30 may 2015
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) disrupted on Saturday a marsh organized by the people of Jaba town to the north of al-Khalil city. The IOF soldiers closed a high way as well.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that hundreds of the town’s inhabitants took to the streets around the town’s entrance in protest against Israeli deliberate lowering of water pressure in the town.
This has minimised water flow in the town’s houses as Israel has been lowering water pressure for two months.
The demonstrators chanted against Israeli aggressive policies practiced in the towns and cities of the occupied West Bank.
In a similar context, IOF soldiers closed the main road connecting Bethlehem and al-Khalil in northern al-Khalil.
PIC reporter revealed that IOF soldiers barred the Palestinian vehicles to pass through Gush Etzion conjunction and forced them to use bypasses near Biet Fujjar town.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that hundreds of the town’s inhabitants took to the streets around the town’s entrance in protest against Israeli deliberate lowering of water pressure in the town.
This has minimised water flow in the town’s houses as Israel has been lowering water pressure for two months.
The demonstrators chanted against Israeli aggressive policies practiced in the towns and cities of the occupied West Bank.
In a similar context, IOF soldiers closed the main road connecting Bethlehem and al-Khalil in northern al-Khalil.
PIC reporter revealed that IOF soldiers barred the Palestinian vehicles to pass through Gush Etzion conjunction and forced them to use bypasses near Biet Fujjar town.
26 may 2015
Palestinians of al-Jab’a village, in northern al-Khalil province,
launched, on Tuesday, distress signals over the water crisis rocking the
village since April due to Israel’s exploitation and mishandling of
water resources.
Head of the Jab’a village council, No’man Hamdan, told a PIC journalist that the Ja’ba natives have been living in dire conditions due to Israel’s near total control over the distribution of water in the area and its refusal to distribute any water to the village for over a month’s time, leaving Palestinians with no alternative ways by which to obtain this vital resource.
He further raised alarm bells over difficulties in movement in and out of the village due to the roadblock put in place across the only passageway leading into the village by the Israeli occupation army since 2000. As such, it is impossible for vehicles of any kind to enter al-Jab’a; anyone seeking access to the village must do so on foot. Likewise, resources and furniture can only be transported into the village by having them carried on foot across the roadblock.
Al-Jab’a is a small village situated in central West Bank not far from the 1948 Green Line and is home to over 800 Palestinians. As the village is surrounded by multiple illegal Israeli settlements in the vicinity of Gush Etzion, the Palestinians of Al Jab’a must contend with an alarming amount of discrimination. This includes the confiscation of their land by the Israeli government, the destruction of their olive trees at the hands of Jewish settlers and more. Indeed, Israel’s policies towards the residents of Al Jaba are structured in such a way so as to force these Palestinians to give up and leave their homes and the surrounding area, the Palestine Solidarity project said online.
The situation has been no less tense in al-Khalil’s al-Seir neighborhood as a flock of Israeli army jeeps rolled into the area and stationed near al-Khalil’s feminist association.
The Palestinian Authority jeeps meanwhile suddenly backtracked from the area, paying no attention to the assault.
The Israeli occupation forces also notified the demolition of a family home under construction in al-Khalil’s western town of Idna under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
The Israeli occupation reportedly stepped up arbitrary demolition procedures and notifications in the southern West Bank province of al-Khalil in an attempt to crack down on the natives and force them out of their own and only homes.
Head of the Jab’a village council, No’man Hamdan, told a PIC journalist that the Ja’ba natives have been living in dire conditions due to Israel’s near total control over the distribution of water in the area and its refusal to distribute any water to the village for over a month’s time, leaving Palestinians with no alternative ways by which to obtain this vital resource.
He further raised alarm bells over difficulties in movement in and out of the village due to the roadblock put in place across the only passageway leading into the village by the Israeli occupation army since 2000. As such, it is impossible for vehicles of any kind to enter al-Jab’a; anyone seeking access to the village must do so on foot. Likewise, resources and furniture can only be transported into the village by having them carried on foot across the roadblock.
Al-Jab’a is a small village situated in central West Bank not far from the 1948 Green Line and is home to over 800 Palestinians. As the village is surrounded by multiple illegal Israeli settlements in the vicinity of Gush Etzion, the Palestinians of Al Jab’a must contend with an alarming amount of discrimination. This includes the confiscation of their land by the Israeli government, the destruction of their olive trees at the hands of Jewish settlers and more. Indeed, Israel’s policies towards the residents of Al Jaba are structured in such a way so as to force these Palestinians to give up and leave their homes and the surrounding area, the Palestine Solidarity project said online.
The situation has been no less tense in al-Khalil’s al-Seir neighborhood as a flock of Israeli army jeeps rolled into the area and stationed near al-Khalil’s feminist association.
The Palestinian Authority jeeps meanwhile suddenly backtracked from the area, paying no attention to the assault.
