21 feb 2014
IOF destroys Palestinian water wells in Hebron
by Maher Awawdeh
The never ending discussion of imbalance in the distribution of water between the Israelis and Palestinians can't justify the ongoing Israeli lies that we hear as mouthed by Israeli officials and politicians. Instead, we believe that the Israeli side can act on correcting the situation immediately so as to make up that Israeli ugliness before the world instead of arguing with that world; that is to respect commitments, rights and conventions.
We are aware that the EU Parliament President Mr. Martin Schulz isn't an ally for the Palestinians, but we are equally aware that he certainly respects human rights and values that Europe respects. He believes that we have the right to live in dignity on our own land and at the same time stated in the same speech to many Israeli officials, his support for Israel and its security.
Having established that, the issue of biasness isn't existent here, unlike the principle of inevitable support for the victim in facing discrimination, which is the matter that neither Mr. Schulz nor EU deny, and that any contrary Israeli lies are obvious and evident, that is because the EU is partner in making peace. Perhaps Mr. Schulz knows more than we do, considering the EU reports and follow up on the developments in Palestine and he also saw for his own eyes how the Israeli occupation prevented the Palestinian PM. Dr. Rami Al Hamdallah from taking Mr. Schulz in a tour around Al Khan Al Ahmar area in the West Bank, an area where the Palestinian residents suffer a miserable life inflicted on them by the Israeli occupation army.
The former Israeli official, of the Ministry of Energy and Water, Ms. Simdar Bat Adam wrote in "Israel Hayum" that the EU Parliament President should contact the Palestinian Water Authority, before making his "false allegation in the Knesset to find out that around 110 liters of water are allocated daily to each Palestinian and alleged "Had Mr. Schulz delved deeper into the issue, he'd have discovered that had the Palestinian Authority invested more effort to provide its citizens with water, instead of investing efforts in misleading and discrediting Israel, it'd have been able to equal the water quantity it has with that of Israel, using the donors funds and the Israeli experience".
Considering that Ms. Adam is a former official, she is in a good position to provide some important information that can help the EU Parliament President Mr. Schulz to better understand the situation. For instance, she can provide him with a list of Israeli obstacles imposed by the Israeli military occupation authority before the renovation of water networks in the so-called areas B and C. She can also shed more light on obstacles in general that prevent the Palestinians from investing in these areas or establishing any public facility, including parks for children.
In her attack on Mr. Schulz, Adam mentioned water wells, so perhaps she can provide a list of water wells that she referred to, or even better to point out the number of wells dug and controlled by Israel right in the Palestinian territories, from which, that is our own wells, they sell us water and make us pay the price of our own water. It's an opportunity for Adam to compare between the quantities of water received by the Israeli colonists compared to that dripped to the Palestinian citizens and to compare between the quantities of water provided to the Israeli settlements built on the Palestinian land with that allowed for the neighboring Palestinian villages. Our underground water is precious for us and shall be even more in the coming days.
As issues are interrelated, the issue of sewage water is an important one, and as the Israelis are in equally good position to speak on the issue, perhaps Ms. Adam can suggest solutions, maybe it'll be more convenient if she detailed how, and to submit that to Mr. Schulz on mechanisms for accomplishing the construction of sewage water network in many of the Palestinian districts, whereby these networks need to pass across the Palestinian territories that Israel classifies as area C, that is because we are really willing to accomplish constructing them. By the way, this is equally important to save our neighbor settlers swarms of mosquitoes as these neighbors flood our land with untreated sewage water on daily bases. Perhaps Adam can tell us how we can treat that water to use in agriculture, instead of flooding our farms, houses, schools and kindergartens untreated.
As we are discussing these issues, maybe Ms. Adam can include in her data and report some information on the Israeli garbage trucks that dump Israeli factories industrial waste near the Palestinian water-thirsty villages of Shuqba and Shibteen and tell us what waste is dumped near the main water well in Shibteen, perhaps the Israeli labs can tell us that in order to help us take necessary measures to protect out underground water that is so dear to us.
Additionally, in capitalizing on Mr. Adam's expertise in environment, perhaps, while she compiles her data for Mr. Schulz maybe she can put some effort in providing information on justifications of her government in not allowing for the operation of the Minya landfill that serves two Palestinian districts, Hebron and Bethlehem. A piece of advice for Mr. Adam to be a little objective in doing so as the aforementioned landfill is funded by the EU and they are well interested in knowing the truth. In order for her to speak on more than one example, we advise her to speak for instance on the reasons of preventing Al Bireh Municipality waste collection trucks from using the 30-year old landfill located in the area under the Palestinian administrative control.
We conclude with this and tell Ms. Simdar Bat Adam and the Israel officials who walked out when Mr. Schulz was speaking have some shame, you acted out of arrogance causing your unjustified anger, which reminds us of Benjamin Franklin saying "Whatever began in anger ends in shame".
Maher Awawdeh is the Director General of External Media at the Palestinian Ministry of Information.
by Maher Awawdeh
The never ending discussion of imbalance in the distribution of water between the Israelis and Palestinians can't justify the ongoing Israeli lies that we hear as mouthed by Israeli officials and politicians. Instead, we believe that the Israeli side can act on correcting the situation immediately so as to make up that Israeli ugliness before the world instead of arguing with that world; that is to respect commitments, rights and conventions.
