Israeli Settlers Return to Sa-Nur Site in Northern West Bank

” He told the outlet he believes the land is Jewish, pointing from his window to surrounding houses and olive groves belonging to what he called Arab villages. The same resident stated, “I don’t want people to think I’m special. My personal story doesn’t matter.

Construction activity has continued at the hilltop site, with workers repairing electricity poles and bulldozers moving earth. Children’s bicycles, laundry, and household items were visible outside the homes. A far-right minister attended an official reopening ceremony last month.

Settlement approvals have risen from three between 2013 and 2022 to 54 in 2025 and 34 so far in 2026, according to the Israeli NGO Peace Now. More than 500,000 Israelis now live in settlements, outposts and related infrastructure across the West Bank, a territory that is also home to roughly three million Palestinians.

The Israeli army maintains checkpoints and oversight in the area, including a dirt road leading to the site. Residents at Sa-Nur generally limit contact with foreign media, viewing coverage as hostile, though AFP gained rare access. One resident recounted an instance in which young Palestinians helped him when his vehicle was stuck in traffic and rejected the idea that local Palestinians were hostile.

A video recorded by Palestinians the day after an AFP visit shows men carrying a shrouded body in the cemetery of the village of Al-Asaasa below the settlement, with settlers carrying assault rifles and Israeli soldiers standing nearby. The son of the deceased told AFP that settlers provoked mourners during the burial and later dug into the grave in an apparent attempt to exhume the body.

He said he reburied his father in a nearby village. In a statement, the Israeli army said the funeral had been coordinated with security forces in advance. It added that it had not ordered any removal of the body, had confiscated tools from the settlers, and condemned actions that harm public order, the rule of law, and the dignity of the living and the deceased.

Separately, Palestinian journalist Ali al-Samoudi told Al Jazeera he is determined to return to work despite enduring what he described as starvation and torture during detention in an Israeli jail.

The return to Sa-Nur occurs amid continued expansion across the West Bank. The developments reflect long-standing disputes over land, security, and national aspirations in a territory occupied by Israel since 1967.