19 aug 2013
By Rasha Abou Jalal
People driving through the municipalities of the Gaza Strip can easily tell when they have reached the Wadi Gaza Bridge. They are overcome with a bad smell that forces them to hold their nose to avoid inhaling the odor of waste and sewage coming from the valley, which has turned into an environmental disaster.
Wadi Gaza is one of the main natural features of the Gaza Strip. It stems from the hills of the Negev and the southern highlands of the city of Hebron. It is about 105 kilometers [65 miles] in length, and it extends from the armistice line east of Gaza to the Mediterranean coast. The highest point of the valley reaches 30 meters [98 feet] above sea level, and the length of its path across the Gaza Strip spans 7 kilometers [4.3 miles], according to the Palestine News and Information Agency Wafa.
Not many citizens live on the banks of the valley anymore due to municipal neglect. Furthermore, the Palestinian families there live in constant fear that Israel will open the dams it has set up on its borders with the Gaza Strip, which would cause a major humanitarian disaster.
In January 2010, the Israeli authorities opened the dam of Wadi Gaza without prior warning. This led to the inundation of dozens of houses and the displacement of about 100 Palestinian families. At the time, Gaza’s Civil Defense announced in a statement to Maan news agency that it saved seven people who were drowning.
Fred Bleiha, an old shepherd who grass feeds his cattle every morning in the valley, said, “The area has transformed from a natural reserve that attracts tourists into a high-risk environmental disaster.”
Speaking to Al-Monitor, 62-year-old Bleiha added, “People have abandoned the area. While it was once characterized by a clear atmosphere, pure air and clean water, it has now, however, turned into a nuisance to the citizens who live nearby.”
With a wooden stick that he uses to herd his sheep, he pointed to a nearby area and said, “I had a house here made of tin, along with a livestock farm next to it containing 150 sheep. However, when Israel opened the Wadi Gaza dam a few years ago, the flooding killed most of the livestock."
“The valley disappeared, and all aspects of life vanished. Even the wild ducks, water storks and gulls have stopped coming here because the valley turned into a garbage dump and an estuary for the sewage,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Shoomer, 42, confirmed that the residents of Wadi Gaza are suffering during both summer and winter. “We are suffering through summer and winter due to municipal neglect in this region. Just a couple of decades ago it was one of the nicest agricultural and residential areas in the Gaza Strip,” he said.
Shoomer told Al-Monitor that the residents of the valley must cope during summer with unpleasant odors as well as the spread of harmful insects and rodents. In winter, however, they suffer from a rise in the water level in the valley, which inundates the region's population once the dam is open. This leads to the displacement of residents, kills their livestock and destroys their crops.
Shoomer said that all of these obstacles and risks that threaten the future of the region have led to real estate prices dropping to the lowest level registered in all the areas of the Gaza Strip. “Residents of the neighboring cities do not want to buy a single square meter of land in this region, due to the size of the environmental and health risks that surround it,” Shoomer added.
He said that he put his land and house up for sale at a very cheap price more than three years ago, but his offer did not tempt anyone.
According to Mohammed Jaber, a real estate agent in Gaza, Wadi Gaza has become "scorched land," and is not subject to the going rates seen in other areas. This is because of the deteriorating environmental conditions that are not encouraging for buyers.
In an interview with Al-Monitor, Jaber explained that the price of a square meter of land in this area does not exceed 100 dinars [roughly $140], despite the fact that it overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. Meanwhile, the price per square meter in nearby areas is around 300 dinars [roughly $422].
He called on the government, the municipal authorities and donor countries to rescue the Wadi Gaza area and work to completely end its problems and bring it back to life.
Many factors have transformed this valley from a protected natural destination — home to a variety of beautiful wild birds — into a garbage dump, a mouth for wastewater and a meeting point for rodents, harmful insects and rotting carcasses. These factors include the Israeli dams built along its course as well as the lack of local environmental controls and municipal interest, according to Raed Safi, an environmental expert specialized in water issues in the Gaza Strip.
In an interview with Al-Monitor, Safi said, “Wadi Gaza was made of clay soil that was very good for agricultural crops,” but the absence of attention, legislation and municipal laws, he added, have contributed to the deterioration of the region’s environmental conditions.
He said that the municipalities that oversee the eastern areas of Wadi Gaza use the course of the valley to pump about 70,000 cups of wastewater per day into the Mediterranean Sea in the west, and called on municipalities to stop using the valley as an estuary for wastewater.
On the other hand, Safi said, “The Israeli [authorities] have robbed us of this water, by constructing dams inside Israeli territory that dried up the valley’s waterway to the Gaza Strip.”
Safi further pointed out that Israel is trying to downplay the value of this valley and not involve it in the discussions on a final solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, claiming that they need to seize this water to preserve aquifer water.
For his part, the head of the Environmental Quality Authority, Youssef Ibrahim, explained that due to the water flow stopping across the valley as a result of the Israeli dams, along with the fact that the central municipalities rely on the course of the valley to get rid of sewage around the area, a serious environmental disaster has emerged in the valley.
Speaking to Al-Monitor, Ibrahim said, “The municipalities are now facing a bitter reality that is significantly affecting their services, due to a lack of support and a lack of fuel to run sewage treatment stations. This, however, does not mean that we should remain helpless without developing solutions to these serious problems.”
He explained that his authority is always in contact with the municipalities, and is working on cleaning the course of the valley and preventing people from using it to escape their problems. He stressed the need to develop laws and legislation to hold account all those who encroach upon the sanctity of the valley.
Ibrahim pointed out that there are many foreign projects capable of returning the valley to its initial state, thus cleaning up the wastewater and converting it into a natural reserve. However, he noted, “These projects have been stalled due to the Israeli siege and given that the machinery needed to implement these projects was prevented from entering.”
The original article can be found here.The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and do not represent the policy of EWASH
People driving through the municipalities of the Gaza Strip can easily tell when they have reached the Wadi Gaza Bridge. They are overcome with a bad smell that forces them to hold their nose to avoid inhaling the odor of waste and sewage coming from the valley, which has turned into an environmental disaster.
Wadi Gaza is one of the main natural features of the Gaza Strip. It stems from the hills of the Negev and the southern highlands of the city of Hebron. It is about 105 kilometers [65 miles] in length, and it extends from the armistice line east of Gaza to the Mediterranean coast. The highest point of the valley reaches 30 meters [98 feet] above sea level, and the length of its path across the Gaza Strip spans 7 kilometers [4.3 miles], according to the Palestine News and Information Agency Wafa.
Not many citizens live on the banks of the valley anymore due to municipal neglect. Furthermore, the Palestinian families there live in constant fear that Israel will open the dams it has set up on its borders with the Gaza Strip, which would cause a major humanitarian disaster.
In January 2010, the Israeli authorities opened the dam of Wadi Gaza without prior warning. This led to the inundation of dozens of houses and the displacement of about 100 Palestinian families. At the time, Gaza’s Civil Defense announced in a statement to Maan news agency that it saved seven people who were drowning.
Fred Bleiha, an old shepherd who grass feeds his cattle every morning in the valley, said, “The area has transformed from a natural reserve that attracts tourists into a high-risk environmental disaster.”
Speaking to Al-Monitor, 62-year-old Bleiha added, “People have abandoned the area. While it was once characterized by a clear atmosphere, pure air and clean water, it has now, however, turned into a nuisance to the citizens who live nearby.”
With a wooden stick that he uses to herd his sheep, he pointed to a nearby area and said, “I had a house here made of tin, along with a livestock farm next to it containing 150 sheep. However, when Israel opened the Wadi Gaza dam a few years ago, the flooding killed most of the livestock."
“The valley disappeared, and all aspects of life vanished. Even the wild ducks, water storks and gulls have stopped coming here because the valley turned into a garbage dump and an estuary for the sewage,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Shoomer, 42, confirmed that the residents of Wadi Gaza are suffering during both summer and winter. “We are suffering through summer and winter due to municipal neglect in this region. Just a couple of decades ago it was one of the nicest agricultural and residential areas in the Gaza Strip,” he said.
Shoomer told Al-Monitor that the residents of the valley must cope during summer with unpleasant odors as well as the spread of harmful insects and rodents. In winter, however, they suffer from a rise in the water level in the valley, which inundates the region's population once the dam is open. This leads to the displacement of residents, kills their livestock and destroys their crops.
Shoomer said that all of these obstacles and risks that threaten the future of the region have led to real estate prices dropping to the lowest level registered in all the areas of the Gaza Strip. “Residents of the neighboring cities do not want to buy a single square meter of land in this region, due to the size of the environmental and health risks that surround it,” Shoomer added.
He said that he put his land and house up for sale at a very cheap price more than three years ago, but his offer did not tempt anyone.
According to Mohammed Jaber, a real estate agent in Gaza, Wadi Gaza has become "scorched land," and is not subject to the going rates seen in other areas. This is because of the deteriorating environmental conditions that are not encouraging for buyers.
In an interview with Al-Monitor, Jaber explained that the price of a square meter of land in this area does not exceed 100 dinars [roughly $140], despite the fact that it overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. Meanwhile, the price per square meter in nearby areas is around 300 dinars [roughly $422].
He called on the government, the municipal authorities and donor countries to rescue the Wadi Gaza area and work to completely end its problems and bring it back to life.
Many factors have transformed this valley from a protected natural destination — home to a variety of beautiful wild birds — into a garbage dump, a mouth for wastewater and a meeting point for rodents, harmful insects and rotting carcasses. These factors include the Israeli dams built along its course as well as the lack of local environmental controls and municipal interest, according to Raed Safi, an environmental expert specialized in water issues in the Gaza Strip.
In an interview with Al-Monitor, Safi said, “Wadi Gaza was made of clay soil that was very good for agricultural crops,” but the absence of attention, legislation and municipal laws, he added, have contributed to the deterioration of the region’s environmental conditions.
