“Sinjil Feels Like a Big Prison,” Say Palestinians Cut Off by New Fence
Mousa Shabaneh, a 52-year-old father of seven, looked sadly at a new fence being built through his nursery in Sinjil, a town in the West Bank. He had planted trees there to sell and support his family. Now, he’s not allowed to enter the nursery.
“All my trees were burned and destroyed,” he said. “They’ve taken away our only source of income.”
For years, walls and checkpoints by Israeli forces have affected daily life for the nearly 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank. But since the war in Gaza started, many say things have gotten much worse. New barriers have made towns feel like they are under lockdown.
One example is the fence around Sinjil. The Israeli army says it was built to protect the nearby Ramallah-Nablus highway. They also say people still have “free access” to the town because one entrance remains open.
Cut Off from Their Land
Now, people must use small, narrow roads to get in or out. Some even walk past blocked roads to reach cars parked on the other side.
Bahaa Foqaa, the deputy mayor, said that 8,000 people in Sinjil are trapped inside a small area of just 10 acres. Meanwhile, they are cut off from 2,000 acres of land they own and use for farming.
“This is how the occupation army tries to scare people and break their spirit,” he said.
Israel says it builds fences to protect Jewish settlers living in the West Bank. These settlers began moving there after Israel took control of the area during a war in 1967.
Now, some Israeli leaders openly say they want to make the entire West Bank part of Israel.
Long Delays, Lost Income
After the October 2023 attack by Hamas, Israel increased its military presence in the West Bank. Roads were blocked overnight with dirt and stones. Later, the army put up heavy metal gates and locked them, making it hard for Palestinians to move freely.
The military also set up more permanent checkpoints and surprise ones that appear without warning.
Sana Alwan, 52, lives in Sinjil and works as a fitness trainer. Before, she could reach Ramallah quickly. Now, it can take her up to three hours, each way. She often doesn’t know how long she’ll be stuck. Because of this, she’s lost work.
“Half our life is spent on the roads,” she said.
The West Bank hasn’t faced the same destruction as Gaza, but life is still very hard. Many Palestinians who worked in Israel lost their jobs. Earlier this year, tens of thousands had to leave their homes due to Israeli military actions in Jenin.
Mohammad Jammous, 34, lives in Ramallah and used to visit his family in Jericho every week. What used to be a one-hour drive now takes hours, so he can only visit once a month.
The Israeli army says the security situation is “complex” and that checkpoints are needed to watch for threats.
But Palestinian leaders believe these barriers are meant to hurt the economy and daily life. They warn it may cause more young people to support militants.
“They’re doing everything they can to make life very hard for our people,” said Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa.
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