We are aware that the EU Parliament President Mr. Martin Schulz isn't an ally for the Palestinians, but we are equally aware that he certainly respects human rights and values that Europe respects. He believes that we have the right to live in dignity on our own land and at the same time stated in the same speech to many Israeli officials, his support for Israel and its security.
Having established that, the issue of biasness isn't existent here, unlike the principle of inevitable support for the victim in facing discrimination, which is the matter that neither Mr. Schulz nor EU deny, and that any contrary Israeli lies are obvious and evident, that is because the EU is partner in making peace. Perhaps Mr. Schulz knows more than we do, considering the EU reports and follow up on the developments in Palestine and he also saw for his own eyes how the Israeli occupation prevented the Palestinian PM. Dr. Rami Al Hamdallah from taking Mr. Schulz in a tour around Al Khan Al Ahmar area in the West Bank, an area where the Palestinian residents suffer a miserable life inflicted on them by the Israeli occupation army.
The former Israeli official, of the Ministry of Energy and Water, Ms. Simdar Bat Adam wrote in "Israel Hayum" that the EU Parliament President should contact the Palestinian Water Authority, before making his "false allegation in the Knesset to find out that around 110 liters of water are allocated daily to each Palestinian and alleged "Had Mr. Schulz delved deeper into the issue, he'd have discovered that had the Palestinian Authority invested more effort to provide its citizens with water, instead of investing efforts in misleading and discrediting Israel, it'd have been able to equal the water quantity it has with that of Israel, using the donors funds and the Israeli experience".
Considering that Ms. Adam is a former official, she is in a good position to provide some important information that can help the EU Parliament President Mr. Schulz to better understand the situation. For instance, she can provide him with a list of Israeli obstacles imposed by the Israeli military occupation authority before the renovation of water networks in the so-called areas B and C. She can also shed more light on obstacles in general that prevent the Palestinians from investing in these areas or establishing any public facility, including parks for children.
In her attack on Mr. Schulz, Adam mentioned water wells, so perhaps she can provide a list of water wells that she referred to, or even better to point out the number of wells dug and controlled by Israel right in the Palestinian territories, from which, that is our own wells, they sell us water and make us pay the price of our own water. It's an opportunity for Adam to compare between the quantities of water received by the Israeli colonists compared to that dripped to the Palestinian citizens and to compare between the quantities of water provided to the Israeli settlements built on the Palestinian land with that allowed for the neighboring Palestinian villages. Our underground water is precious for us and shall be even more in the coming days.
As issues are interrelated, the issue of sewage water is an important one, and as the Israelis are in equally good position to speak on the issue, perhaps Ms. Adam can suggest solutions, maybe it'll be more convenient if she detailed how, and to submit that to Mr. Schulz on mechanisms for accomplishing the construction of sewage water network in many of the Palestinian districts, whereby these networks need to pass across the Palestinian territories that Israel classifies as area C, that is because we are really willing to accomplish constructing them. By the way, this is equally important to save our neighbor settlers swarms of mosquitoes as these neighbors flood our land with untreated sewage water on daily bases. Perhaps Adam can tell us how we can treat that water to use in agriculture, instead of flooding our farms, houses, schools and kindergartens untreated.
As we are discussing these issues, maybe Ms. Adam can include in her data and report some information on the Israeli garbage trucks that dump Israeli factories industrial waste near the Palestinian water-thirsty villages of Shuqba and Shibteen and tell us what waste is dumped near the main water well in Shibteen, perhaps the Israeli labs can tell us that in order to help us take necessary measures to protect out underground water that is so dear to us.
Additionally, in capitalizing on Mr. Adam's expertise in environment, perhaps, while she compiles her data for Mr. Schulz maybe she can put some effort in providing information on justifications of her government in not allowing for the operation of the Minya landfill that serves two Palestinian districts, Hebron and Bethlehem. A piece of advice for Mr. Adam to be a little objective in doing so as the aforementioned landfill is funded by the EU and they are well interested in knowing the truth. In order for her to speak on more than one example, we advise her to speak for instance on the reasons of preventing Al Bireh Municipality waste collection trucks from using the 30-year old landfill located in the area under the Palestinian administrative control.
We conclude with this and tell Ms. Simdar Bat Adam and the Israel officials who walked out when Mr. Schulz was speaking have some shame, you acted out of arrogance causing your unjustified anger, which reminds us of Benjamin Franklin saying "Whatever began in anger ends in shame".
Maher Awawdeh is the Director General of External Media at the Palestinian Ministry of Information.
17 feb 2014
PLO- Negotiations Affairs Department issued on Sunday a new report entitled "Israel's Exploitation of Palestinian Water Resources", as follows:
'Israeli exploitation of Palestinian natural resources, including water, is one of Israel's most severe violations of international law. The Israeli occupation aims specifically at annexing Palestinian land, including our natural resources.