He said that the municipalities that oversee the eastern areas of Wadi Gaza use the course of the valley to pump about 70,000 cups of wastewater per day into the Mediterranean Sea in the west, and called on municipalities to stop using the valley as an estuary for wastewater.
On the other hand, Safi said, “The Israeli [authorities] have robbed us of this water, by constructing dams inside Israeli territory that dried up the valley’s waterway to the Gaza Strip.”
Safi further pointed out that Israel is trying to downplay the value of this valley and not involve it in the discussions on a final solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, claiming that they need to seize this water to preserve aquifer water.
For his part, the head of the Environmental Quality Authority, Youssef Ibrahim, explained that due to the water flow stopping across the valley as a result of the Israeli dams, along with the fact that the central municipalities rely on the course of the valley to get rid of sewage around the area, a serious environmental disaster has emerged in the valley.
Speaking to Al-Monitor, Ibrahim said, “The municipalities are now facing a bitter reality that is significantly affecting their services, due to a lack of support and a lack of fuel to run sewage treatment stations. This, however, does not mean that we should remain helpless without developing solutions to these serious problems.”
He explained that his authority is always in contact with the municipalities, and is working on cleaning the course of the valley and preventing people from using it to escape their problems. He stressed the need to develop laws and legislation to hold account all those who encroach upon the sanctity of the valley.
Ibrahim pointed out that there are many foreign projects capable of returning the valley to its initial state, thus cleaning up the wastewater and converting it into a natural reserve. However, he noted, “These projects have been stalled due to the Israeli siege and given that the machinery needed to implement these projects was prevented from entering.”
The original article can be found here.The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and do not represent the policy of EWASH
Israel’s occupation of Palestine is physical, (controlling borders and checkpoints), psychological (creating a constant state of terror, humiliation, and fear for Palestinians), and cultural (erasing Palestinian connection to their heritage and land). A common mistake is viewing the physical occupation as simply an occupation of land. Instead, a shift in perspective reveals that the occupation is also vertical. It is a three-dimensional occupation. Israel occupies not only the land and access to it, but also the water beneath the ground, and the airspace above it.
Generations of Palestinians have lived from the land for thousands of years. Farmers above all experience the brutal impacts of the intersection of Israel’s water and land occupation. Many Palestinians owned lands that were seized by Israel in 1948. These lands are referred to as area 48 and are now inaccessible to the Palestinians who own them. Other Palestinians have their land destroyed by the Israeli Occupation Force (IOF). Others still are put out of work by Israel’s intentional corruption of the Palestinian economy or are prohibited from accessing water resources or digging additional wells, and are therefore unable to sustain their agriculture. All these are strategies employed by the IOF and Israeli government, to starve Palestinian farmers, displace them from their lands, and fracture Palestinian farmer’s connection to their land.
Occupation and Destruction of Palestinian Lands
On Saturday, Zeiad Salah, coordinator of the Bethlehem district Palestinian Farmers Union (PFU), spoke at the Alternative Information Center (AIC) in Beit Sahour, about Israel’s destruction of Palestinian lands and the resulting displacement of Palestinians.
The Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) uses techniques such as burning down olive trees and dumping chemicals on Palestinian farmlands in order to permanently ruin the valuable natural soil. In the village of Nahleen, the IOF dumped sewage water on Palestinian lands, thereby permanently ruining 500 square km of farmland, displacing the farmers, and forcing them out of work.
“These techniques serve a dual purpose,” Salah explained, “on the one hand they ruin the land, and on the other, they destroy the livelihood of Palestinian farmers, and thereby, slowly and silently displace them.”
It is also common for the Israeli government to claim Palestinian lands to be in use by the military or air force ‘for security reasons’. This is especially common when Israel is unable to officially seize the land, because it effectively prevents Palestinians from accessing their lands.
A Beit Sahour local said, “We used to have land just past where they drew the wall. My family had lots of olive trees there. Two years ago we decided to take the kids there. We packed a picnic and sat under an olive tree, on our land, hoping to eat a meal in the land that was unjustly taken from us. But just a few minutes after we got there, some young Israeli soldiers came over and said we were trespassing on military land. I told him that this is our land and we just want to eat there. Besides, we weren’t a threat. The soldiers insisted that they had seen the children throwing rocks in their direction. But they were lying. No one threw any rocks. And the kids were just toddlers. One of them was still wearing diapers. How were they going to hurt the soldiers in their military tank?”
In other cases, Israeli settlers cultivate Palestinian lands and put up signs stating that the lands have been reissued to the Israeli families. Israeli settlers cultivate lands in area 48 with seeds of Palestinian grapes and olives, which are world renowned for their unmatched quality. Since Israel subsidizes water for Israeli farmers, Palestinians pay 10 times the price for water as their Israeli competitors, including those living on settlements pay.
The result is that it is ten times more expensive for Palestinians to produce their grapes and olives as it is for Israelis. That means that in order for Palestinians to sell their crops at competitive market prices, they must lower their prices so that they earn a far smaller percentage on their goods as Israelis selling the same Palestinian products. In short, Israeli’s are growing Palestinian grapes and olives at a much lower cost due to the Israeli government’s subsidization of water, and are thereby putting Palestinian farmers out of work and effectively destroying the Palestinian economy.
Salah, of the Palestinian Farmers Union (PFU), says there is hope for Palestinian Farmers, despite Israel’s inhumane and illegal actions against them. The PFU works with farmers to initiate creative and sustainable solutions to the Israeli occupation of farmland. The PFU, for example, works with international organizations and co-ops to sell locally produced Palestinian products, in order to help sustain farmers.
One of Palestine’s most popular exports is olive oil. Salah said, “While Palestinian farmers are forced to pay export fees to the state of Israel, most of the money from the olive oil goes directly back to the farmers. One of the most important things internationals can do is to boycott Israeli products, especially those produced in the illegal settlements, and to buy products farmed and manufactured in Palestine.”
Although the additional income these co-ops provide is not nearly enough to sustain the families working on them, they continue the legacy of farming among the younger generations. Much of Palestine’s youth has never had the chance to live on their family’s lands, which were seized either in 1948 or in 1967. The youth are therefore forcibly disconnected from their own history of farming. It is vital for Palestinians to maintain the legacy of farming, especially because one of Israel’s cultural tactics of occupation is to sever the future generations’ connection with the Palestinian land.
Battir Residents Successfully Halt Building of Israel’s Separation Wall
The village of Battir, which is located just west of Bethlehem is a site that holds some of the world’s oldest and most valuable history. Hundreds of kilometers of 5,000 year-old human made terraces stretch across the landscape. A 2,500 year old Roman water system utilizes narrow canals to redirect water from seven natural springs, and divides it among the eight large families of Battir, who switch off, each receiving a day of water. This irrigation system is used on a daily basis, by the farmers of Battir, to irrigate their crops.
One third of Battir’s lands lay within the green line. The green line is an unofficial border that was drawn to mark the 1949 borders between Israel and its neighbors (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It also marks the territories captured by Israel during the Six Day War, which include the Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, West Bank, and Sinai Peninsula.
Although the 1949 Rhodes Armistice agreement signed between the Jordanian, Syrian, Egyptian, and Israeli governments gives Battir’s residents the right to continue ownership of their lands inside the green line in exchange for protecting the train (built in the 1890s by the Ottoman empire) Israel could, and threatens to, continue the construction of the separation wall.
Residents, farmers, and activists in Battir fear that Israel will build the separation wall along the green line, which would take away one third of their land and destroy the effective and historic irrigation system. While many Palestinian communities attempt to halt construction on the wall through peaceful demonstrations, such as in the infamous Bil’in, the residents of Battir utilized a different approach. They conducted studies about the importance of the natural landscape and brought international media attention and peacemakers to aid them in making a case to UNESCO to stop the wall. For now, he case has successfully and effectively halted the Israeli government from continuing construction of the separation barrier.
Battir received the Melina Mercouri International UNESCO Prize for preserving and protecting the natural landscape and landscape terraces. According to UNESCO’s website, “The project’s goal is to strengthen the capacity of the government and the inhabitants to manage this unique cultural landscape. Important elements of the project include sustainable use, development of the village infrastructure, as well as the establishment of an eco museum in Battir.”
Battir’s innovative approach to stopping the wall is an inspiration to all Palestinians under occupation, and especially to those whose lands have been stolen by Israel or are inaccessible to them due to the wall. “We are sitting and planting, according to our vision, in Battir, on the Green Line.” Mahmood Obed-Allah, from the Society of Land Friends Middle East says.
Water does not Stop at Political Borders: Israeli Restrictions on Water Access
Auja, a town 12 kilometer north-east of Jericho, is situated near the Jordan Valley, one of the most water-abundant areas in the West Bank. According to international law, the water belongs to Palestine. Israel, however, now controls most of the water infrastructure in the region, such as wells and pumps. The emergence of settlements near Auja was followed by Israeli control over water, and soon thereafter, tragic water shortages for Palestinians.
Auja’s economy used to be supported by banana, watermelon, and date crops. The Auja spring used to provide enough water for over 90% of the inhabitants, who relied on the spring for agriculture. In turn, they relied on agriculture as their main source of income. Despite the abundance of water in the region, that number has recently dropped. Currently, less than 5% of Auja’s residents and farmers are able to support themselves and their agriculture with the little remaining water Israel has allotted them.
“The Auja Spring used to have about 2,000 cubed meters of water. The Israeli’s got eight wells, and Palestinians got two. Those two were the shallowest and least effective wells,” Fadi Dweijat, director of the Auja Environmental Education Center explains. “There are many aquifers in the region. If Palestinians were just given one, then everyone could be fed,” he continued.
Palestinians are also not allowed to dig wells in order to retrieve water themselves, unless they obtain a special permit from the Israeli government. Dweijat said, “of course they never get them [permits] because the Israeli government wants Palestinians to buy water from them.” Palestinians in Auja are dependent on buying water that legally belongs to them, at a high price, from Mekorot, an Israeli company.