The Israeli occupation forces also notified the demolition of a family home under construction in al-Khalil’s western town of Idna under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
The Israeli occupation reportedly stepped up arbitrary demolition procedures and notifications in the southern West Bank province of al-Khalil in an attempt to crack down on the natives and force them out of their own and only homes.
The Council of Arab Water Ministers will discuss in a meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on Wednesday, Israel's theft of Arab water.
The executive office will discuss drawing up an Arab water security strategy and the implementation of resolutions adopted by the Council of Arab Water Ministers during the 2012 Baghdad Summit.
The ministers are also expected to go over the recommendations and suggestions put forth by the Technical Scientific Advisory Committee of the Arab Ministerial Council for Water which held its 12th meeting in the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Arab League over the past couple of days and under the chairmanship of Qatar.
Head of the Department of Environment, Housing, Water Resources and Sustainable Development in the League of Arab States, Jamaleddine Jaballah, said the committee has finalized work on an operational plan comprising 50 projects to be soon filed for approval by the council as a means to pave the way for its final submission to the Developmental, Economic, and Social Arab Summit hosted by Tunisia in 2016 or the regular Arab Summit hosted by Morocco.
He said the council also follows up on Israel’s theft of Arab water, saying a committee will be appointed to work on preparations for an international conference on Israel’s abuse of water resources.
The executive office will discuss drawing up an Arab water security strategy and the implementation of resolutions adopted by the Council of Arab Water Ministers during the 2012 Baghdad Summit.
The ministers are also expected to go over the recommendations and suggestions put forth by the Technical Scientific Advisory Committee of the Arab Ministerial Council for Water which held its 12th meeting in the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Arab League over the past couple of days and under the chairmanship of Qatar.
Head of the Department of Environment, Housing, Water Resources and Sustainable Development in the League of Arab States, Jamaleddine Jaballah, said the committee has finalized work on an operational plan comprising 50 projects to be soon filed for approval by the council as a means to pave the way for its final submission to the Developmental, Economic, and Social Arab Summit hosted by Tunisia in 2016 or the regular Arab Summit hosted by Morocco.
He said the council also follows up on Israel’s theft of Arab water, saying a committee will be appointed to work on preparations for an international conference on Israel’s abuse of water resources.
14 may 2015
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, on Wednesday undertook a historic visit to Bethlehem, where she signed two major partnership agreements with mayor of the city, Vera Baboun, to improve water networks in the biblical town.
"The municipal council of Paris is aware of the hardships the Palestinian people face, especially in Bethlehem, but we admire very much their spirit of determination and the positive attitude to life," Hidalgo told Ma'an.
The strategic agreements signed between Bethlehem and Paris will help improve water networks in the city and mitigate the negative impact of the Israeli separation wall on Bethlehem's natural development.
Hidalgo confirmed that the municipal council of Paris would also help develop the tourism sector in Bethlehem to help create work opportunities for young men and women. Cooperation between the two cities is dedicated to promoting peace and stability in the Holy Land, the Mayor of Paris said.
Attending the signing of the agreements at the Bethlehem municipality were the mayor of Bethlehem Vera Baboun, Head of the Palestinian Water Authority Mahir Ghuneim, the Consul General of France in Jerusalem, the director of the French Development Agency and the director general of the Paris water company.
Ghuneim said the agreements were part of a larger project to improve the water and waste water services in Bethlehem. The project, he added, will also provide technical and institutional support to Bethlehem and will mark a "qualitative jump for Bethlehem water and waste water authorities."
The governments of France and the Netherlands will fund an 18-million project in Bethlehem as part of the agreement, Ghuneim said.Bethlehem mayor Vera Baboun applauded the support of the French government and people and warmly welcomed Mayor Anne Hidalgo, with the two officials exchanging gifts.
"The municipal council of Paris is aware of the hardships the Palestinian people face, especially in Bethlehem, but we admire very much their spirit of determination and the positive attitude to life," Hidalgo told Ma'an.
The strategic agreements signed between Bethlehem and Paris will help improve water networks in the city and mitigate the negative impact of the Israeli separation wall on Bethlehem's natural development.
Hidalgo confirmed that the municipal council of Paris would also help develop the tourism sector in Bethlehem to help create work opportunities for young men and women. Cooperation between the two cities is dedicated to promoting peace and stability in the Holy Land, the Mayor of Paris said.
Attending the signing of the agreements at the Bethlehem municipality were the mayor of Bethlehem Vera Baboun, Head of the Palestinian Water Authority Mahir Ghuneim, the Consul General of France in Jerusalem, the director of the French Development Agency and the director general of the Paris water company.
Ghuneim said the agreements were part of a larger project to improve the water and waste water services in Bethlehem. The project, he added, will also provide technical and institutional support to Bethlehem and will mark a "qualitative jump for Bethlehem water and waste water authorities."