The World Health Organization recommends a minimum domestic water consumption of 100 liters per capita per day. The average individual Palestinian domestic consumption, at 70 liters per day, falls 30 liters below this minimum, while the average Israeli consumes three times the recommended minimum (280 liters). In the southern West Bank, there are communities that use less than 15 to 20 liters per capita per day.'
Link to Full Report [PDF]
'Israeli exploitation of Palestinian natural resources, including water, is one of Israel's most severe violations of international law. The Israeli occupation aims specifically at annexing Palestinian land, including our natural resources.
The World Health Organization recommends a minimum domestic water consumption of 100 liters per capita per day. The average individual Palestinian domestic consumption, at 70 liters per day, falls 30 liters below this minimum, while the average Israeli consumes three times the recommended minimum (280 liters). In the southern West Bank, there are communities that use less than 15 to 20 liters per capita per day.'
Link to Full Report [PDF]
16 feb 2014
Israeli authorities, Sunday, completely cut off the water supply of 14 houses in the old city of Jerusalem, under the pretext of accumulated debts, bringing the number of houses without water to 44 homes, according to an official.
Ashraf al-zorba, responsible on following up on water issues in the old city of Jerusalem, told WAFA that a staff of the Israeli Electric Company began, last week, the process of cutting off the water supply of a number of houses in Jerusalem; it cut off the water supply to 30 houses at once in two locations in the old city.
He stressed the difficult situation of residents living without water for several days now; residents now depend on neighbors to provide them with some of their water needs.
He said that the accumulated debts amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars and that the debt accumulation, in addition to millions of tax debts on residents, are all methods which Israel uses to displace Palestinians and force them to leave their land as an attempt to take it over.
Ashraf al-zorba, responsible on following up on water issues in the old city of Jerusalem, told WAFA that a staff of the Israeli Electric Company began, last week, the process of cutting off the water supply of a number of houses in Jerusalem; it cut off the water supply to 30 houses at once in two locations in the old city.
He stressed the difficult situation of residents living without water for several days now; residents now depend on neighbors to provide them with some of their water needs.
He said that the accumulated debts amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars and that the debt accumulation, in addition to millions of tax debts on residents, are all methods which Israel uses to displace Palestinians and force them to leave their land as an attempt to take it over.
14 feb 2014
Israeli newspapers bristled Thursday after the European Parliament president criticized the Gaza Strip blockade and suggested that Israelis received four times more water than Palestinians.
The spat erupted Wednesday after the far-right Jewish Home party stormed out of parliament in protest during a speech by Martin Schulz, and it made the front pages of Israel's main newspapers.
Most commentators were furious about figures mentioned by Schulz over water usage.
"How can it be that an Israeli is allowed to use 70 litres (18.5 gallons) of water per day, but a Palestinian only 17," Schulz asked.
But he also admitted he had not had time to verify the numbers.
Shortly afterwards, Schulz criticized settlements as an obstacle to peace and warned that the Gaza blockade could "undermine, rather than strengthen, Israel's security."
This prompted a barrage of heckling from Jewish Home MPs, who then walked out.
"Jewish Home demands an apology from the president of the European Parliament, who repeated two lies fed to him by the Palestinians," party chairman Naftali Bennett said.
He denounced both assertions as "deceitful propaganda."
Even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waded in, accusing Schulz of being quick to cast blame without checking his facts.
"What was disturbing in Schulz's speech was the selective hearing that is becoming prevalent in many circles in Europe," he said in remarks published on parliament's website.
"These are figures which are not true. (Schulz) said he didn't check the figures but it didn't stop him from straight away casting blame."
The headline in the Israel HaYom freesheet, which is close to Netanyahu, read: "Shock in parliament over slander of Israel."
The Palestine Liberation Organization said average daily Palestinian domestic consumption was 70 liters per person, while the World Health Organization recommends a minimum of 100 liters.
"In the southern West Bank, there are communities that use less than 15 to 20 liters per capita per day," it added.
Schulz taken aback
In an interview with German daily Die Welt published Thursday, Schulz said he was taken aback by the tirade.
"The angry reaction from some parliamentarians in Jerusalem surprised me and made me ??concerned," he said, adding that he considered his Jerusalem address to be "pro-Israel."
"The people who disturbed my speech belong to a party of hardliners who answer each critical word that bothers them in this way."
Israel HaYom accused Schulz of choosing to use "false libel" provided by anti-Israeli groups.
Other papers published figures showing a completely different picture of Israeli-Palestinian water usage.
The spat prompted several NGOs to publish their own figures on water usage, with Friends of the Earth Middle East citing statistics from 2011 showing the ratio was close to four to one.
"The municipal water consumption per capita per day in Israel in 2011 was 250 liters, while among Palestinians in the West Bank, after taking into consideration an average loss of approximately 30 percent of the water -- due to theft and lack of infrastructure -– it was 70 liters," the group said.
Israeli rights group B'Tselem also said there was "discrimination in water allocation," with Israelis receiving "much more water than Palestinian residents of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip."
According to the Israeli national water company, Mekorot, the average household water consumption in Israel is between 100 and 230 liters per person per day.