Israel’s control of water in Auja has resulted in a collapse of the town’s agriculture based economy. This is forcing most young Palestinians in the Auja region to work in the settlements which are illegally built on Palestinian land. Instead of cultivating their own farms, they are forced to work on Israeli settlers’ farms, which receive as much water as they need or desire. Additionally, the Palestinians working in the settlements have no insurance, benefits, labor rights, or protection.
The Auja Environmental Education Center works in collaboration with Friends of the Earth Middle East with the objective of promoting cooperation to protect the people’s and region’s environmental heritage. The environmental center utilizes modern technology innovatively in the areas of solar energy, solid waste, and grey water.
“Solar energy provides electricity while the grey water from showers, bathrooms, and laundry is reused to water the plants,” Dweijat explains. The grey water system has been extremely successful in combating Israel’s inhumane and criminal water distribution. According to USAID, Auja’s 5,000 residents are beginning to see improvements in their daily living conditions.
Yet most of Israel’s destruction is irreversible. “My father used to be a farmer,” Dweijat said, “Now he doesn’t have a single tree. Not a single one. And he’s just one farmer.”
Generations of Palestinians have lived from the land for thousands of years. Farmers above all experience the brutal impacts of the intersection of Israel’s water and land occupation. Many Palestinians owned lands that were seized by Israel in 1948. These lands are referred to as area 48 and are now inaccessible to the Palestinians who own them. Other Palestinians have their land destroyed by the Israeli Occupation Force (IOF). Others still are put out of work by Israel’s intentional corruption of the Palestinian economy or are prohibited from accessing water resources or digging additional wells, and are therefore unable to sustain their agriculture. All these are strategies employed by the IOF and Israeli government, to starve Palestinian farmers, displace them from their lands, and fracture Palestinian farmer’s connection to their land.
Occupation and Destruction of Palestinian Lands
On Saturday, Zeiad Salah, coordinator of the Bethlehem district Palestinian Farmers Union (PFU), spoke at the Alternative Information Center (AIC) in Beit Sahour, about Israel’s destruction of Palestinian lands and the resulting displacement of Palestinians.
The Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) uses techniques such as burning down olive trees and dumping chemicals on Palestinian farmlands in order to permanently ruin the valuable natural soil. In the village of Nahleen, the IOF dumped sewage water on Palestinian lands, thereby permanently ruining 500 square km of farmland, displacing the farmers, and forcing them out of work.
“These techniques serve a dual purpose,” Salah explained, “on the one hand they ruin the land, and on the other, they destroy the livelihood of Palestinian farmers, and thereby, slowly and silently displace them.”
It is also common for the Israeli government to claim Palestinian lands to be in use by the military or air force ‘for security reasons’. This is especially common when Israel is unable to officially seize the land, because it effectively prevents Palestinians from accessing their lands.
A Beit Sahour local said, “We used to have land just past where they drew the wall. My family had lots of olive trees there. Two years ago we decided to take the kids there. We packed a picnic and sat under an olive tree, on our land, hoping to eat a meal in the land that was unjustly taken from us. But just a few minutes after we got there, some young Israeli soldiers came over and said we were trespassing on military land. I told him that this is our land and we just want to eat there. Besides, we weren’t a threat. The soldiers insisted that they had seen the children throwing rocks in their direction. But they were lying. No one threw any rocks. And the kids were just toddlers. One of them was still wearing diapers. How were they going to hurt the soldiers in their military tank?”
In other cases, Israeli settlers cultivate Palestinian lands and put up signs stating that the lands have been reissued to the Israeli families. Israeli settlers cultivate lands in area 48 with seeds of Palestinian grapes and olives, which are world renowned for their unmatched quality. Since Israel subsidizes water for Israeli farmers, Palestinians pay 10 times the price for water as their Israeli competitors, including those living on settlements pay.
The result is that it is ten times more expensive for Palestinians to produce their grapes and olives as it is for Israelis. That means that in order for Palestinians to sell their crops at competitive market prices, they must lower their prices so that they earn a far smaller percentage on their goods as Israelis selling the same Palestinian products. In short, Israeli’s are growing Palestinian grapes and olives at a much lower cost due to the Israeli government’s subsidization of water, and are thereby putting Palestinian farmers out of work and effectively destroying the Palestinian economy.
Salah, of the Palestinian Farmers Union (PFU), says there is hope for Palestinian Farmers, despite Israel’s inhumane and illegal actions against them. The PFU works with farmers to initiate creative and sustainable solutions to the Israeli occupation of farmland. The PFU, for example, works with international organizations and co-ops to sell locally produced Palestinian products, in order to help sustain farmers.
One of Palestine’s most popular exports is olive oil. Salah said, “While Palestinian farmers are forced to pay export fees to the state of Israel, most of the money from the olive oil goes directly back to the farmers. One of the most important things internationals can do is to boycott Israeli products, especially those produced in the illegal settlements, and to buy products farmed and manufactured in Palestine.”
Although the additional income these co-ops provide is not nearly enough to sustain the families working on them, they continue the legacy of farming among the younger generations. Much of Palestine’s youth has never had the chance to live on their family’s lands, which were seized either in 1948 or in 1967. The youth are therefore forcibly disconnected from their own history of farming. It is vital for Palestinians to maintain the legacy of farming, especially because one of Israel’s cultural tactics of occupation is to sever the future generations’ connection with the Palestinian land.
Battir Residents Successfully Halt Building of Israel’s Separation Wall
The village of Battir, which is located just west of Bethlehem is a site that holds some of the world’s oldest and most valuable history. Hundreds of kilometers of 5,000 year-old human made terraces stretch across the landscape. A 2,500 year old Roman water system utilizes narrow canals to redirect water from seven natural springs, and divides it among the eight large families of Battir, who switch off, each receiving a day of water. This irrigation system is used on a daily basis, by the farmers of Battir, to irrigate their crops.
One third of Battir’s lands lay within the green line. The green line is an unofficial border that was drawn to mark the 1949 borders between Israel and its neighbors (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It also marks the territories captured by Israel during the Six Day War, which include the Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, West Bank, and Sinai Peninsula.
Although the 1949 Rhodes Armistice agreement signed between the Jordanian, Syrian, Egyptian, and Israeli governments gives Battir’s residents the right to continue ownership of their lands inside the green line in exchange for protecting the train (built in the 1890s by the Ottoman empire) Israel could, and threatens to, continue the construction of the separation wall.
Residents, farmers, and activists in Battir fear that Israel will build the separation wall along the green line, which would take away one third of their land and destroy the effective and historic irrigation system. While many Palestinian communities attempt to halt construction on the wall through peaceful demonstrations, such as in the infamous Bil’in, the residents of Battir utilized a different approach. They conducted studies about the importance of the natural landscape and brought international media attention and peacemakers to aid them in making a case to UNESCO to stop the wall. For now, he case has successfully and effectively halted the Israeli government from continuing construction of the separation barrier.
Battir received the Melina Mercouri International UNESCO Prize for preserving and protecting the natural landscape and landscape terraces. According to UNESCO’s website, “The project’s goal is to strengthen the capacity of the government and the inhabitants to manage this unique cultural landscape. Important elements of the project include sustainable use, development of the village infrastructure, as well as the establishment of an eco museum in Battir.”
Battir’s innovative approach to stopping the wall is an inspiration to all Palestinians under occupation, and especially to those whose lands have been stolen by Israel or are inaccessible to them due to the wall. “We are sitting and planting, according to our vision, in Battir, on the Green Line.” Mahmood Obed-Allah, from the Society of Land Friends Middle East says.
Water does not Stop at Political Borders: Israeli Restrictions on Water Access
Auja, a town 12 kilometer north-east of Jericho, is situated near the Jordan Valley, one of the most water-abundant areas in the West Bank. According to international law, the water belongs to Palestine. Israel, however, now controls most of the water infrastructure in the region, such as wells and pumps. The emergence of settlements near Auja was followed by Israeli control over water, and soon thereafter, tragic water shortages for Palestinians.
Auja’s economy used to be supported by banana, watermelon, and date crops. The Auja spring used to provide enough water for over 90% of the inhabitants, who relied on the spring for agriculture. In turn, they relied on agriculture as their main source of income. Despite the abundance of water in the region, that number has recently dropped. Currently, less than 5% of Auja’s residents and farmers are able to support themselves and their agriculture with the little remaining water Israel has allotted them.
“The Auja Spring used to have about 2,000 cubed meters of water. The Israeli’s got eight wells, and Palestinians got two. Those two were the shallowest and least effective wells,” Fadi Dweijat, director of the Auja Environmental Education Center explains. “There are many aquifers in the region. If Palestinians were just given one, then everyone could be fed,” he continued.
Palestinians are also not allowed to dig wells in order to retrieve water themselves, unless they obtain a special permit from the Israeli government. Dweijat said, “of course they never get them [permits] because the Israeli government wants Palestinians to buy water from them.” Palestinians in Auja are dependent on buying water that legally belongs to them, at a high price, from Mekorot, an Israeli company.
Israel’s control of water in Auja has resulted in a collapse of the town’s agriculture based economy. This is forcing most young Palestinians in the Auja region to work in the settlements which are illegally built on Palestinian land. Instead of cultivating their own farms, they are forced to work on Israeli settlers’ farms, which receive as much water as they need or desire. Additionally, the Palestinians working in the settlements have no insurance, benefits, labor rights, or protection.
The Auja Environmental Education Center works in collaboration with Friends of the Earth Middle East with the objective of promoting cooperation to protect the people’s and region’s environmental heritage. The environmental center utilizes modern technology innovatively in the areas of solar energy, solid waste, and grey water.
“Solar energy provides electricity while the grey water from showers, bathrooms, and laundry is reused to water the plants,” Dweijat explains. The grey water system has been extremely successful in combating Israel’s inhumane and criminal water distribution. According to USAID, Auja’s 5,000 residents are beginning to see improvements in their daily living conditions.