The governments of France and the Netherlands will fund an 18-million project in Bethlehem as part of the agreement, Ghuneim said.Bethlehem mayor Vera Baboun applauded the support of the French government and people and warmly welcomed Mayor Anne Hidalgo, with the two officials exchanging gifts.
13 may 2015
Israeli Occupation Authority (IOA) handed three demolition notices to Palestinians for razing three structures in Qusra town in southern Nablus.
Head of Qusra town’s council Abdulazim Wadi told the PIC reporter that the Israeli civil administration handed him notices to demolish three facilities in the town including an electricity grid.
The structures to be demolished are an electricity grid located to the south of the town, a water well which was constructed by a Dutch fund and used by Palestinian farmers and a house which has been under construction for five years.
Mr. Wadi pointed out that the house to be razed is located near Magdlam Jewish settlement.
The demolition orders were issued under the pretext of lacking construction permits and of being established on Area C which is controlled by the Israeli occupation.
The IOA has distributed 20 demolition notices since the beginning of the year. 27 others were handed to Palestinians in the town last year; many of which were demolished in February.
Mr. Wadi asked the competent authorities in the Palestinian Authority to support the Palestinian citizens in confronting the Israeli policy of demolition.
Head of Qusra town’s council Abdulazim Wadi told the PIC reporter that the Israeli civil administration handed him notices to demolish three facilities in the town including an electricity grid.
The structures to be demolished are an electricity grid located to the south of the town, a water well which was constructed by a Dutch fund and used by Palestinian farmers and a house which has been under construction for five years.
Mr. Wadi pointed out that the house to be razed is located near Magdlam Jewish settlement.
The demolition orders were issued under the pretext of lacking construction permits and of being established on Area C which is controlled by the Israeli occupation.
The IOA has distributed 20 demolition notices since the beginning of the year. 27 others were handed to Palestinians in the town last year; many of which were demolished in February.
Mr. Wadi asked the competent authorities in the Palestinian Authority to support the Palestinian citizens in confronting the Israeli policy of demolition.
12 may 2015
Palestinian engineer Diaa Abu Assi poses with his machine
With Gaza's supply of drinking water expected to dry up by 2020, a Palestinian engineer is pioneering a machine to make seawater potable for residents of the coastal territory.
Diaa Abu Assi, a 29-year-old father-of-two, has spent much of his spare time in the past 18 months developing the system, which he hopes will be instrumental in saving lives in the besieged enclave.
"In five years, there will be no drinkable water in Gaza," Abu Assi says. "Water shortages are a real threat to life in Gaza. The only solution is to filter water from the Mediterranean."
Funded by Gaza's Islamic University -- which is linked with the enclave's rulers Hamas -- in cooperation with an Omani research organisation, the project uses nanotechnology to reduce the salinity in seawater to a drinkable level.
It pumps water at high speed through large iron pipes and filters made of nano-material to extract the saline. The water is then retreated with minerals that were removed during the desalination process.The filter contains microscopic pores which are small enough to block the chlorine and sodium ions in seawater while allowing through the water molecules.
"The idea is to save Gaza from the disaster that awaits it in the next five years by using the one resource we do have -- seawater," Abu Assi says. Gaza, home to 1.8 million Palestinians, consumes 180 million cubic meters of water per year, half of which is used in agriculture and industry.
Gaza could be 'uninhabitable'
The United Nations estimates that Gaza's population will grow by almost another 500,000 people in the next five years, which will push demand to an expected 260 million cubic meters of water annually.
Given Gaza's current water resources, the territory would become "uninhabitable," according to Robert Turner, director of operations in Gaza for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
Gaza now depends on groundwater from its coastal aquifer for supplies, but the enclave's water authority says 97 percent of its resources are polluted due to over-extraction and sewage contamination.
Abu Assi's machine can treat some 1,000 liters a day -- a drop in the ocean for now, but he and his partner, fellow engineer Ala al-Hindi, say they will not stop there. Hindi says they are seeking $300 million to build a water treatment plant that has a much greater capacity.
But given the reality in Gaza, the two have struggled to raise funds. "There's always a fear that projects will be destroyed in the next Israeli bombardment," Hindi says.
During last summer's 50-day war with Israel -- which claimed 2,200 Palestinian lives and 73 on the Israeli side -- Gaza's sole power station was hit, causing hours-long blackouts.Abu Assi and Hindi have asked the Palestinian government based in Ramallah for assistance, but have had no response. Local officials have no doubt of the need for a sustainable water supply.
'Alternative sources' needed
Munzer Shublaq, a water authority official in Gaza, said it was essential to "find alternative sources and stop pumping from the aquifer. "To meet current needs, authorities are having to pump four times the amount of water from the aquifer than is acceptable, Shublaq said.