For Palestinians in the West Bank connected to the water mains, the average daily consumption is about 73 litres.
Those not connected to the network -- around 113,000 people -- rely on stored rainwater and water sold from tanker trucks, which is very expensive.
Typically, they consume less than 60 liters per person per day with shepherding communities in the northern Jordan Valley consuming just 20 liters, the group said.
Average consumption in Gaza is 70-90 liters per person daily, but the water quality is extremely poor, with 90 percent of supplies pumped there unpotable, according to World Health Organization standards.
The spat erupted Wednesday after the far-right Jewish Home party stormed out of parliament in protest during a speech by Martin Schulz, and it made the front pages of Israel's main newspapers.
Most commentators were furious about figures mentioned by Schulz over water usage.
"How can it be that an Israeli is allowed to use 70 litres (18.5 gallons) of water per day, but a Palestinian only 17," Schulz asked.
But he also admitted he had not had time to verify the numbers.
Shortly afterwards, Schulz criticized settlements as an obstacle to peace and warned that the Gaza blockade could "undermine, rather than strengthen, Israel's security."
This prompted a barrage of heckling from Jewish Home MPs, who then walked out.
"Jewish Home demands an apology from the president of the European Parliament, who repeated two lies fed to him by the Palestinians," party chairman Naftali Bennett said.
He denounced both assertions as "deceitful propaganda."
Even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waded in, accusing Schulz of being quick to cast blame without checking his facts.
"What was disturbing in Schulz's speech was the selective hearing that is becoming prevalent in many circles in Europe," he said in remarks published on parliament's website.
"These are figures which are not true. (Schulz) said he didn't check the figures but it didn't stop him from straight away casting blame."
The headline in the Israel HaYom freesheet, which is close to Netanyahu, read: "Shock in parliament over slander of Israel."
The Palestine Liberation Organization said average daily Palestinian domestic consumption was 70 liters per person, while the World Health Organization recommends a minimum of 100 liters.
"In the southern West Bank, there are communities that use less than 15 to 20 liters per capita per day," it added.
Schulz taken aback
In an interview with German daily Die Welt published Thursday, Schulz said he was taken aback by the tirade.
"The angry reaction from some parliamentarians in Jerusalem surprised me and made me ??concerned," he said, adding that he considered his Jerusalem address to be "pro-Israel."
"The people who disturbed my speech belong to a party of hardliners who answer each critical word that bothers them in this way."
Israel HaYom accused Schulz of choosing to use "false libel" provided by anti-Israeli groups.
Other papers published figures showing a completely different picture of Israeli-Palestinian water usage.
The spat prompted several NGOs to publish their own figures on water usage, with Friends of the Earth Middle East citing statistics from 2011 showing the ratio was close to four to one.
"The municipal water consumption per capita per day in Israel in 2011 was 250 liters, while among Palestinians in the West Bank, after taking into consideration an average loss of approximately 30 percent of the water -- due to theft and lack of infrastructure -– it was 70 liters," the group said.
Israeli rights group B'Tselem also said there was "discrimination in water allocation," with Israelis receiving "much more water than Palestinian residents of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip."
According to the Israeli national water company, Mekorot, the average household water consumption in Israel is between 100 and 230 liters per person per day.
For Palestinians in the West Bank connected to the water mains, the average daily consumption is about 73 litres.
Those not connected to the network -- around 113,000 people -- rely on stored rainwater and water sold from tanker trucks, which is very expensive.
Typically, they consume less than 60 liters per person per day with shepherding communities in the northern Jordan Valley consuming just 20 liters, the group said.
Average consumption in Gaza is 70-90 liters per person daily, but the water quality is extremely poor, with 90 percent of supplies pumped there unpotable, according to World Health Organization standards.
13 feb 2014
The Israeli human rights group, B’Tselem, said Wednesday that Israel does discriminate in water allocation between Palestinians and Israelis and that Palestinians get much less water than Israelis. B’Tselem was responding to allegations by Israeli officials that there was no discrimination in water allocations as claimed by the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, during a speech he made at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.
Israelis interrupted Schulz and walked out of the building when he said Palestinians get much less water than Israelis.
“Is there discrimination in terms of the quantity of water available to Israelis and Palestinians?” asked B’Tselem rhetorically. “Yes, there is discrimination in water allocation and Israeli citizens receive much more water than Palestinian residents of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip,” it answered.
It said the government of Israel is largely responsible for this discrimination due its water policy.
“Minimal amounts of water are supplied to Palestinians and water from shared resources is unequally divided,” it said, adding that “existing infrastructure with high levels of water loss is not upgraded, no infrastructure is developed for communities that are not connected to the water grid and water infrastructure projects in areas located inside the Palestinian Authority are not approved.”
B’Tselem said data provided by the Israeli national water company, Mekorot, shows that while the average household water consumption in Israel is between 100 and 230 liters per person per day, way above the World Health Organization’s recommended a minimum of 100 liters per person per day, this is not the case for Palestinians.
“Palestinians living in the occupied Palestinian Territory can be divided into three groups according to the amount of water available to them, which is less than the Israeli average in all three cases,” it said.