Yet most of Israel’s destruction is irreversible. “My father used to be a farmer,” Dweijat said, “Now he doesn’t have a single tree. Not a single one. And he’s just one farmer.”
4 aug 2013
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This week, settlers from Yitzhar attacked the Asira village water project and its workers, once again. Israeli occupation forces who went to the scene did not to stop the settlers and instead occupied the roof of a Palestinian house located nearby.
On July 31st settlers from the illegal settlement of Yitzhar attacked workers at the water reservoir project above the village of Asira. The Israeli army came to intervene and then in order to “check” invaded the house closest to the water project belonging to a family with small children. The army then stationed themselves on the roof of the water project for the remainder of the day. The water reservoir project is aimed at providing residents from Asira with running water. |
Attacks on the project have been happening every day that there are workers present in the last months. Settlers trespass on to Asira village land and attack the workers often making “demonstrations” against the water project which will not affect the settlement in any way.
Asira al Qibliya, an ancient village with the current population of 3,500, and the other villages which surround the illegal settlement of Yitzhar face daily violence from its settlers.
In mid-1980s, the illegal settler colony of Yitzhar was established on the hilltop located around six Palestinian villages. Before the colony, the hilltop area was the locals’ breadbasket, thanks largely to its generous water resources. The nearby natural spring used to be Asira’s main source of water but the illegal settler colony, backed up by the Israeli government and the army, has completely blocked Palestinian access to the spring. Since then, villagers are forced to rely on water tanks; one such tank costs NIS 130 (US $36) in a place where unemployment is high; it is enough for a family for only a week. residents of Asira hope that when the project is completed, they will have access to water.
Residents of the illegal Israeli settler colony of Yitzhar are considered to be among the most violent in occupied Palestine; they physically attack Palestinian villagers (often children), set their land and property on fire, destroy houses, and cut or burn olive trees together with other vital sources of livelihood.
Asira al Qibliya, an ancient village with the current population of 3,500, and the other villages which surround the illegal settlement of Yitzhar face daily violence from its settlers.
In mid-1980s, the illegal settler colony of Yitzhar was established on the hilltop located around six Palestinian villages. Before the colony, the hilltop area was the locals’ breadbasket, thanks largely to its generous water resources. The nearby natural spring used to be Asira’s main source of water but the illegal settler colony, backed up by the Israeli government and the army, has completely blocked Palestinian access to the spring. Since then, villagers are forced to rely on water tanks; one such tank costs NIS 130 (US $36) in a place where unemployment is high; it is enough for a family for only a week. residents of Asira hope that when the project is completed, they will have access to water.
Residents of the illegal Israeli settler colony of Yitzhar are considered to be among the most violent in occupied Palestine; they physically attack Palestinian villagers (often children), set their land and property on fire, destroy houses, and cut or burn olive trees together with other vital sources of livelihood.
3 aug 2013
Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) on Saturday handed out notices to demolish Palestinian house and agricultural installations in the village of Koum near al-Khalil, south of the occupied West Bank. Local sources told Quds Press's correspondent that elements of the Israeli civil administration stormed the village at the early morning hours and ordered a citizen to demolish his house under the pretext of "illegal construction."
They added that the civil administration team also notified another villager from the town of Koum to demolish water wells used to irrigate his agricultural lands under the pretext of the wells' proximity to the Apartheid Wall.
They added that the civil administration team also notified another villager from the town of Koum to demolish water wells used to irrigate his agricultural lands under the pretext of the wells' proximity to the Apartheid Wall.
31 july 2013
Clashes erupted between Palestinians and settlers near the village of Asirah al-Qabaliya, south of Nablus.
Witnesses said that Israeli settlers threw stones towards a number of workers who were building a water tank in the village, adding that the village has been exposed to several settler attacks during that past few weeks.
They also added that clashes erupted between the workers and settlers who tried to burn the water tank several times during the past weeks.
Witnesses said that Israeli settlers threw stones towards a number of workers who were building a water tank in the village, adding that the village has been exposed to several settler attacks during that past few weeks.
They also added that clashes erupted between the workers and settlers who tried to burn the water tank several times during the past weeks.
30 july 2013
The main water connection located near Idhna (in the Hebron Governorate), which provided water to around 80,000 Palestinians living in the area, has been closed for more than two weeks now. This water connection served Palestinian communities living in the towns of Idhna, Tarqumiya, Suba, Beit Ula and Al Kum. The Israeli water company Mekorot decided to close this connection without any prior warning and did not say when the connection is expected to be reopened again.
According to the agreement between Mekorot and Idhna’s municipality, which is responsible for distribution of water to the residents of the town, the municipality is supposed to get 120 m3 per hour, but in practice, water supply hardly reached 45 m3 per hour and stayed on average of 30 m3 per hour. Right now though, residents of Idhna and other affected communities do not get any water from the network and have to purchase tankered water, which comes at a cost five times higher than the water supplied from the network.
When the municipality asked Mekorot why the filling point was closed, the company responded that they will be moving the filling point inside the settlement of Telem and the closure is needed due to the construction work which will start soon.
In the meantime, residents of Idhna are forced to find other solutions. Most of them still depend on rearing livestock and working in agriculture has been a common lifestyle since decades ago. However, Abu Ismaeel is not able to work in agriculture as intensely as before, because there is not enough water for that. He regrets not being able to grow vegetables for selling, and grows barely enough for his family to survive. This makes the community even more vulnerable and water shortages are felt strongly.
Abu Ismaeel‘s family has 13 members. They are often affected by the frequent water cuts but now suffer from the complete closure of the municipal water connection that provided his family with water.
“My family is forced to buy even more tankered water now,” says Abu Ismaeel. “We started doing this already seven months ago, because the pipes stay dry most of the time even though we are connected to the water network. The past weeks there was no water coming from the pipes at all and we spent more money to buy it and bring some by truck.”
Abu Ismaeel‘s family has been storing water that they collected during the rainy season in their cisterns, however it lasts at best two to three months, depending on how much it has rained. The family is then left with no other choice but to limit their basic needs for hygiene and domestic chores on a daily basis in order to save up some water.
Moreover, Abu Ismaeel buys tankered water sourced from an unknown location and which might be unsafe to drink, despite a high price of up to 20 shekels per cubic meter. For a family such as Abu Ismaeel‘s, where only three members are employed and their income is low, buying tankered water is a financial burden, and the family can only afford 20 m3 of water every month, which adds up to 400 shekels per month.
“But this water is not even of drinkable quality”, says Abu Ismaeel. “Sometimes it smells bad and when we drink it we get sick, so we only use it for our chores and also to irrigate our few crops”.
When asked when he thinks the water connection will be reopened again, Abu Ismaeel just shrugs: “We live on the hill, therefore even if the municipality has water, it does not always reach us, because the pressure in the pipes is so low. What is the point of being connected to the water network if the water never comes? How can 13 members family rely on this supply? Even if the water filling point is to be reopened, we will still rely on purchasing tankered water, which is the only solution we have at the moment.”
According to the agreement between Mekorot and Idhna’s municipality, which is responsible for distribution of water to the residents of the town, the municipality is supposed to get 120 m3 per hour, but in practice, water supply hardly reached 45 m3 per hour and stayed on average of 30 m3 per hour. Right now though, residents of Idhna and other affected communities do not get any water from the network and have to purchase tankered water, which comes at a cost five times higher than the water supplied from the network.
When the municipality asked Mekorot why the filling point was closed, the company responded that they will be moving the filling point inside the settlement of Telem and the closure is needed due to the construction work which will start soon.
In the meantime, residents of Idhna are forced to find other solutions. Most of them still depend on rearing livestock and working in agriculture has been a common lifestyle since decades ago. However, Abu Ismaeel is not able to work in agriculture as intensely as before, because there is not enough water for that. He regrets not being able to grow vegetables for selling, and grows barely enough for his family to survive. This makes the community even more vulnerable and water shortages are felt strongly.
Abu Ismaeel‘s family has 13 members. They are often affected by the frequent water cuts but now suffer from the complete closure of the municipal water connection that provided his family with water.
“My family is forced to buy even more tankered water now,” says Abu Ismaeel. “We started doing this already seven months ago, because the pipes stay dry most of the time even though we are connected to the water network. The past weeks there was no water coming from the pipes at all and we spent more money to buy it and bring some by truck.”
Abu Ismaeel‘s family has been storing water that they collected during the rainy season in their cisterns, however it lasts at best two to three months, depending on how much it has rained. The family is then left with no other choice but to limit their basic needs for hygiene and domestic chores on a daily basis in order to save up some water.
Moreover, Abu Ismaeel buys tankered water sourced from an unknown location and which might be unsafe to drink, despite a high price of up to 20 shekels per cubic meter. For a family such as Abu Ismaeel‘s, where only three members are employed and their income is low, buying tankered water is a financial burden, and the family can only afford 20 m3 of water every month, which adds up to 400 shekels per month.
“But this water is not even of drinkable quality”, says Abu Ismaeel. “Sometimes it smells bad and when we drink it we get sick, so we only use it for our chores and also to irrigate our few crops”.
When asked when he thinks the water connection will be reopened again, Abu Ismaeel just shrugs: “We live on the hill, therefore even if the municipality has water, it does not always reach us, because the pressure in the pipes is so low. What is the point of being connected to the water network if the water never comes? How can 13 members family rely on this supply? Even if the water filling point is to be reopened, we will still rely on purchasing tankered water, which is the only solution we have at the moment.”
27 july 2013
The Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) served five demolition notices in Yatta in Al-Khalil province on Saturday. Local sources told Quds Press that the IOA ordered the demolition of four houses and a water well at the pretext of lack of construction permits.
They said that two are mobile homes and two others are used to accommodate sheep in addition to the water well, adding that they are located in Mafkara hamlet near Yatta and owned by two citizens of the same family.
They said that two are mobile homes and two others are used to accommodate sheep in addition to the water well, adding that they are located in Mafkara hamlet near Yatta and owned by two citizens of the same family.