The UN has warned the aquifer could become unusable as early as next year. "With no perennial streams and low rainfall, Gaza relies almost completely on the underlying coastal aquifer," an UNRWA report from 2012 said.
"As groundwater levels subsequently decline, seawater infiltrates from the nearby Mediterranean Sea. "Pollution of drinking water is "compounded by contamination of the aquifer by nitrates from uncontrolled sewage, and fertilizers from irrigation of farmlands," it said.
The World Health Organization has warned of the danger, noting that diarrhea among children is on the rise.Abu Assi hopes his project can help before it's too late."The lives of nearly two million people are at stake," he says.
With Gaza's supply of drinking water expected to dry up by 2020, a Palestinian engineer is pioneering a machine to make seawater potable for residents of the coastal territory.
Diaa Abu Assi, a 29-year-old father-of-two, has spent much of his spare time in the past 18 months developing the system, which he hopes will be instrumental in saving lives in the besieged enclave.
"In five years, there will be no drinkable water in Gaza," Abu Assi says. "Water shortages are a real threat to life in Gaza. The only solution is to filter water from the Mediterranean."
Funded by Gaza's Islamic University -- which is linked with the enclave's rulers Hamas -- in cooperation with an Omani research organisation, the project uses nanotechnology to reduce the salinity in seawater to a drinkable level.
It pumps water at high speed through large iron pipes and filters made of nano-material to extract the saline. The water is then retreated with minerals that were removed during the desalination process.The filter contains microscopic pores which are small enough to block the chlorine and sodium ions in seawater while allowing through the water molecules.
"The idea is to save Gaza from the disaster that awaits it in the next five years by using the one resource we do have -- seawater," Abu Assi says. Gaza, home to 1.8 million Palestinians, consumes 180 million cubic meters of water per year, half of which is used in agriculture and industry.
Gaza could be 'uninhabitable'
The United Nations estimates that Gaza's population will grow by almost another 500,000 people in the next five years, which will push demand to an expected 260 million cubic meters of water annually.
Given Gaza's current water resources, the territory would become "uninhabitable," according to Robert Turner, director of operations in Gaza for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
Gaza now depends on groundwater from its coastal aquifer for supplies, but the enclave's water authority says 97 percent of its resources are polluted due to over-extraction and sewage contamination.
Abu Assi's machine can treat some 1,000 liters a day -- a drop in the ocean for now, but he and his partner, fellow engineer Ala al-Hindi, say they will not stop there. Hindi says they are seeking $300 million to build a water treatment plant that has a much greater capacity.
But given the reality in Gaza, the two have struggled to raise funds. "There's always a fear that projects will be destroyed in the next Israeli bombardment," Hindi says.
During last summer's 50-day war with Israel -- which claimed 2,200 Palestinian lives and 73 on the Israeli side -- Gaza's sole power station was hit, causing hours-long blackouts.Abu Assi and Hindi have asked the Palestinian government based in Ramallah for assistance, but have had no response. Local officials have no doubt of the need for a sustainable water supply.
'Alternative sources' needed
Munzer Shublaq, a water authority official in Gaza, said it was essential to "find alternative sources and stop pumping from the aquifer. "To meet current needs, authorities are having to pump four times the amount of water from the aquifer than is acceptable, Shublaq said.
The UN has warned the aquifer could become unusable as early as next year. "With no perennial streams and low rainfall, Gaza relies almost completely on the underlying coastal aquifer," an UNRWA report from 2012 said.
"As groundwater levels subsequently decline, seawater infiltrates from the nearby Mediterranean Sea. "Pollution of drinking water is "compounded by contamination of the aquifer by nitrates from uncontrolled sewage, and fertilizers from irrigation of farmlands," it said.
The World Health Organization has warned of the danger, noting that diarrhea among children is on the rise.Abu Assi hopes his project can help before it's too late."The lives of nearly two million people are at stake," he says.
10 may 2015
Israel’s treatment of Khirbet Susiya and its residents illustrates its systemic use of planning laws to prevent Palestinians in Area C, which is under full Israeli control, from construction and development that meet their needs, B'Tselem organization said in a report issued on Sunday.
Most Palestinians in the area live in villages where the Israeli authorities have refused to draw up master plans and connect them to water and power supplies, under various pretexts. With no other choice, the residents eventually build homes without permits and subsequently live under constant threat of demolition and expulsion, according to the report.
"This policy is intended to serve the goal, explicitly declared by Israeli officials in the past, of taking over land in the southern Hebron hills in order to formally annex it to Israel in a permanent-status agreement with the Palestinians, and annex it de facto until such a time."
In implementing this policy, Israel is acting in contradiction to its obligation to care for the needs of West Bank residents as the occupying power there. This is a grave breach of the prohibition in international humanitarian law on forced transfer of residents of an occupied territory, the Israeli leftist organization explained.