It said average daily consumption among Palestinians connected to a running-water network is about 73 liters. Even those who are connected do not necessarily have access to running water throughout the day or the year, and water is supplied intermittently, following a rotation program.
Palestinians not connected to the water supply network, who number around 113,000 people living in 70 communities, 50,000 of them in Area C of the West Bank, which is under full Israeli control, rely on rainwater, which they store in cisterns, and on water sold in tanker trucks by private dealers.
In the southern West Bank, said B’Tselem, about 42 communities consume less than 60 liters per person per day and shepherding communities in the northern Jordan Valley consume only 20.
It also said that average consumption in the Gaza Strip is 70 to 90 liters per person per day and the quality of the water is extremely poor.
Israelis interrupted Schulz and walked out of the building when he said Palestinians get much less water than Israelis.
“Is there discrimination in terms of the quantity of water available to Israelis and Palestinians?” asked B’Tselem rhetorically. “Yes, there is discrimination in water allocation and Israeli citizens receive much more water than Palestinian residents of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip,” it answered.
It said the government of Israel is largely responsible for this discrimination due its water policy.
“Minimal amounts of water are supplied to Palestinians and water from shared resources is unequally divided,” it said, adding that “existing infrastructure with high levels of water loss is not upgraded, no infrastructure is developed for communities that are not connected to the water grid and water infrastructure projects in areas located inside the Palestinian Authority are not approved.”
B’Tselem said data provided by the Israeli national water company, Mekorot, shows that while the average household water consumption in Israel is between 100 and 230 liters per person per day, way above the World Health Organization’s recommended a minimum of 100 liters per person per day, this is not the case for Palestinians.
“Palestinians living in the occupied Palestinian Territory can be divided into three groups according to the amount of water available to them, which is less than the Israeli average in all three cases,” it said.
It said average daily consumption among Palestinians connected to a running-water network is about 73 liters. Even those who are connected do not necessarily have access to running water throughout the day or the year, and water is supplied intermittently, following a rotation program.
Palestinians not connected to the water supply network, who number around 113,000 people living in 70 communities, 50,000 of them in Area C of the West Bank, which is under full Israeli control, rely on rainwater, which they store in cisterns, and on water sold in tanker trucks by private dealers.
In the southern West Bank, said B’Tselem, about 42 communities consume less than 60 liters per person per day and shepherding communities in the northern Jordan Valley consume only 20.
It also said that average consumption in the Gaza Strip is 70 to 90 liters per person per day and the quality of the water is extremely poor.
Gaza children drinking from a broken pipe.
Israeli households use three times as much water as Palestinian ones do; but figure that caused Knesset uproar expresses just one aspect of a large discrepancy in access, development and use of resources.
Israelis - including those in the settlements - use three times as much water a day in their households as West Bank Palestinians do, according to figures provided by Palestinians and aid organizations. That is just one aspect of the large discrepancy between Israelis and Palestinians in access, development and use of water resources -- a discrepancy that has only increased since the signing of the Oslo Accords.
Some 113,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, in some 70 villages and communities, are still not connected to the water network and are dependent on water transported in tanker trucks, which raises the price significantly. In many of these communities, which are extremely poor, the families are forced to spend up to 40 percent of their income on this basic commodity. In these communities in Area C (under exclusive Israeli control) the average water consumption per day is about 20 liters per capita. Often a pipe of Israel’s Mekorot water company that reaches the settlements runs nearby, but the Palestinians are not allowed to connect to it.
In most areas of the West Bank the water supply in the summer is sporadic, with municipalities required to stagger the water supply between neighborhoods. In various cities, especially in the southern West Bank, there is no running water in houses for weeks and even months at a time. Consequently, according to estimates of international aid organizations, almost a million Palestinians do not reach the minimal average daily usage of 60 liters, set by the World Health Organization. On average Palestinians use 73 liters of water a day -- just a third the amount consumed by Israelis.
The Oslo Accords determined that the water system in the Gaza Strip would be independent and self-contained, separate from the rest of Israel and the territories. That system relies only on the aquifer within Gaza’s borders without taking into account population growth. That is why the Gaza Strip suffers from accumulated overpumping of water and a drop in the level of the groundwater. Some 90 percent of the water used in Gaza is not fit for drinking because of salinity and the infiltration of sewage.
The Oslo Accords left full control of the water sources in the West Bank in Israel’s hands. The agreement was intended to allow the Palestinians to expand their water system by drilling independent wells. According to it, the Palestinian Authority is permitted to produce 118 million cubic meters of water a year from the water sources in the West Bank -- based on a calculation of Palestinian water usage from 20 years ago. Israel is allowed to use 483 million cubic meters a year.
But since 1995, instead of the Palestinians increasing the amount of water they produce, the figure actually dropped by 20 million cubic meters a year, to just 86.9 million, according to the Palestinian Water Authority. The reasons for this include: drought, dried up springs, Israel’s refusal to allow the rehabilitation of agricultural wells, and the fact that new drilling does not compensate for the old wells used when the area was under Jordanian control.