22 july 2013
A tiny wedge of land jammed between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean sea, the Gaza Strip is heading inexorably into a water crisis that the United Nations says could make the Palestinian enclave unliveable in just a few years.
With 90-95 percent of the territory's only aquifer contaminated by sewage, chemicals and seawater, neighborhood desalination facilities and their public taps are a lifesaver for some of Gaza's 1.6 million residents.
But these small-scale projects provide water for only about 20 percent of the population, forcing many more residents in the impoverished Gaza Strip to buy bottled water at a premium.
"There is a crisis. There is a serious deficit in the water resources in Gaza and there is a serious deterioration in the water quality," said Rebhi El Sheikh, deputy chairman of the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA).
The Gaza Strip, governed by the Islamist group Hamas and in a permanent state of tension with Israel, is not the only place in the Middle East facing water woes.
A NASA study of satellite data released this year showed that between 2003 and 2009 the region lost 144 cubic km of stored freshwater - equivalent to the amount of water held in the Dead Sea - making an already bad situation much worse.
But the situation in Gaza is particularly acute, with the United Nations warning that its sole aquifer might be unusable by 2016, with the damage potentially irreversible by 2020.
Only five to 10 percent of the aquifer's water is presently deemed safe to drink, but even this can mix with poor quality water during distribution, making it good only for washing.
"The tap water from the municipality is not fit to drink, and my husband is a kidney patient," said Sahar Moussa, a mother of three, who lives in a cramped, ramshackle house in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, near the Egyptian border.
She spends 45 shekels ($12.50) each month - a large sum for most Palestinians in the area - to buy filtered water that she stores in a 500-litre plastic tank.
Further complicating the issue is Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, which activists say has prevented the import of materials needed for repairs on water and waste facilities. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent arms from reaching Hamas, which is opposed to the existence of the Jewish state.
The United Nations estimates that more than 80 percent of Gazans buy their drinking water.
"Families are paying as much as a third of their household income on water," said June Kunugi, a special representative of the U.N. children's fund UNICEF.
SALT AND SEWAGE
With no streams or rivers to speak of, Gaza has historically relied almost exclusively on its coastal aquifer, which receives some 50-60 million cubic meters of refill each year thanks to rainfall and runoff from the Hebron hills to the east.
But the needs of Gaza's rapidly growing population, as well as those of the nearby Israeli farmers, means an estimated 160 million cubic meters of water is drawn from the compromised aquifer each year. As the levels sink, seawater seeps in from the nearby Mediterranean.
This saline pollution is made worse by untreated waste, with 90,000 cubic meters of raw sewage allowed to flow into the shallow sea waters each day from Gaza, according to U.N. data.
Even with the aquifer, regular running tap water is a luxury unknown to many Gazans. Locals across the territory say that during the summer months water might spurt out of their taps every other day, and the pressure is often so low that those living on upper floors might see just a trickle.
Many families have opted to drill private wells drawing from water deep underground.
Authorization is required but rigid restrictions means most households dig their wells in secret. Hired laborers erect large plastic sheets to try and hide their work from prying neighbors.
"As you can see, this is like a crime scene," said a 45-year-old father of six, who gave his name as Abu Mohammed.
A clothes merchant from Gaza city, he paid his clandestine, 7-strong crew 12,700 shekels ($3,513) to drill a well and came across water at a depth of 48 meters. "We begin the work after sunset and ... cover the sound of digging with music," he said.
A senior Israeli security official estimates that as many as 6,000 wells have been sunk in Gaza, many without authorization.
While Israel shares the polluted aquifer, which stretches all the way to Caeserea, about 60 km north of Tel Aviv, the problem is less acute than in Gaza which is downstream. In addition, Israel can access water from the Sea of Galilee and the mountain aquifer that also spans the West Bank.
POWER FAILURE
As Gaza borders the sea, the obvious answer is desalination.
Gaza already hosts 18 small plants, one treating seawater and the others water from brackish wells - most of them supplied by UNICEF and the OXFAM charity.
The Palestinian Water Authority has started work on two new seawater desalination plants and is planning to construct a third, larger facility, which is designed to produce 55 million cubic meters of water a year.
But with funding for the $450 million project still uncertain, construction is not due to start until 2017.
By that time, cash-strapped Gaza may not have enough electricity available to power the energy-intensive plants. The United Nations estimates that Gaza already needs an additional 100 megawatts of production capacity, even before the big water facility is built.
Israel is trying to drum up aid for the territory, the senior security official said, alarmed at the prospect of a looming water catastrophe and possible humanitarian crisis on its doorstep in a few years.
"We have talked to everyone we know in the international community because 1.4 million people will be without water in a few years," he said, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.
He said Israel, a leader in the desalination industry, was helping to train a handful of Gazans in the latest water technology, which the Palestinian Water Authority confirmed.
Sheikh called on international donors to help fund energy, water and sewage projects, warning of disaster if nothing happened.
"A small investment is needed to avoid a bigger one and it is a humanitarian issue that has nothing to do with politics or security," he said.
With 90-95 percent of the territory's only aquifer contaminated by sewage, chemicals and seawater, neighborhood desalination facilities and their public taps are a lifesaver for some of Gaza's 1.6 million residents.
But these small-scale projects provide water for only about 20 percent of the population, forcing many more residents in the impoverished Gaza Strip to buy bottled water at a premium.
"There is a crisis. There is a serious deficit in the water resources in Gaza and there is a serious deterioration in the water quality," said Rebhi El Sheikh, deputy chairman of the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA).
The Gaza Strip, governed by the Islamist group Hamas and in a permanent state of tension with Israel, is not the only place in the Middle East facing water woes.
A NASA study of satellite data released this year showed that between 2003 and 2009 the region lost 144 cubic km of stored freshwater - equivalent to the amount of water held in the Dead Sea - making an already bad situation much worse.
But the situation in Gaza is particularly acute, with the United Nations warning that its sole aquifer might be unusable by 2016, with the damage potentially irreversible by 2020.
Only five to 10 percent of the aquifer's water is presently deemed safe to drink, but even this can mix with poor quality water during distribution, making it good only for washing.
"The tap water from the municipality is not fit to drink, and my husband is a kidney patient," said Sahar Moussa, a mother of three, who lives in a cramped, ramshackle house in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, near the Egyptian border.
She spends 45 shekels ($12.50) each month - a large sum for most Palestinians in the area - to buy filtered water that she stores in a 500-litre plastic tank.
Further complicating the issue is Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, which activists say has prevented the import of materials needed for repairs on water and waste facilities. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent arms from reaching Hamas, which is opposed to the existence of the Jewish state.
The United Nations estimates that more than 80 percent of Gazans buy their drinking water.
"Families are paying as much as a third of their household income on water," said June Kunugi, a special representative of the U.N. children's fund UNICEF.
SALT AND SEWAGE
With no streams or rivers to speak of, Gaza has historically relied almost exclusively on its coastal aquifer, which receives some 50-60 million cubic meters of refill each year thanks to rainfall and runoff from the Hebron hills to the east.
But the needs of Gaza's rapidly growing population, as well as those of the nearby Israeli farmers, means an estimated 160 million cubic meters of water is drawn from the compromised aquifer each year. As the levels sink, seawater seeps in from the nearby Mediterranean.
This saline pollution is made worse by untreated waste, with 90,000 cubic meters of raw sewage allowed to flow into the shallow sea waters each day from Gaza, according to U.N. data.
Even with the aquifer, regular running tap water is a luxury unknown to many Gazans. Locals across the territory say that during the summer months water might spurt out of their taps every other day, and the pressure is often so low that those living on upper floors might see just a trickle.
Many families have opted to drill private wells drawing from water deep underground.
Authorization is required but rigid restrictions means most households dig their wells in secret. Hired laborers erect large plastic sheets to try and hide their work from prying neighbors.
"As you can see, this is like a crime scene," said a 45-year-old father of six, who gave his name as Abu Mohammed.
A clothes merchant from Gaza city, he paid his clandestine, 7-strong crew 12,700 shekels ($3,513) to drill a well and came across water at a depth of 48 meters. "We begin the work after sunset and ... cover the sound of digging with music," he said.
A senior Israeli security official estimates that as many as 6,000 wells have been sunk in Gaza, many without authorization.
While Israel shares the polluted aquifer, which stretches all the way to Caeserea, about 60 km north of Tel Aviv, the problem is less acute than in Gaza which is downstream. In addition, Israel can access water from the Sea of Galilee and the mountain aquifer that also spans the West Bank.
POWER FAILURE
As Gaza borders the sea, the obvious answer is desalination.
Gaza already hosts 18 small plants, one treating seawater and the others water from brackish wells - most of them supplied by UNICEF and the OXFAM charity.
The Palestinian Water Authority has started work on two new seawater desalination plants and is planning to construct a third, larger facility, which is designed to produce 55 million cubic meters of water a year.
But with funding for the $450 million project still uncertain, construction is not due to start until 2017.
By that time, cash-strapped Gaza may not have enough electricity available to power the energy-intensive plants. The United Nations estimates that Gaza already needs an additional 100 megawatts of production capacity, even before the big water facility is built.
Israel is trying to drum up aid for the territory, the senior security official said, alarmed at the prospect of a looming water catastrophe and possible humanitarian crisis on its doorstep in a few years.
"We have talked to everyone we know in the international community because 1.4 million people will be without water in a few years," he said, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.
He said Israel, a leader in the desalination industry, was helping to train a handful of Gazans in the latest water technology, which the Palestinian Water Authority confirmed.
Sheikh called on international donors to help fund energy, water and sewage projects, warning of disaster if nothing happened.
"A small investment is needed to avoid a bigger one and it is a humanitarian issue that has nothing to do with politics or security," he said.
15 july 2013
Ein Al Ariq spring, near Nablus, was taken over by Israeli Settlers
AICafe invite you on Tuesday 16 July, 2013, from 7:30 PM, for Oslo agreements: impact on Israeli water confiscation and Palestinian water consumption with Nadi Farraj.