The report pointed out that Israel has been abusing the residents of Khirbet Susiya for many years: the army and the Civil Administration have repeatedly removed the residents from their homes, in which they have lived since before 1967, when Israel occupied the West Bank.
The authorities also systematically refrain from protecting the residents of Khirbet Susiya from settlers who attack them or vandalize their property, and restrict their free access to the main town in the district, Yatta, it added.
Over the years, the villagers petitioned the High Court of Justice several times against demolition of their homes, requesting that they be permitted to build legally. However, the Court repeatedly adopted formalistic arguments and refused to force the authorities to fulfill their obligations, which include drawing up a master plan for the village and not demolishing homes there, so that the residents can continue to live in the place in reasonable conditions.
In contrast to Israeli settlers in the West Bank, Palestinian residents there are considered “protected persons” under international humanitarian law. The violation of their rights is especially blatant given the active support provided by Israeli authorities to construction and expansion of settlements in the area, even when they are established in contravention of Israeli law.
Most Palestinians in the area live in villages where the Israeli authorities have refused to draw up master plans and connect them to water and power supplies, under various pretexts. With no other choice, the residents eventually build homes without permits and subsequently live under constant threat of demolition and expulsion, according to the report.
"This policy is intended to serve the goal, explicitly declared by Israeli officials in the past, of taking over land in the southern Hebron hills in order to formally annex it to Israel in a permanent-status agreement with the Palestinians, and annex it de facto until such a time."
In implementing this policy, Israel is acting in contradiction to its obligation to care for the needs of West Bank residents as the occupying power there. This is a grave breach of the prohibition in international humanitarian law on forced transfer of residents of an occupied territory, the Israeli leftist organization explained.
The report pointed out that Israel has been abusing the residents of Khirbet Susiya for many years: the army and the Civil Administration have repeatedly removed the residents from their homes, in which they have lived since before 1967, when Israel occupied the West Bank.
The authorities also systematically refrain from protecting the residents of Khirbet Susiya from settlers who attack them or vandalize their property, and restrict their free access to the main town in the district, Yatta, it added.
Over the years, the villagers petitioned the High Court of Justice several times against demolition of their homes, requesting that they be permitted to build legally. However, the Court repeatedly adopted formalistic arguments and refused to force the authorities to fulfill their obligations, which include drawing up a master plan for the village and not demolishing homes there, so that the residents can continue to live in the place in reasonable conditions.
In contrast to Israeli settlers in the West Bank, Palestinian residents there are considered “protected persons” under international humanitarian law. The violation of their rights is especially blatant given the active support provided by Israeli authorities to construction and expansion of settlements in the area, even when they are established in contravention of Israeli law.
8 may 2015
Coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in Hebron Rateb Jabour stated Thursday that the Israeli army planted a new field of explosives, and fenced it, east of Yatta city, in the southern West Bank district of Hebron.
Jabour said the new landmine field was planted in the Um Lasfa and Khallet al-Mayya areas, close to the Abu Shaban Well that was recently repaired, and rehabilitated, by an international organization that also funded a new water tank structure for the use of the Palestinian villagers.
Jabour added that the soldiers fenced more than a quarter of a Dunam of Palestinian lands, and placed warning sings.
He strongly denounced the Israeli violation, and said that the practices of the army and its government aim at preventing any development projects and any demographic expansion of Palestinian communities.
Jabour also stated that there are many illegal Israeli colonies east of Yatta city, and that the army is constantly trying to control more Palestinian lands for military purposes, and for the expansion of settlements.
Jabour said the new landmine field was planted in the Um Lasfa and Khallet al-Mayya areas, close to the Abu Shaban Well that was recently repaired, and rehabilitated, by an international organization that also funded a new water tank structure for the use of the Palestinian villagers.
Jabour added that the soldiers fenced more than a quarter of a Dunam of Palestinian lands, and placed warning sings.
He strongly denounced the Israeli violation, and said that the practices of the army and its government aim at preventing any development projects and any demographic expansion of Palestinian communities.
Jabour also stated that there are many illegal Israeli colonies east of Yatta city, and that the army is constantly trying to control more Palestinian lands for military purposes, and for the expansion of settlements.
29 apr 2015
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have threatened Wednesday to demolish Palestinian-owned water wells in Yatta town to the south of al-Khalil.
Local activist Ratib Rajoub affirmed that the Israeli Civil Administration handed over Mohamed family notification to demolish water wells located in the family’s agricultural land.
The wells were earlier established by the Palestinian local authorities due to the acute water crisis witnessed in the area, he added.
Local activist Ratib Rajoub affirmed that the Israeli Civil Administration handed over Mohamed family notification to demolish water wells located in the family’s agricultural land.
The wells were earlier established by the Palestinian local authorities due to the acute water crisis witnessed in the area, he added.
