider these settlements to be contrary to international law, an interpretation disputed by Israel.