Sileh al-Harithiya: The Return of the Settlers
20 years after withdrawing its settlers from Jenin district, Israel’s colonial project also targets this area.
Sileh al-Harithiya: Land Theft Begins with Bulldozers
On May 1st, the people of Sileh al-Harithiya, west of Jenin, woke up to Israeli bulldozers tearing through their lands to open a new colonial settlement road.
For nearly two weeks, the bulldozing has continued, uprooting hundreds of olive trees and threatening to isolate around 6,000 dunums (1,482.6 acres) of the village’s land.
This is another act of land theft targeting Palestinian farmers, their livelihoods, and their rooted presence on the land.
“They Want to Fragment the Village”: Testimony from Abu al-Muntasir
“Last Ramadan, the Israeli army came and placed notices on the trees. Then, in January, the bulldozers came and uprooted trees across 150 dunums.
A week ago, we were shocked when they came again and uprooted trees that were over 25 years old. In the first phase, they placed notices on the trees. In the second phase, they did not inform anyone or ask anyone.
I lost 100 dunums of land, including 1,400 olive trees, around 2,000 almond trees, and grapevines.
What is happening in Sileh is a catastrophe. They want to fragment the village. Imagine — they want to take 6,000 dunums from Sileh.”
Develon: Bulldozers of Land Theft
The Develon bulldozers carving the colonial settlement road through Sileh al-Harithiya are part of the material infrastructure of land theft.
Develon is owned by HD Hyundai Co., whose equipment has been used in the demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as in the construction of settlements, the Apartheid Wall, and military checkpoints.
Israel’s Colonial Plan to Encircle Jenin
The latest attack on Sileh al-Harithiya forms part of Israel’s wider colonial plan to forcibly redraw the map of the northern occupied West Bank.
This plan seeks to cut Jenin off from its Palestinian surroundings, fragment its villages, and suffocate Palestinian life inside enclaves encircled by settlements, outposts, and colonial roads.
The attack on Sileh al-Harithiya comes amid Israel’s accelerating return of settlements to Jenin’s surroundings.
- In 2005, Israel removed settlers from Homesh, Ganim, Kadim, and Sanur in the northern occupied West Bank.
- For nearly two decades, Jenin remained the only district in the occupied West Bank without permanent Israeli settlements.
- In March 2023, the Israeli government approved the repeal of key parts of the so-called Disengagement Law, opening the way for settlers to return.
Since then, Israel has continued to push colonial settlement activity deeper into Jenin’s surroundings.
What is happening in Sileh al-Harithiya is the on-the-ground implementation of a declared colonial strategy for the entire occupied West Bank, and all of historic Palestine.
The commitment to continue Israel’s policy of ethnic cleansing, which started during the Nakba in 1948, has been reaffirmed in the so-called “Decisive Plan” published by Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s minister responsible for the administration of the illegal occupation of the West Bank:
“The first and fundamental decision is the settlement decision. At this stage, we must state openly and clearly this basic truth: we are here to stay. And we also make clear that our national ambition for a Jewish state from the river to the sea is an absolute fact, not open to discussion or negotiation.”