Fire near Ein Siniya factory adds to West Bank economic attacks

A fire believed to have been started by Israeli settlers damaged the yard of the al-Omari aluminium factory and burned about 50 dunams (12.3 acres) of perennial olive trees near Ein Siniya, north of Ramallah, on Monday morning.

The incident is part of a series of reported attacks on Palestinian farmland and industrial facilities in the occupied West Bank. Local officials and business owners said the damage and threats were restricting factories and pressuring Palestinians to leave land and businesses.

What happened at Ein Siniya

Emad Khater, head of the Ein Siniya council, said a settler from the Atara hilltops was seen near the facility before the blaze began. He also said Israeli soldiers prevented residents and workers from trying to put out the fire.

Khater described the fire as one of a series of attacks in Ein Siniya involving deliberate fires in trees, homes and cars, as well as theft and physical assaults affecting residents and factory workers. Ein Siniya is in Area B under the Oslo Accords, which provides for Palestinian civil control and joint Israeli-Palestinian security control.

Key figures

• 798 settler attacks were documented by the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission in July.
• The July total included 440 incidents involving property damage or land levelling, 67 confiscations or thefts, and damage to or poisoning of 5,027 trees.
• West Bank unemployment was reported at 29 percent.
• Damage to a separate facility in as-Samu affected 55 people who relied on it directly or indirectly for income.

Business owners report costly damage

Abdul Samad Abdul Aziz, owner of the Ein Siniya facility, said people from illegal settlements entered the industrial site in late July and set fire to heavy equipment. He estimated losses from severe damage to a stone crusher at $700,000.

Aziz also said settlers had established an outpost with livestock on the road to the site after local Palestinian shepherds were displaced. He said vehicles and offices had been attacked with the aim of restricting the facility and pushing its owners to leave. For additional context, see “What makes Israeli settler attacks in the West Bank a pogrom?”.

In as-Samu, south of Hebron, Khaled al-Zaarir said about 30 settlers attacked his industrial facility on August 21 after repeated death threats. He reported damage to two mechanical excavators, three stone-cutting machines, three bulldozers and a security office; a fire left more than 90 percent of the heavy equipment unrepairable.

Economic pressure across the West Bank

Economist Moayad Afanah said industrial facilities in Areas B and C were being targeted collectively and deliberately by settlers. He also linked recent attacks on al-Junaidi dairy factories in the Tulkarem area to the same pattern.

Afanah said destroying equipment costing hundreds of thousands of shekels can exhaust investors and deter further investment. Amir Dawoud of the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said the attacks cause direct financial losses while creating pressure intended to push Palestinians away from their land and homes.