15 minutes’ drive from central Bethlehem is the Beit Sahur Southern Pumping Station. The entire span of the compound consists of two single-story concrete structures situated amid farmland and fields. Its size and location belie its importance though, as it is one of only two stations that exist to pump Bethlehem’s waste water out of the city and surrounding area.
Sulieman al-Qadi is one of the employees who operates the station. Offering a tour, he explains that on a normal day they pump 250,000 M³ of waste water out of Bethlehem and towards the Northern Pumping Station. From there the waste is pumped towards the Kidron Valley for disposal. “The problem is that the station’s equipment is 20 years old and as a result needs constant maintenance to stop it from breaking down”. Despite this maintenance, he admits, malfunctions still occur on a regular basis, resulting in blockages or the machinery becoming jammed. When this takes place the basement level of the station is liable to flood from the floor to the ceiling with waste water. Often, in order to fix the machinery, he has no choice but to dive in and swim down through the 5 meters of waste water. “I keep a pair of swimming goggles at the station” he says, a smile creeping on to his face.
Across the road from the station exists a narrow irrigation ditch. When the pumping station floods, the waste water flows out of the station, across the road and directly into the ditch; with the channel sending the waste water running alongside fields, farmland and homes. Ismael Dweib, a local English teacher and campaigner on this issue, sighs when asked about the trench. “It’s a cause for illness in the community and it has a huge effect on the agriculture and environment of the area”. Living in the nearby Ras al Wad area with his family, he explains that the side effects of having the station so close to the village have only got worse as time has gone on. “The smell is often the worst part, all day and all night. Sometimes we cannot sleep because of it”.
The price of occupation
A conversation with Eng. Akram Nassar, General Manager of the Water Supply and Sewage Authority (WSSA), the private company responsible for supplying water and sanitation services in the Bethlehem area and owner of the Beit Sahur Southern Pumping Station, reveals that the company simply cannot afford to replace the equipment. Financial pressures on the WSSA are considerable as it attempts to match Bethlehem’s demand for water and waste water removal while absorbing the significant financial costs associated with Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.
Chief among these costs is the hugely unequal allocation of the West Bank’s fresh water resources. Under the terms of the 1995 Oslo II Accord, Israel is allocated 71% of the of the West Bank’s only significant water resource (The Mountain Aquifer) while Palestinians are permitted to extract just 17% [1]. However, due to a planning regime that restricts the construction and repair of Palestinian water infrastructure, the Palestinian authorities consistently extracts well under this level (B’TSelem estimates that in 2014, 86% of the water extracted from the Mountain Aquifer went to Israel and just 14% to the Palestinians [2]). As a result of this inequitable distribution, the WSSA is only able to buy 33% of the water it needs to cater for demand in Bethlehem from the Palestinian Authority and is forced to purchase the remaining 67% at a considerably higher rate from Israel.
Further to this, Nassar explains that he has no control over the amount of water that Israel delivers to the WSSA. Whatever comes through the pipes, they have to pay for, and this can vary hugely from day to day. This has an enormous impact on the WSSA’s ability to effectively ration and budget the supply as they cannot estimate how much they will receive in the coming days, let alone weeks.
To make matters worse, the meters which are attached to the pipelines and used by the WSSA to measure how much water is being delivered by Israel, are located before the pipes pass into an Israeli army base situated close to the separation barrier between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. According to Nassar, the soldiers draw off about 60,000 M³ per year (enough water to fill 24 Olympic-sized swimming pools). This situation means that the company is billed not only for water used by the people of Bethlehem, but also Israeli soldiers.
The Joint Water Committee
On the days when the equipment at the pumping stations functions correctly and they are able to remove the waste water from the Bethlehem area, its final destination is to flow, untreated, into the Kidron Valley. Nassar explains that despite the Palestinian Authority submitting applications for a permit to construct a treatment plant, the Joint Water Committee (JWC), the mechanism by which Israel and Palestine are meant to coordinate on water issues in the West Bank, is yet to respond.
Indeed, the WSSA appears to have little hope that approval could be on the horizon. The JWC, which Amnesty has described as serving to “institutionalise the intrinsically discriminatory system of Israeli control over Palestinian resources” [3] [PDF] has not met for over five years. Palestinian members, tired of being forced to support settlement water projects in return for approval for Palestinian infrastructure, no longer see the point of attending negotiations that one water expert described as “an exercise in subjugation and humiliation”.
While these financial and political obstacles associated with the occupation persist it seems likely that the untreated sewage will continue to flow, either into the Kidron Valley or through the farmlands and villages surrounding Beit Sahur. Whatever the case, it looks like Sulieman al-Qadi will be donning his swimming goggles for some time yet.
