On Tuesday, Israeli occupation forces uprooted olive trees in Sinjil town, north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank’s central part, , as part of ongoing illegal land confiscation policies in the occupied territories.
Media sources said Israeli military bulldozers uprooted several olive trees near the town’s main northern entrance, which has been closed by the army for the past six months.
Palestinian citizen Ayed Ghafri reported that Israeli forces destroyed more than 20 olive trees and razed barbed wire fences on his family’s land near the northern entrance, which has been sealed off for months.
Ghafri noted that the land is fenced with barbed wire and situated between two homes belonging to the Ghafri family, describing the act as part of a policy to forcibly displace them.
Israeli authorities had previously issued a military order on August 20 to seize additional land for modifying the route of a planned barbed-wire fence near Turmus Ayya and Sinjil, north of Ramallah.
In February, Israeli forces announced the confiscation of 29 dunams of land from both towns to construct the fence, which would block Palestinian access to the main road and prevent them from reaching their lands beyond the barrier.
Israel has intensified its land confiscation policies, particularly in Area C, which comprises over 60% of the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli occupation government recently approved what it called a new “land registration policy,” allowing illegal Israeli paramilitary colonizers to claim ownership of Palestinian land if it lacks “formal registration.”
This move is seen as a step toward annexation, effectively nullifying Palestinian land claims and accelerating colonialist expansion.
Additionally, Israeli forces have targeted agricultural lands, particularly olive groves, which are vital to Palestinian livelihoods.
In Deir Dibwan, east of Ramallah, settlers have seized grazing lands, forcing Palestinian farmers to keep their livestock in overcrowded areas.
The Israeli Knesset has also debated a new bill that would allow colonizers to “purchase land across the West Bank,” bypassing previous restrictions.
This legislation is part of a broader effort to formalize Israeli control over Palestinian territories, despite international opposition.
All of Israel’s colonies in the occupied West Bank, including those in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law, the Fourth Geneva Convention in addition to various United Nations and Security Council resolutions. They also constitute war crimes under International Law.
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” It also prohibits the “individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory”.
