RAMALLAH, March 29, 2026 (WAFA) — Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, on Sunday evening, providing cover for colonists as they began establishing a new illegal colonial outpost west of the town.
Local sources confirmed that colonists, protected by the Israeli army, started preliminary construction and land leveling to install the initial structures of the new outpost. This move follows approximately two months of field preparations as part of a systematic colonial expansion policy aimed at consolidating control over citizens’ lands and encircling the town from all sides.
Journalist Mohammed Ghafri, a resident of Sinjil, told WAFA that colonists began carving out a new dirt road, measuring two to three kilometers, weeks ago. The road connects the “Ma’ale Levona” colony to the targeted area west of the town, a move intended to tighten the siege on the town and restrict residents’ movement and urban growth.
Ghafri explained that colonists took practical steps today to establish the outpost on the ground, exploiting global preoccupation with the war in Gaza and current regional conditions to implement a plan that previously failed in 2020 due to local resistance.
Colonists began setting up covers, iron barricades, tents, and shacks in the targeted area, Ghafri said, noting that Israeli bulldozers have carried out extensive leveling operations since the morning to stabilize the new site.
He pointed out that while occupation authorities claimed the work was an expansion of the "Ma'ale Levona" colony's master plan, the reality on the ground shows it is a distinct, separate colonial outpost, built under heavy military protection.
The town's residents have been living in a state of high tension since the bulldozing began. Many agricultural lands and properties are at risk of seizure, raising fears of increased attacks by colonists against farmers and landowners. Sinjil is frequently targeted by such incursions, having faced a series of outpost constructions and property seizures over recent years.
A.D./T.R.