Sulieman al-Qadi is one of the employees who operates the station. Offering a tour, he explains that on a normal day they pump 250,000 M³ of waste water out of Bethlehem and towards the Northern Pumping Station. From there the waste is pumped towards the Kidron Valley for disposal. “The problem is that the station’s equipment is 20 years old and as a result needs constant maintenance to stop it from breaking down”. Despite this maintenance, he admits, malfunctions still occur on a regular basis, resulting in blockages or the machinery becoming jammed. When this takes place the basement level of the station is liable to flood from the floor to the ceiling with waste water. Often, in order to fix the machinery, he has no choice but to dive in and swim down through the 5 meters of waste water. “I keep a pair of swimming goggles at the station” he says, a smile creeping on to his face.
Across the road from the station exists a narrow irrigation ditch. When the pumping station floods, the waste water flows out of the station, across the road and directly into the ditch; with the channel sending the waste water running alongside fields, farmland and homes. Ismael Dweib, a local English teacher and campaigner on this issue, sighs when asked about the trench. “It’s a cause for illness in the community and it has a huge effect on the agriculture and environment of the area”. Living in the nearby Ras al Wad area with his family, he explains that the side effects of having the station so close to the village have only got worse as time has gone on. “The smell is often the worst part, all day and all night. Sometimes we cannot sleep because of it”.
The price of occupation
A conversation with Eng. Akram Nassar, General Manager of the Water Supply and Sewage Authority (WSSA), the private company responsible for supplying water and sanitation services in the Bethlehem area and owner of the Beit Sahur Southern Pumping Station, reveals that the company simply cannot afford to replace the equipment. Financial pressures on the WSSA are considerable as it attempts to match Bethlehem’s demand for water and waste water removal while absorbing the significant financial costs associated with Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.
Chief among these costs is the hugely unequal allocation of the West Bank’s fresh water resources. Under the terms of the 1995 Oslo II Accord, Israel is allocated 71% of the of the West Bank’s only significant water resource (The Mountain Aquifer) while Palestinians are permitted to extract just 17% [1]. However, due to a planning regime that restricts the construction and repair of Palestinian water infrastructure, the Palestinian authorities consistently extracts well under this level (B’TSelem estimates that in 2014, 86% of the water extracted from the Mountain Aquifer went to Israel and just 14% to the Palestinians [2]). As a result of this inequitable distribution, the WSSA is only able to buy 33% of the water it needs to cater for demand in Bethlehem from the Palestinian Authority and is forced to purchase the remaining 67% at a considerably higher rate from Israel.
Further to this, Nassar explains that he has no control over the amount of water that Israel delivers to the WSSA. Whatever comes through the pipes, they have to pay for, and this can vary hugely from day to day. This has an enormous impact on the WSSA’s ability to effectively ration and budget the supply as they cannot estimate how much they will receive in the coming days, let alone weeks.
To make matters worse, the meters which are attached to the pipelines and used by the WSSA to measure how much water is being delivered by Israel, are located before the pipes pass into an Israeli army base situated close to the separation barrier between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. According to Nassar, the soldiers draw off about 60,000 M³ per year (enough water to fill 24 Olympic-sized swimming pools). This situation means that the company is billed not only for water used by the people of Bethlehem, but also Israeli soldiers.
The Joint Water Committee
On the days when the equipment at the pumping stations functions correctly and they are able to remove the waste water from the Bethlehem area, its final destination is to flow, untreated, into the Kidron Valley. Nassar explains that despite the Palestinian Authority submitting applications for a permit to construct a treatment plant, the Joint Water Committee (JWC), the mechanism by which Israel and Palestine are meant to coordinate on water issues in the West Bank, is yet to respond.
Indeed, the WSSA appears to have little hope that approval could be on the horizon. The JWC, which Amnesty has described as serving to “institutionalise the intrinsically discriminatory system of Israeli control over Palestinian resources” [3] [PDF] has not met for over five years. Palestinian members, tired of being forced to support settlement water projects in return for approval for Palestinian infrastructure, no longer see the point of attending negotiations that one water expert described as “an exercise in subjugation and humiliation”.
While these financial and political obstacles associated with the occupation persist it seems likely that the untreated sewage will continue to flow, either into the Kidron Valley or through the farmlands and villages surrounding Beit Sahur. Whatever the case, it looks like Sulieman al-Qadi will be donning his swimming goggles for some time yet.
28 apr 2015
A group of Israeli settlers damaged water pipes serving Palestinians in Hebron's Old City on Tuesday, locals said.Mufid al-Sharabati, a resident of Shuhada street, told Ma'an that a group of settlers deliberately made holes in the plastic water pipes providing water to Palestinian homes.
The burst pipes caused water to flow into the street, with Palestinian residents calling on the municipality to quickly fix the damage.
Israel started restricting access to Shuhada street after Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein broke into the Ibrahimi Mosque and shot dead 29 Palestinians in 1994.Israel closed the road during the Second Intifada, and a military checkpoint restricts Palestinian access to the area.
