‘My land is forbidden to me’: Israel’s settlement push encircles Jenin

My land is forbidden to me – this is the haunting reality faced by Palestinians in Jenin, as Israel's settlement push encircles their city. Following a surge in Israeli settlement activity in the northern West Bank, settlers have begun returning to areas that were evacuated two decades ago. In an alarming incident, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmer Ahmed Zeidat on his land, punching him and detaining him for being on what they claimed was private property.

The officer informed Zeidat that the land belonged to Israel and that he was not allowed to enter it. The farmer's olive grove, which once produced 600 kilos of olive oil, now stands idle, as Israeli bulldozers reshape the landscape to accommodate new settlements and military infrastructure. Since the unilateral disengagement in 2005, Palestinians in Jenin and surrounding villages have largely avoided direct contact with settlers.

However, since the current Israeli government took office in late 2022, the pace of settlement construction has accelerated. Israel has approved 11 new settlements in the Jenin area, alongside reviving and expanding the four previously evacuated settlements. In late July, the Israeli military seized nearly 200 dunams of Palestinian land in Jenin through 15 military orders, ostensibly to connect two new settlements.

This seizure of land in Area A, which is supposed to be under full Palestinian control, marks a significant shift in the geography of Jenin. The landscape has transformed as Palestinian farmland and olive groves give way to construction sites and military installations. Roads and military bases encircle Palestinian towns, disrupting movement and isolating communities from neighboring areas like Nablus, Tulkarm, and Tubas.

The impact is already felt by Palestinians whose livelihoods depend on the land, with vineyards being demolished and farmers forced to cut their losses. The encircling settlements and military bases tighten Israel's control over land and movement, reshaping Jenin's landscape and altering the lives of its inhabitants.