Water is a human right and a prerequisite for economic, social and cultural development. It played a major role in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, although the 1995 Interim Agreement failed to define Palestinian water rights, instead leaving them to be negotiated in the permanent status talks. As outlined in the Oslo Accords, Israel retained control over 80% of the potential yield of the West Bank's Mountain Aquifer, leaving Palestinians with just 20%. As a result, Palestinians are forced to buy 52 percent of their water from Israel. These policies and practices have led to a huge disparity in water consumption between Israelis and Palestinians: the average daily per capita water consumption rate for Palestinians is between 50 and 70 litres, compared to around 300 litres in Israel.
What is the impact on Palestinian communities of the Oslo accord's impact on water control? What can Palestinians do in such a situation and what are the future possibilities in negotiations on this highly sensitive issue? These questions and more will be answered in this important evening.
Nadi Farraj is an agriculture expert and consultant with the YMCA - East Jerusalem
The AIC is a joint Palestinian-Israeli activist organization engaged in dissemination of information, political advocacy and grassroots activism. The AICafè is a political and cultural café open on Tuesday and Saturday night from 7pm until 10pm. It is located in the Alternative Information Center in Beit Sahour, close to Suq Sha'ab (follow the sign to Jadal Center ). We have a small library with novels, political books and magazines. We also have a number of films in DVD copies and AIC publications which critically analyze both the Palestinian and Israeli societies as well as the conflict itself.
AICafe invite you on Tuesday 16 July, 2013, from 7:30 PM, for Oslo agreements: impact on Israeli water confiscation and Palestinian water consumption with Nadi Farraj.
Water is a human right and a prerequisite for economic, social and cultural development. It played a major role in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, although the 1995 Interim Agreement failed to define Palestinian water rights, instead leaving them to be negotiated in the permanent status talks. As outlined in the Oslo Accords, Israel retained control over 80% of the potential yield of the West Bank's Mountain Aquifer, leaving Palestinians with just 20%. As a result, Palestinians are forced to buy 52 percent of their water from Israel. These policies and practices have led to a huge disparity in water consumption between Israelis and Palestinians: the average daily per capita water consumption rate for Palestinians is between 50 and 70 litres, compared to around 300 litres in Israel.
What is the impact on Palestinian communities of the Oslo accord's impact on water control? What can Palestinians do in such a situation and what are the future possibilities in negotiations on this highly sensitive issue? These questions and more will be answered in this important evening.
Nadi Farraj is an agriculture expert and consultant with the YMCA - East Jerusalem
The AIC is a joint Palestinian-Israeli activist organization engaged in dissemination of information, political advocacy and grassroots activism. The AICafè is a political and cultural café open on Tuesday and Saturday night from 7pm until 10pm. It is located in the Alternative Information Center in Beit Sahour, close to Suq Sha'ab (follow the sign to Jadal Center ). We have a small library with novels, political books and magazines. We also have a number of films in DVD copies and AIC publications which critically analyze both the Palestinian and Israeli societies as well as the conflict itself.
7 july 2013
Israeli forces on Sunday detained a 65-year-old man near Yatta in the southern West Bank, a local committee said.
Soldiers detained Eid al-Hathaleen and prevented farmers and shepherds from reaching their land in Umm al-Khair, near the illegal Karmel settlement, Yatta popular committee spokesman Ratib Jabour said.
Soldiers threatened to arrest and fine the farmers if they entered the 12-acre area, which settlers seized and surrounded with barbed wire last week, Jabour added.
Jabour noted that the only well in Umm al-Khair is located in the closed area. He urged international and human rights organizations to intervene.
An Israeli military spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Soldiers detained Eid al-Hathaleen and prevented farmers and shepherds from reaching their land in Umm al-Khair, near the illegal Karmel settlement, Yatta popular committee spokesman Ratib Jabour said.
Soldiers threatened to arrest and fine the farmers if they entered the 12-acre area, which settlers seized and surrounded with barbed wire last week, Jabour added.
Jabour noted that the only well in Umm al-Khair is located in the closed area. He urged international and human rights organizations to intervene.
An Israeli military spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
6 july 2013
WATCH the story of South Hebron Hills villages and the way Israel prevents the residents’ access to water.
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In line with local municipal tradition, young, old arrived at Tel Aviv's Rabin Square Friday to battle each other, scorching heat with water pistols, balloons, using square's fountain as ammunition!
Tel Aviv's annual water battle has returned. Like every summer, Friday afternoon saw hundreds of Tel Avivians of all ages swarm to the city's Rabin Square. They came armed with squirt guns, water balloons, buckets and heavy water canons. At 3 pm, when the bell was sounded, all mayhem broke loose. Learning the lesson from years past, those attending where requested to leave their electronic devices at home, less they fall victim to water's destructive capabilities. The event is held now nine years in a row and its organizers go to great lengths to stress before participant that every water oriented weapon and water dispersing mean is encouraged. |
Avner Goren, one of the organizers, told Ynet: "The water battle is held every year as an attempt to overcome the heat. It began as a group who just wanted to have some fun and then last year some 2000 people showed up.
We know we are wasting water, and hence we only use water from the fountain which is undrinkable. "But remember," he stresses, "leave your phone at home!" The battle itself is anything but a focused direct assault; rather it is a everyone against everyone free-for-all lasting until the late evening.
We know we are wasting water, and hence we only use water from the fountain which is undrinkable. "But remember," he stresses, "leave your phone at home!" The battle itself is anything but a focused direct assault; rather it is a everyone against everyone free-for-all lasting until the late evening.
4 july 2013
Violent Confrontations erupted Thursday, between the Palestinian residents of Urif village, south of Nablus and dozens of settlers from Yitzhar settlement which was constructed on the lands of Nablus.
Official responsible for the settlement file in the northern part of the West Bank, Ghassan Douglas, said that confrontations erupted after settlers threw Molotov cocktails toward an under-construction water tank in the village, in an attempt to destroy it.
Official responsible for the settlement file in the northern part of the West Bank, Ghassan Douglas, said that confrontations erupted after settlers threw Molotov cocktails toward an under-construction water tank in the village, in an attempt to destroy it.
2 july 2013
Palestinians enjoy the warm weather at a beach in Gaza City, May 31, 2013.
As summer arrived, the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip — who number around 1.7 million — found in the sea an avenue to escape from the summer heat and electricity outages.
Thousands of men and children on vacation swam or lay on the beach, while most women sat carefully or swam in their black abayas. Every now and then, the scene was broken by the passage of a horse or camel to lure people into taking a ride for less than $1.
Ibrahim, 20, rode his camel from the Mughraqa region of the Gaza Strip toward the shore, which takes about an hour, to earn a daily income that does not exceed $15. Speaking to Al-Monitor while looking around for potential customers, he said, “The summer season continues until Ramadan (due to start on July 9). Because they are fasting, people don’t come to the beach much, and summer goes by quickly. During this time of the year, nobody rides camels, so I will have to find another job in construction or sales.”
Ibrahim said that in the past he had a herd of camels, but the war in 2012 left him with only one. Two girls who seemed to be friends approached his camel, and Ibrahim helped them up onto the saddle. They cried out in fear when the camel stood up to walk, while one of them said, laughing, “I feel like I’m looking out from the third floor.”
Hares, 12, and Anis, 11, just came out of the water, reluctantly, after being stung by jellyfish.
“We want the lifeguards to get rid of the jellyfish because they are so annoying. I have stings all over my hands and legs,” said Hares, while extending his red arm.
Their relative, 39-year-old Mazen al-Shaer, was also there with three of his sons. He said, “We live close to the beach, and we believe it’s the only escape for the children. There are no clubs or places where they can spend their time.” Shaer also complained about the pollution on the beach.
Papers, empty cans and plastic bags are spread out on the shore, in a scene that completely distorts the general image of the beauty of a beach and sunset. There is also a stench that can be smelled from time to time, because the beach has become a sewage dump in several spots.
Unlike Hares and Anis, not all children come to enjoy themselves, as some of them have bigger responsibilities. For instance, 13-year-old Ahmad calls out “Anbar Anbar,” while approaching families sitting in chairs and others stretched out on the ground. He is trying to sell them “Anbar,” a Palestinian term for candied apples. Not many buy candied apples from him, since families believe that their high sugar content is harmful, not to mention the fact that it comes without a cover. Still, attracted by its flashy red color, some children insist on buying one.
Suddenly, a horse carriage makes its way between the people. Families cry out, while moving away from the man leading the horse and insulting him. Yet, he insists on steering clear of the water since it ruins the wheels of the carriage. Atop the carriage there is a stove he calls the “potato stove,” which is fueled by wood logs to grill potatoes. He calls out, “Sweet potatoes.”
While putting another potato on the stove, 21-year-old potato merchant Hatem al-Nounou told Al-Monitor, “The farmers sell us sweet potatoes for a high price. For this reason, we sell one potato for two or three Israeli shekels [$0.55-0.83]. Sales are very low these days, despite the fact that there are thousands of people on vacation, in addition to 12 potato merchants on the Gaza shores alone.”
Giving us a delicious piece of grilled sweet potato served on a newspaper page, Nounou wrapped up the conversation. He then left, insisting on making his way past the vacationers once again, thus pushing them to run in all directions for fear of being hit by his carriage.
Yet, horses, bad smells and filth are not the only things ruining the beach experience for vacationers. Alerted by the sound of an ambulance siren, people suddenly run to the same spot on the beach. “Someone drowned! Someone drowned!” people cried. At that moment, rumors start spreading. Some say that a child was taken under by the current, while others talk about a man who thought himself undefeatable but did not return from the sea. Others say a woman nearing the shore was dragged into the current. Whatever the story, the ending is rarely happy.