Israeli households use three times as much water as Palestinian ones do; but figure that caused Knesset uproar expresses just one aspect of a large discrepancy in access, development and use of resources.
Israelis - including those in the settlements - use three times as much water a day in their households as West Bank Palestinians do, according to figures provided by Palestinians and aid organizations. That is just one aspect of the large discrepancy between Israelis and Palestinians in access, development and use of water resources -- a discrepancy that has only increased since the signing of the Oslo Accords.
Some 113,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, in some 70 villages and communities, are still not connected to the water network and are dependent on water transported in tanker trucks, which raises the price significantly. In many of these communities, which are extremely poor, the families are forced to spend up to 40 percent of their income on this basic commodity. In these communities in Area C (under exclusive Israeli control) the average water consumption per day is about 20 liters per capita. Often a pipe of Israel’s Mekorot water company that reaches the settlements runs nearby, but the Palestinians are not allowed to connect to it.
In most areas of the West Bank the water supply in the summer is sporadic, with municipalities required to stagger the water supply between neighborhoods. In various cities, especially in the southern West Bank, there is no running water in houses for weeks and even months at a time. Consequently, according to estimates of international aid organizations, almost a million Palestinians do not reach the minimal average daily usage of 60 liters, set by the World Health Organization. On average Palestinians use 73 liters of water a day -- just a third the amount consumed by Israelis.
The Oslo Accords determined that the water system in the Gaza Strip would be independent and self-contained, separate from the rest of Israel and the territories. That system relies only on the aquifer within Gaza’s borders without taking into account population growth. That is why the Gaza Strip suffers from accumulated overpumping of water and a drop in the level of the groundwater. Some 90 percent of the water used in Gaza is not fit for drinking because of salinity and the infiltration of sewage.
The Oslo Accords left full control of the water sources in the West Bank in Israel’s hands. The agreement was intended to allow the Palestinians to expand their water system by drilling independent wells. According to it, the Palestinian Authority is permitted to produce 118 million cubic meters of water a year from the water sources in the West Bank -- based on a calculation of Palestinian water usage from 20 years ago. Israel is allowed to use 483 million cubic meters a year.
But since 1995, instead of the Palestinians increasing the amount of water they produce, the figure actually dropped by 20 million cubic meters a year, to just 86.9 million, according to the Palestinian Water Authority. The reasons for this include: drought, dried up springs, Israel’s refusal to allow the rehabilitation of agricultural wells, and the fact that new drilling does not compensate for the old wells used when the area was under Jordanian control.
Schulz addresses the Knesset in occupied Jerusalem on on February 12, 2014.
The Gaza-based Palestinian government hailed president of the European parliament Martin Schulz for demanding Israel, during his address to the Knesset on Wednesday, to lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip. The government, in a press release Thursday, also deplored the scathing attack on Schulz by extreme-right Knesset members and Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu because of his stance on Gaza siege.
Palestinian advisor for foreign affairs Basem Naim stated that this improper attitude towards the president of the European parliament was part of a counter-campaign launched by Israel recently against the European union and other western countries to confront the boycott economic campaign it is exposed to in Europe.
Naim expressed his belief that Israel wants to terrorize the European nations against any attempt to discredit its image which it had hardly embellished at the expense of the Palestinian people's rights.
The advisor urged other European officials to follow suit and confront Israel's racist and criminal practices in Palestine.
In another incident, the government strongly denounced the Israeli occupation regime for preventing speaker of the Danish parliament Mogens Lykketoft a few days ago from visiting the besieged Gaza Strip.
It said that such desperate attempts by the Israeli regime to bar European officials from visiting to Gaza or terrorize them into changing their positions would not protect the apartheid government of Israel from the tidal wave which swept the world against its violations in Palestine.
The Gaza-based Palestinian government hailed president of the European parliament Martin Schulz for demanding Israel, during his address to the Knesset on Wednesday, to lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip. The government, in a press release Thursday, also deplored the scathing attack on Schulz by extreme-right Knesset members and Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu because of his stance on Gaza siege.
Palestinian advisor for foreign affairs Basem Naim stated that this improper attitude towards the president of the European parliament was part of a counter-campaign launched by Israel recently against the European union and other western countries to confront the boycott economic campaign it is exposed to in Europe.
Naim expressed his belief that Israel wants to terrorize the European nations against any attempt to discredit its image which it had hardly embellished at the expense of the Palestinian people's rights.
The advisor urged other European officials to follow suit and confront Israel's racist and criminal practices in Palestine.
In another incident, the government strongly denounced the Israeli occupation regime for preventing speaker of the Danish parliament Mogens Lykketoft a few days ago from visiting the besieged Gaza Strip.
It said that such desperate attempts by the Israeli regime to bar European officials from visiting to Gaza or terrorize them into changing their positions would not protect the apartheid government of Israel from the tidal wave which swept the world against its violations in Palestine.
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Right-wing Israeli MKs stormed out of the Knesset on Wednesday during a speech by European Parliament President Martin Schulz, accusing the EU official of propagating "lies" about Palestinian water consumption.
