LONDON: Israeli authorities seized 464,400 sq. meters of Palestinian land in the town of Sinjil, north of the Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate, according to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission.
The plot is now classified as “state land,” which Israel will use for the benefit of the illegal outpost of Givat Haroeh, established in 1998. It will also benefit the settlements of Shilo and Maale Levona, which are very close to Sinjil.
The commission warned of an Israeli plan aiming to create a continuous geographical corridor connecting all these settlements and to isolate Palestinian communities, according to Palestine News Agency.
Sinjil, along with the Israeli settlements, is located alongside Road 60, which runs through the occupied West Bank from south to north.
The Palestinian town is thought to have been established during the Crusades in 1103, when it was referred to as the Citadel of Saint Gilles. It is home to about 16,000 residents. Israeli settlers have repeatedly attacked Sinjil and other neighboring towns, including Turmus Ayya.
