The Azzun Phenomenon:
Our attentive readers may have noticed updates every now and then about settlers being injured by stones or Molotovs in the modest town of Azzun, #Qalqilya: a simple search yields about 60 such reported operations in the last year.

These operations, while simple, turn out to be very effective at shattering settler security. Azzun's stone-throwing prowess is not a coincidence; in fact, the choice to carry out these operations here is a strategic one.

The town of just 8,000 residents and 9 km squared—which has offered 80 prisoners and five martyrs in recent years (as of 9/16/23)—is located at a historically important crossroads. Yet, this small town has become a nightmare for settlers.

In August, at least 25 settlers were wounded by such operations in Azzun alone, rivaling injuries of resistance strongholds such as Jenin and Nablus. Last week there, four settlers were wounded and nearly a dozen of their cars were destroyed in one day.

Settlers here are specifically targeted on a major vein of zionist infrastructure: settler bypass road Route 55, passing through Azzun. This road has actually been around since 300 BC. It was established formally in 1935, and this racist road was blocked often by Palestinians during the first intifada. As a result, the occupation built a number of alternative bypass roads. In 2002 amidst the second intifada, it became a settler bypass road, with its purpose being to give settlers a Jewish-only detour such that they can avoid the apparent danger of Palestinian areas.

This stone-throwing has become a major problem for the occupation, who increased its security on Qalqilya for almost two months now, arresting a number of alleged stone-throwers. Today, the steadfast resistance of Azzun continue to create nightmares for settlers despite the siege, shattering their glass, destroying their cars, and targeting them with rudimentary explosive devices made at home. In all forms, resistance increases, and Azzun marches on the path of Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarem, and Gaza.