During an address to the Israeli Knesset, Schulz told MKs that the EU would always stand by Israel's side and mentioned the importance of remembering the Holocaust. A day earlier, the German official had said that the EU would not boycott Israel. But comments about the disparity between Israeli and Palestinian water |
consumption and Israel's seven-year blockade of the Gaza Strip prompted a walk-out by members of the far-right Jewish Home party.
Party leader Naftali Bennett demanded on Facebook that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "demand an immediate correction in the name of honor of the State of Israel," Ynet reported.
"I will not accept an untrue sermon on morality directed at Israel in Israel's parliament. Definitely not in German," he added.
Speaking to German newspaper Die Welt on Thursday, Schulz expressed surprise at the reaction as he claimed to have given a "pro-Israel speech."
Several MKs decided to boycott Schulz's speech in advance on the basis that he was to address the Knesset in German.
Likud official Moshe Feiglin wrote on Facebook: "I see no value in having the parliament of the Jewish state hear a speech in the language used to force our parents onto trains and into furnaces."
In reaction to the walkout, Israeli rights group B'Tselem released a statement on Wednesday describing "undeniable discrimination" in the amount of water allocated Palestinians.
"Yes, there is discrimination in water allocation and Israeli citizens receive much more water than Palestinian residents of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," a statement said.
"The Government of Israel is largely responsible for this discrimination due its water policy."
According to The Emergency Water, Sanitation and Hygiene group, or EWASH, Israelis, including settlers, have access to 300 liters of water per day while the West Bank average is around 70 liters, below the World Health Organization's recommended minimum of 100 liters per day for basic sanitation, hygiene and drinking.
In the south Hebron hills, average water consumption varies between 10-60 liters per day, similar to consumption levels in sub-Saharan Africa or Haiti.
Truth behind stealing Palestinian water irritates Israeli officials
The speech of European Parliament President Martin Schulz delivered Wednesday inside the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) raised a wave of anger among the Israeli officials. The speech referred in detail to several aspects of Palestinian suffering due to the Israeli occupation of their land.
The outrage sparked over the European Parliament President by the walkoutof the chairman of Bayit Yehudi party, Naftali Bennett, and the mocking respond by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
The speech of European Parliament President was about several aspects of Palestinian suffering and the Israeli discrimination against the Palestinians, in the field of water.
" Is it true that the Israeli citizen consumes 70 litres of water a day compared with 17 liters for the Palestinian citizen?" Schulz asked sarcastically. His comment on Gaza, in which he said that "the Gaza siege leads to hard economic conditions that do not allow growth", triggered the furious response from the Bayit Yehudi MKs.
Schulz’s words on peace, in which he said that: "Palestinians, like Israelis, want to live in their country with freedom of movement and no limitations. The Palestinians have the right to self-definition and justice", made the MKs angry; they started to jamming the speech.
Party leader Naftali Bennett demanded on Facebook that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "demand an immediate correction in the name of honor of the State of Israel," Ynet reported.
"I will not accept an untrue sermon on morality directed at Israel in Israel's parliament. Definitely not in German," he added.
Speaking to German newspaper Die Welt on Thursday, Schulz expressed surprise at the reaction as he claimed to have given a "pro-Israel speech."
Several MKs decided to boycott Schulz's speech in advance on the basis that he was to address the Knesset in German.
Likud official Moshe Feiglin wrote on Facebook: "I see no value in having the parliament of the Jewish state hear a speech in the language used to force our parents onto trains and into furnaces."
In reaction to the walkout, Israeli rights group B'Tselem released a statement on Wednesday describing "undeniable discrimination" in the amount of water allocated Palestinians.
"Yes, there is discrimination in water allocation and Israeli citizens receive much more water than Palestinian residents of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," a statement said.
"The Government of Israel is largely responsible for this discrimination due its water policy."
According to The Emergency Water, Sanitation and Hygiene group, or EWASH, Israelis, including settlers, have access to 300 liters of water per day while the West Bank average is around 70 liters, below the World Health Organization's recommended minimum of 100 liters per day for basic sanitation, hygiene and drinking.
In the south Hebron hills, average water consumption varies between 10-60 liters per day, similar to consumption levels in sub-Saharan Africa or Haiti.
Truth behind stealing Palestinian water irritates Israeli officials
The speech of European Parliament President Martin Schulz delivered Wednesday inside the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) raised a wave of anger among the Israeli officials. The speech referred in detail to several aspects of Palestinian suffering due to the Israeli occupation of their land.
The outrage sparked over the European Parliament President by the walkoutof the chairman of Bayit Yehudi party, Naftali Bennett, and the mocking respond by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
The speech of European Parliament President was about several aspects of Palestinian suffering and the Israeli discrimination against the Palestinians, in the field of water.
" Is it true that the Israeli citizen consumes 70 litres of water a day compared with 17 liters for the Palestinian citizen?" Schulz asked sarcastically. His comment on Gaza, in which he said that "the Gaza siege leads to hard economic conditions that do not allow growth", triggered the furious response from the Bayit Yehudi MKs.
Schulz’s words on peace, in which he said that: "Palestinians, like Israelis, want to live in their country with freedom of movement and no limitations. The Palestinians have the right to self-definition and justice", made the MKs angry; they started to jamming the speech.