Yahya Tayeh, a mayor and head of the marine rescue department in the civil defense services, said that since the onset of this year, there have been seven deaths from drowning and over 400 rescue cases. He added that four deaths happened before the start of the summer season — which lasts from the beginning of June until the beginning of September — and three deaths were recorded during the summer. He confirmed that these deaths occurred before or after the lifeguards’ shifts, which start at 8 a.m. and end at 8 p.m.
In an interview with Al-Monitor at his office that overlooks the port, Tayeh mentioned that before the summer season there were 100 lifeguards, and the number increased to 360 during the season. He also asserted that they advise vacationers not to swim before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m., but some do not listen. They also spread awareness and hang up banners telling people not to swim in spots where sewage is pumped or in dangerous rocky areas.
He also noted that there is an operations room to facilitate constant coordination between the civil defense services, the marine police and the relief team. They are prepared for any emergency. This is especially important amid an increased number of children going missing on the beach on Thursdays and Fridays, when the number of vacationers reach into the thousands. He also warned that they lacked rescue equipment such as lifeboats and life preservers.
Close to the beach, 18-year-old Khouloud al-Sarraj sat with a book in one hand while holding her little sister Hanane's hand with the other. She said that she came here in search of some calm and fresh air to study for her baccalaureate exams, after electricity service was cut.
Surrounded by two watermelons and some towels, 48-year-old Salem al-Dreimli sat with his family, comprising mostly women and girls, on plastic chairs. He said that while they love the sea, there is a lack of lighting and lifeguards on the shore at night. He also noted that most families — his own included — come to the beach after 8 p.m., when the lifeguards’ shift has ended.
Dreimli’s wife, Umm Saed, complained about pollution and noted that the families keep the place clean and put their waste in bags. The problem, however, is that there are no bins to throw the trash in.
Regarding the issue of cleanliness, Hatem al-Sheikh Khalil, head of public relations for the Gaza municipality, stated that the beach is cleaned in the early morning. He also noted that it is impossible to clean it while the families are there. He said that the massive number of vacationers has pushed the municipality to pay extra attention to completing Gaza’s corniche, which is costing more than $3.5 million and aims at reducing crowding on the beach.
Speaking to Al-Monitor, he said that every year they get ready for the season by preparing to offer vacationers leisure options. He clarified that in the past year they allowed 15 cafeterias to rent beach spots, as opposed to only seven this year. They want to leave wide spaces open for people to sit, especially amid the tough economic conditions.
Gaza’s shore is not only an escape for students, families and children but also for newlyweds such as Samar, 19, and Mohammad, 23, who found no better place than this to spend their honeymoon. They fight and laugh, while looking at the vast ocean, counting the days of their marriage and enjoying the sunset.
Asmaa al-Ghoul is a contributing writer for Al-Monitor's Palestine Pulse, and a journalist from the Rafah refugee camp based in Gaza.
As summer arrived, the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip — who number around 1.7 million — found in the sea an avenue to escape from the summer heat and electricity outages.
Thousands of men and children on vacation swam or lay on the beach, while most women sat carefully or swam in their black abayas. Every now and then, the scene was broken by the passage of a horse or camel to lure people into taking a ride for less than $1.
Ibrahim, 20, rode his camel from the Mughraqa region of the Gaza Strip toward the shore, which takes about an hour, to earn a daily income that does not exceed $15. Speaking to Al-Monitor while looking around for potential customers, he said, “The summer season continues until Ramadan (due to start on July 9). Because they are fasting, people don’t come to the beach much, and summer goes by quickly. During this time of the year, nobody rides camels, so I will have to find another job in construction or sales.”
Ibrahim said that in the past he had a herd of camels, but the war in 2012 left him with only one. Two girls who seemed to be friends approached his camel, and Ibrahim helped them up onto the saddle. They cried out in fear when the camel stood up to walk, while one of them said, laughing, “I feel like I’m looking out from the third floor.”
Hares, 12, and Anis, 11, just came out of the water, reluctantly, after being stung by jellyfish.
“We want the lifeguards to get rid of the jellyfish because they are so annoying. I have stings all over my hands and legs,” said Hares, while extending his red arm.
Their relative, 39-year-old Mazen al-Shaer, was also there with three of his sons. He said, “We live close to the beach, and we believe it’s the only escape for the children. There are no clubs or places where they can spend their time.” Shaer also complained about the pollution on the beach.
Papers, empty cans and plastic bags are spread out on the shore, in a scene that completely distorts the general image of the beauty of a beach and sunset. There is also a stench that can be smelled from time to time, because the beach has become a sewage dump in several spots.
Unlike Hares and Anis, not all children come to enjoy themselves, as some of them have bigger responsibilities. For instance, 13-year-old Ahmad calls out “Anbar Anbar,” while approaching families sitting in chairs and others stretched out on the ground. He is trying to sell them “Anbar,” a Palestinian term for candied apples. Not many buy candied apples from him, since families believe that their high sugar content is harmful, not to mention the fact that it comes without a cover. Still, attracted by its flashy red color, some children insist on buying one.
Suddenly, a horse carriage makes its way between the people. Families cry out, while moving away from the man leading the horse and insulting him. Yet, he insists on steering clear of the water since it ruins the wheels of the carriage. Atop the carriage there is a stove he calls the “potato stove,” which is fueled by wood logs to grill potatoes. He calls out, “Sweet potatoes.”
While putting another potato on the stove, 21-year-old potato merchant Hatem al-Nounou told Al-Monitor, “The farmers sell us sweet potatoes for a high price. For this reason, we sell one potato for two or three Israeli shekels [$0.55-0.83]. Sales are very low these days, despite the fact that there are thousands of people on vacation, in addition to 12 potato merchants on the Gaza shores alone.”
Giving us a delicious piece of grilled sweet potato served on a newspaper page, Nounou wrapped up the conversation. He then left, insisting on making his way past the vacationers once again, thus pushing them to run in all directions for fear of being hit by his carriage.
Yet, horses, bad smells and filth are not the only things ruining the beach experience for vacationers. Alerted by the sound of an ambulance siren, people suddenly run to the same spot on the beach. “Someone drowned! Someone drowned!” people cried. At that moment, rumors start spreading. Some say that a child was taken under by the current, while others talk about a man who thought himself undefeatable but did not return from the sea. Others say a woman nearing the shore was dragged into the current. Whatever the story, the ending is rarely happy.
Yahya Tayeh, a mayor and head of the marine rescue department in the civil defense services, said that since the onset of this year, there have been seven deaths from drowning and over 400 rescue cases. He added that four deaths happened before the start of the summer season — which lasts from the beginning of June until the beginning of September — and three deaths were recorded during the summer. He confirmed that these deaths occurred before or after the lifeguards’ shifts, which start at 8 a.m. and end at 8 p.m.
In an interview with Al-Monitor at his office that overlooks the port, Tayeh mentioned that before the summer season there were 100 lifeguards, and the number increased to 360 during the season. He also asserted that they advise vacationers not to swim before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m., but some do not listen. They also spread awareness and hang up banners telling people not to swim in spots where sewage is pumped or in dangerous rocky areas.
He also noted that there is an operations room to facilitate constant coordination between the civil defense services, the marine police and the relief team. They are prepared for any emergency. This is especially important amid an increased number of children going missing on the beach on Thursdays and Fridays, when the number of vacationers reach into the thousands. He also warned that they lacked rescue equipment such as lifeboats and life preservers.
Close to the beach, 18-year-old Khouloud al-Sarraj sat with a book in one hand while holding her little sister Hanane's hand with the other. She said that she came here in search of some calm and fresh air to study for her baccalaureate exams, after electricity service was cut.
Surrounded by two watermelons and some towels, 48-year-old Salem al-Dreimli sat with his family, comprising mostly women and girls, on plastic chairs. He said that while they love the sea, there is a lack of lighting and lifeguards on the shore at night. He also noted that most families — his own included — come to the beach after 8 p.m., when the lifeguards’ shift has ended.
Dreimli’s wife, Umm Saed, complained about pollution and noted that the families keep the place clean and put their waste in bags. The problem, however, is that there are no bins to throw the trash in.
Regarding the issue of cleanliness, Hatem al-Sheikh Khalil, head of public relations for the Gaza municipality, stated that the beach is cleaned in the early morning. He also noted that it is impossible to clean it while the families are there. He said that the massive number of vacationers has pushed the municipality to pay extra attention to completing Gaza’s corniche, which is costing more than $3.5 million and aims at reducing crowding on the beach.
Speaking to Al-Monitor, he said that every year they get ready for the season by preparing to offer vacationers leisure options. He clarified that in the past year they allowed 15 cafeterias to rent beach spots, as opposed to only seven this year. They want to leave wide spaces open for people to sit, especially amid the tough economic conditions.
Gaza’s shore is not only an escape for students, families and children but also for newlyweds such as Samar, 19, and Mohammad, 23, who found no better place than this to spend their honeymoon. They fight and laugh, while looking at the vast ocean, counting the days of their marriage and enjoying the sunset.
Asmaa al-Ghoul is a contributing writer for Al-Monitor's Palestine Pulse, and a journalist from the Rafah refugee camp based in Gaza.
20 june 2013
The Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) sent troops into Jenin province on Wednesday night to look for water wells. Local sources said that the Israeli occupation forces raided southern Jenin and erected roadblocks at the entrance to the city.
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses said that IOF units were deployed in the area between Zababde and Qabatiya villages to look for water wells and demolish them.
They said that the IOF units accompanied water experts and employees with the civil administration.
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses said that IOF units were deployed in the area between Zababde and Qabatiya villages to look for water wells and demolish them.
They said that the IOF units accompanied water experts and employees with the civil administration.
6 june 2013
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have confiscated two Palestinian tractors transferring water tankers used by the residents of Wadi al-Maleh in Jordan Valley and took them to a military camp in the area. The IOF have stopped the tractors that used to transfer water tankers from distant areas after the Israeli authorities prevented them from using the water wells in the area, local sources said.
The sources added that the two tankers were taken to the Israeli military camp on Tuesday.
