Settler attacks hit power, water and farms in West Bank
Palestinian and international reports say recent settler attacks have damaged utilities, farms and homes across the occupied West Bank.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Israeli settlers damaged power lines, agricultural sites and a key water source in several areas of the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian officials and local reports. The incidents add to a sharp rise in settler violence that Palestinian communities say is threatening homes, farms and livestock.
The Palestinian Wafa news agency reported Friday, citing Palestinian security sources, that settlers damaged the main electricity line serving al-Maniya, a village southeast of Bethlehem. Wafa said the attack cut power to the community and caused fear among residents.
According to Wafa, it was the second such incident in al-Maniya this week. The agency said settler attacks in recent weeks have included raids on homes and attempts to run over Palestinians with vehicles.
Later Friday, settlers vandalised agricultural greenhouses near the Shufa military checkpoint southeast of Tulkarem, local witnesses told Wafa. The witnesses said protective netting was torn and agricultural facilities belonging to a family from Shufa were damaged.
Wafa also reported that settlers took control of Ein Rawabi spring northeast of Jerusalem after vandalising the site. The Jerusalem Governorate said the spring is the only water source for local shepherds and about 1,300 sheep.
The governorate warned that the seizure threatens the livelihoods of dozens of Bedouin families who depend on the spring for water. The attack was described by the governorate as targeting a vital water source for communities in the area.
Home seizure reported in Jalud
Reuters reported Friday that settlers seized property belonging to Mohammad Salameh in Jalud, a village in the occupied West Bank. Salameh was building a home for his recently engaged son when the property was taken, according to Reuters.
Salameh told Reuters that appeals to Israeli authorities had not helped. He said he had lost the home and feared neighbouring Palestinian properties could face the same outcome as Israeli settlements and outposts spread around the village.
“If there is law and order, then they [Israeli settlers] will leave,” Salameh told Reuters. “But if they succeed in taking one, then the rest will follow.”
The reports come as Palestinians say settler attacks are increasingly disrupting daily life and damaging livelihoods in rural communities. Farmers and villagers in the occupied West Bank have long reported vandalism, destruction of farmland and assaults linked to settlement expansion.
About 500,000 Israelis live among roughly 3 million Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to the figures cited in the reports. Palestinian communities have said expanding settlements and outposts have left villages increasingly encircled.
A United Nations inquiry last month found that Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian villages and agricultural land had risen by 130 percent since 2023. The latest incidents reported by Wafa, Reuters and Palestinian officials show that water, electricity and farming infrastructure remain targets in the recent wave of violence.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.