11 feb 2014
Staff of the Israeli Gihon Water Company on Monday raided the Old City in Jerusalem, and cut off the water supply to 20 houses in the neighborhoods of al-Oued and Bab Hutta, due to debts owed to the company. The citizen Ashraf Zerba said in a press statement that the company has cut off the water supply without prior notice, and that he was forced to carry water from the neighbors.
Zerba said the Jerusalemite citizens owe money to Israeli companies and are unable to pay their onerous debts due to unemployment.
He appealed to Palestinian and Arab officials to support the steadfastness of the Jerusalemites, who are facing daily displacement attempts.
For his part, Jerusalemite citizen Hamdi Awad said that workers at the Gihon Company cut off water to his home that is inhabited by nine members, most of them children.
Zerba said the Jerusalemite citizens owe money to Israeli companies and are unable to pay their onerous debts due to unemployment.
He appealed to Palestinian and Arab officials to support the steadfastness of the Jerusalemites, who are facing daily displacement attempts.
For his part, Jerusalemite citizen Hamdi Awad said that workers at the Gihon Company cut off water to his home that is inhabited by nine members, most of them children.
29 jan 2014
The Gaza Strip is facing a severe shortage of potable water which is likely to bring about illness, Environmental and water experts warned on Monday at a conference hosted by Tel Aviv's Eretz Israel Museum. Uri Shani, an Israeli expert said that Gaza already has a high rate of water pollution-related childhood illnesses, which threaten to cross over to Israel as well.
“The international project to establish a desalination plant for Gaza would take years to complete and warned that an additional supply of water is needed now,” he added.
Dr. Mohammed al-Hamidi, former director of the Environment Ministry in the Palestinian Authority said that if Israel were more flexible and allow the construction of desalination plants that could be set up more quickly, part of the problem could be solved.
He stressed the need to alleviate the water shortage in Gaza from the political circumstances.
Gidon Bromberg, the Israeli director of Friends of the Earth Middle East pointed out the problems of electricity supply play a role in increasing the problem,” there are problems with the electricity supply in the Gaza Strip, which makes it difficult to construct desalination or sewage treatment facilities. We are facing a disaster, since in a little while there will be no water in Gaza.”
The demand for water in the Gaza Strip is expected to increase by 60 percent by the end of the decade. According to UN estimates, only one-tenth of the drinking water in Gaza meets the sanitation standards set by the World Health Organization. The WHO estimates that as early as 2016, the groundwater will be unusable, and the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip will be left without a source of water.
“The international project to establish a desalination plant for Gaza would take years to complete and warned that an additional supply of water is needed now,” he added.
Dr. Mohammed al-Hamidi, former director of the Environment Ministry in the Palestinian Authority said that if Israel were more flexible and allow the construction of desalination plants that could be set up more quickly, part of the problem could be solved.
He stressed the need to alleviate the water shortage in Gaza from the political circumstances.
Gidon Bromberg, the Israeli director of Friends of the Earth Middle East pointed out the problems of electricity supply play a role in increasing the problem,” there are problems with the electricity supply in the Gaza Strip, which makes it difficult to construct desalination or sewage treatment facilities. We are facing a disaster, since in a little while there will be no water in Gaza.”
The demand for water in the Gaza Strip is expected to increase by 60 percent by the end of the decade. According to UN estimates, only one-tenth of the drinking water in Gaza meets the sanitation standards set by the World Health Organization. The WHO estimates that as early as 2016, the groundwater will be unusable, and the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip will be left without a source of water.
16 jan 2014
Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) served on Wednesday demolition notifications against six Palestinian homes and three water wells in Sa’ir town in al-Khalil, south of West Bank. The IOA handed Shalaldeh family notifications to demolish six houses under construction and three water wells located over 50 dunums of agricultural land belonging to the family.
The Israeli notifications included summoning the family to Israeli court by the end of the next month, family sources added.
Israeli settlers had uprooted four hundreds of olive trees in the area two years ago.
The Israeli notifications included summoning the family to Israeli court by the end of the next month, family sources added.
Israeli settlers had uprooted four hundreds of olive trees in the area two years ago.
9 jan 2014
Palestinian local sources and eyewitnesses reported that Jewish price tag gangs on Thursday stormed the village of Sanjal, north of Ramallah, and sprayed racist slogans on the walls of a house in the village. The sources said that extremist settlers from Maale Labbouna settlement, built on lands south of Nablus, sprayed anti-Arab slogans reading "Death to Arabs".
Meanwhile, dozens of settlers, accompanied by Israeli soldiers in more than ten military vehicles, raided a spring of water near Dura south of al-Khalil, eyewitnesses told PIC.
They added that the settlers have stormed the spring of water several times; and have threatened that they will establish an outpost in the region.
Meanwhile, dozens of settlers, accompanied by Israeli soldiers in more than ten military vehicles, raided a spring of water near Dura south of al-Khalil, eyewitnesses told PIC.
They added that the settlers have stormed the spring of water several times; and have threatened that they will establish an outpost in the region.
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