Ali Daraghma told PIC reporter that the Israeli authorities escalated its violations against the residents of Wadi al-Maleh in order to force them to abandon their lands, especially since the lands are close to an Israeli military base, and the army is likely trying to confiscate them under the pretext of “military and security considerations”.
The sources added that the two tankers were taken to the Israeli military camp on Tuesday.
Ali Daraghma told PIC reporter that the Israeli authorities escalated its violations against the residents of Wadi al-Maleh in order to force them to abandon their lands, especially since the lands are close to an Israeli military base, and the army is likely trying to confiscate them under the pretext of “military and security considerations”.
1 june 2013
The Consul General of France in Jerusalem, Frédéric Desagneaux, will inaugurate on Sunday the upgrading of the drinking water service in the northern West Bank as well as its bond to Maythaloun network for a total cost of 9.5 million euros, a consulate press statement said Saturday.
This project allowed this year to equip and to launch the operations of the well drilling in Tammoun and Tubas and to achieve the long-awaited connection of Tammoun municipality to the drinking water network, it said.
All homes in the municipalities of Tubas and Tammoun (that is over 57,000 inhabitants) will benefit from improved services through building of reservoirs and rehabilitation and expansion of existing networks.
Pre-payment meters have also been set up to ensure cost coverage and thus long-term sustainability.
The bond with the water supply system of Maythaloun allows the whole water supply network of this region to be ensured.
The water and sanitation sector is the top priority of French development aid in the Palestinian Territories. Totalling 100 million euros since 1998, the projects funded by the French Development Agency aim at improving access to drinking water for over 800,000 people and to sanitation for over 500,000 people.
The opening ceremony will be held in the presence of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, water authority director Shaddad Attili and the director of the French Development Agency in Jerusalem (AFD), Hervé Conan.
This project allowed this year to equip and to launch the operations of the well drilling in Tammoun and Tubas and to achieve the long-awaited connection of Tammoun municipality to the drinking water network, it said.
All homes in the municipalities of Tubas and Tammoun (that is over 57,000 inhabitants) will benefit from improved services through building of reservoirs and rehabilitation and expansion of existing networks.
Pre-payment meters have also been set up to ensure cost coverage and thus long-term sustainability.
The bond with the water supply system of Maythaloun allows the whole water supply network of this region to be ensured.
The water and sanitation sector is the top priority of French development aid in the Palestinian Territories. Totalling 100 million euros since 1998, the projects funded by the French Development Agency aim at improving access to drinking water for over 800,000 people and to sanitation for over 500,000 people.
The opening ceremony will be held in the presence of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, water authority director Shaddad Attili and the director of the French Development Agency in Jerusalem (AFD), Hervé Conan.
16 may 2013
IOF soldiers bulldoze cultivated land lot
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) bulldozed Palestinian cultivated land lot in Aqraba village near Nablus claiming that it was “state owned”.
Hamza Direiya, a member of the committee in defense of Aqraba land, said that the soldiers destroyed the 25-dunum land planted with olive and almond trees south of the village.
He said that the soldiers also destroyed a water well used in irrigating that land owned by Ayham Direiya.
The activist said that the land owner, who has been reclaiming the land for the past two years, suffered heavy material losses, adding that the Israeli authorities did not recognize the land owner’s title deeds proving his ownership of the land.
Hamza Direiya, a member of the committee in defense of Aqraba land, said that the soldiers destroyed the 25-dunum land planted with olive and almond trees south of the village.
He said that the soldiers also destroyed a water well used in irrigating that land owned by Ayham Direiya.
The activist said that the land owner, who has been reclaiming the land for the past two years, suffered heavy material losses, adding that the Israeli authorities did not recognize the land owner’s title deeds proving his ownership of the land.
6 may 2013
IOA destroys electricity grid, water well
The Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) removed an electricity grid and destroyed a water well and other agricultural installations in Beit Ola village in Al-Khalil for their proximity to the separation wall.
Mohammed Al-Omla, the chairman of the village’s municipal council, told Quds Press on Monday that Israeli occupation forces razed a water reservoir and tore down electric poles and wires.
He said that the IOA had informed the citizens of its intention to demolish those installations a long while ago and then said the demolitions would not take place but they were surprised with the demolition process taking place on Monday morning.
Mohammed Al-Omla, the chairman of the village’s municipal council, told Quds Press on Monday that Israeli occupation forces razed a water reservoir and tore down electric poles and wires.
He said that the IOA had informed the citizens of its intention to demolish those installations a long while ago and then said the demolitions would not take place but they were surprised with the demolition process taking place on Monday morning.
5 may 2013
Israeli military restrictions in Nablus and al-Khalil
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) tightened its military restrictions on Sunday in al-Khalil in the southern occupied West Bank for fear of clashes erupting following settlers’ attacks.
Israeli soldiers were deployed intensively in different towns in al-Khalil, eyewitnesses told PIC reporter.
The sources added that Israeli military checkpoints were set up on the bypass road between Fawar camp and Kiryat Arba settlement built on Palestinian lands west of al-Khalil.
Meanwhile, the IOF set up a temporary military checkpoint at the entrance of Yabad village in Jenin on Sunday, preventing Palestinian students and employees from having access to their universities and work places.
Meanwhile, the IOF stormed Nablus at dawn today and raided a number of houses in different parts of the city, no arrests were reported.
Local sources revealed that the IOF summoned several youths for interrogation at Israeli Intelligence headquarters.
In a related context, the IOF prevented Palestinian citizens from using spring water near Fawar camp in al-Khalil under the pretext of maintaining settlers' security.
The IOF have demolished a number of water wells during the past weeks in the area as a prelude to establish a new Israeli outpost.
Israeli soldiers were deployed intensively in different towns in al-Khalil, eyewitnesses told PIC reporter.
The sources added that Israeli military checkpoints were set up on the bypass road between Fawar camp and Kiryat Arba settlement built on Palestinian lands west of al-Khalil.
Meanwhile, the IOF set up a temporary military checkpoint at the entrance of Yabad village in Jenin on Sunday, preventing Palestinian students and employees from having access to their universities and work places.
Meanwhile, the IOF stormed Nablus at dawn today and raided a number of houses in different parts of the city, no arrests were reported.
Local sources revealed that the IOF summoned several youths for interrogation at Israeli Intelligence headquarters.
In a related context, the IOF prevented Palestinian citizens from using spring water near Fawar camp in al-Khalil under the pretext of maintaining settlers' security.
The IOF have demolished a number of water wells during the past weeks in the area as a prelude to establish a new Israeli outpost.
30 apr 2013
UNRWA: Israeli forces demolish Hebron water well
Israeli forces on Monday demolished a water well and utility room in the Fawwar refugee camp in Hebron, a local UN official said.
Deputy director of the camp's UNRWA office Ahmad Abu Fadda said Israeli forces declared the area a closed military zone. Fadda added that several notices said building in the area was prohibited because it is a closed military zone.
The Fawwar refugee camp is located in Area C, over which Israel has exclusive security, planning and zoning control. According to the UN, over 60 percent of the West Bank is considered Area C.
In 2012, 540 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C, including 165 residential structures, were demolished due to lack of Israeli-issued permits, displacing 815 people, over half of them children, UN statistics reveal.
Over 70 percent of communities located entirely or mostly in Area C are not connected to the water network and rely on tankered water at vastly increased cost; water consumption in some of these communities is as low as 20 liters per capita per day, one-fifth of the WHO’s recommendation.
Deputy director of the camp's UNRWA office Ahmad Abu Fadda said Israeli forces declared the area a closed military zone. Fadda added that several notices said building in the area was prohibited because it is a closed military zone.
The Fawwar refugee camp is located in Area C, over which Israel has exclusive security, planning and zoning control. According to the UN, over 60 percent of the West Bank is considered Area C.
In 2012, 540 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C, including 165 residential structures, were demolished due to lack of Israeli-issued permits, displacing 815 people, over half of them children, UN statistics reveal.
Over 70 percent of communities located entirely or mostly in Area C are not connected to the water network and rely on tankered water at vastly increased cost; water consumption in some of these communities is as low as 20 liters per capita per day, one-fifth of the WHO’s recommendation.
29 apr 2013
IOF bulldozers destroy agricultural installations
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) sent their huge bulldozers on the rampage in southern Al-Khalil on Monday destroying agricultural installations owned by Palestinian farmers.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC that IOF bulldozers forced their way into the outskirts of Arroub refugee camp and destroyed a water well, utilities room, and other agricultural installations.
They said that IOF soldiers prevented farmers from approaching the targeted site on the main road between the camp and Majnoone area.
The sources noted that IOF soldiers were deployed on the main entrance to the camp and at the entrance to the nearby Doura town to secure the demolition streak that was made at the pretext that the area was a military zone where no construction or work is allowed.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC that IOF bulldozers forced their way into the outskirts of Arroub refugee camp and destroyed a water well, utilities room, and other agricultural installations.
They said that IOF soldiers prevented farmers from approaching the targeted site on the main road between the camp and Majnoone area.
The sources noted that IOF soldiers were deployed on the main entrance to the camp and at the entrance to the nearby Doura town to secure the demolition streak that was made at the pretext that the area was a military zone where no construction or work is allowed.
27 apr 2013
Jewish settlers poison water well in Al-Khalil
Jewish settlers poured poisonous material in a Palestinian water well south of Al-Khalil on Friday night.
Ratib Al-Jabour, the coordinator for the committee against settlement and the wall in southern Al-Khalil, said in a press release on Saturday that the water well is owned by Shehade Makhamre in Mighair Al-Abeed to the south of Al-Khalil city.
He charged that the “herds of settlers” do such things to force citizens to desert their land and property.
Ratib Al-Jabour, the coordinator for the committee against settlement and the wall in southern Al-Khalil, said in a press release on Saturday that the water well is owned by Shehade Makhamre in Mighair Al-Abeed to the south of Al-Khalil city.
He charged that the “herds of settlers” do such things to force citizens to desert their land and property.
