West Bank: Settlers target water supplies to displace Palestinians
Palestinians cool down in a spring in Auja in the Jordan Valley on Wednesday, Aug.9, 2023. In the occupied West Bank, where Israeli water pipes don’t reach, Palestinians say they can't get enough water to irrigate their farms. By comparison, the neighboring Jewish settlements look like an oasis with swimming pools. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
As global attention remains fixed on the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, violence continues to spread across the occupied West Bank, home to over half a million Israeli settlers living in illegal settlements.
One of the increasingly used tactics to pressure Palestinians into leaving their land is the deliberate sabotage of water infrastructure, according to Radio France Internationale (RFI) on July 31st.
Settlers have been targeting water pipes, wells, and distribution areas. Recently, attacks have intensified on the Ein Samiyah spring, near Ramallah, which supplies water to at least eighteen Palestinian villages.
Jihad Gnimat, a councilor to the municipality of Kafr Malik, pointed out a recently vandalised water station in the valley below. Gnimat said to RFI: “This is the point of contention! They took over the computer systems that usually send water to the villages. Cutting off the water like this is a way to make people thirsty, and try to displace them.”
In a matter of a few months, a number of illegal settler outposts have made an appearance on the surrounding hills.
“You can see the settlers’ car down there, they’ve installed a door that blocks access to the road. Anyone trying to get access risks an immediate attack,” Gnimat added.
With access to the spring now cut off, the local water company has resorted to sending tanker trucks. But for many in Kafr Malik, especially farmers, this is not a sustainable solution.
The region is home to numerous farms that rely on water for survival. “I have to give water to my sheep. I need 1,000 litres of water every day,” explained Adham, a shepherd aged 21. “Before all of this, that would cost me 300 shekels per month. Now it’s up to 2,500. I’m thinking of selling some of my sheep.” The shepherd is deeply concerned about his financial situation but remains attached to his land, reassuring RFI that he will never depart from his village.
Radio France Internationale, Maghrebi.org
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