The burst pipes caused water to flow into the street, with Palestinian residents calling on the municipality to quickly fix the damage.
Israel started restricting access to Shuhada street after Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein broke into the Ibrahimi Mosque and shot dead 29 Palestinians in 1994.Israel closed the road during the Second Intifada, and a military checkpoint restricts Palestinian access to the area.
2 apr 2015
The Palestinian Environment Quality Authority on Wednesday warned of Israel’s confiscation and destruction of Palestinians’ natural resources in Deir Ammar village, in the West Bank province of Ramallah.
The Environment Authority said in a press statement that the Palestinian natural resources in Deir Ammar and al-Nabi Aneir areas have been permanent targets of the Israeli occupation, pointing to the ongoing confiscations, misappropriation of water springs, and uprooting of olive trees as illustrative cases in point.
Dozens of dunums of Palestinian land tracts in the area have been seized by the Israeli occupation in favor of illegal settlement expansion, the Environment Authority further reported.
The targeted villages are rich with water pools that have long appealed to Israeli settlers allegedly due to their religious significance.
Meanwhile, a flock of Israeli bulldozers owned by extremist settlers crept into an old archaeological site craved into the rock west of Kafr al-Dik town, in Salfit.
Eye-witnesses said the bulldozers have been smashing the carved rocks and razing the land located near Deir Sam’an hamlet, resulting in a remarkable alteration of the very idiosyncrasy of the nearby archaeological sites, reportedly transformed into settler apartments and access roads.
Researcher Khaled Ma’ali stressed the historically profuse nature of Deir Sam’an’s cultural heritage, warning of Israeli intents to hold sway over the village and wipe out its Palestinian character in favor of illegal settlement construction.
The Environment Authority said in a press statement that the Palestinian natural resources in Deir Ammar and al-Nabi Aneir areas have been permanent targets of the Israeli occupation, pointing to the ongoing confiscations, misappropriation of water springs, and uprooting of olive trees as illustrative cases in point.
Dozens of dunums of Palestinian land tracts in the area have been seized by the Israeli occupation in favor of illegal settlement expansion, the Environment Authority further reported.
The targeted villages are rich with water pools that have long appealed to Israeli settlers allegedly due to their religious significance.
Meanwhile, a flock of Israeli bulldozers owned by extremist settlers crept into an old archaeological site craved into the rock west of Kafr al-Dik town, in Salfit.
Eye-witnesses said the bulldozers have been smashing the carved rocks and razing the land located near Deir Sam’an hamlet, resulting in a remarkable alteration of the very idiosyncrasy of the nearby archaeological sites, reportedly transformed into settler apartments and access roads.
Researcher Khaled Ma’ali stressed the historically profuse nature of Deir Sam’an’s cultural heritage, warning of Israeli intents to hold sway over the village and wipe out its Palestinian character in favor of illegal settlement construction.
31 mar 2015
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Monday threatened to demolish a number of Palestinian civilian homes and structures in the West Bank provinces of al-Khalil and Nablus.
The IOF troops stormed Umm al-Kheir hamlet in al-Khalil’s town of Yatta and threatened to demolish Palestinian homes and facilities under the pretext that the area is a closed military zone, categorized as a C Area in the Oslo accord, activist Rateb al-Jabour told the PIC.
The threats come at a time when the IOF warned of forcibly deporting Palestinian natives and civilian communities from the area as part of an ethnic-cleansing agenda and of intents to foster illegal settlement building.
Sources-based in Nablus city said similar notifications to knock down Palestinian agricultural facilities have been propagated by the IOF in Qasra town.
A series of notices ordering Palestinian citizens to destroy water wells and agricultural barracks, allegedly due to illegal construction, have been distributed by the IOF, a PIC correspondent quoted locals as reporting.
The IOF threatened to reduce the targeted facilities, located near the Yash Kodesh illegal settlement outpost, to rubble in case they are not willingly demolished by the native land owners within the next few days.
The IOF troops stormed Umm al-Kheir hamlet in al-Khalil’s town of Yatta and threatened to demolish Palestinian homes and facilities under the pretext that the area is a closed military zone, categorized as a C Area in the Oslo accord, activist Rateb al-Jabour told the PIC.
The threats come at a time when the IOF warned of forcibly deporting Palestinian natives and civilian communities from the area as part of an ethnic-cleansing agenda and of intents to foster illegal settlement building.
Sources-based in Nablus city said similar notifications to knock down Palestinian agricultural facilities have been propagated by the IOF in Qasra town.
A series of notices ordering Palestinian citizens to destroy water wells and agricultural barracks, allegedly due to illegal construction, have been distributed by the IOF, a PIC correspondent quoted locals as reporting.
The IOF threatened to reduce the targeted facilities, located near the Yash Kodesh illegal settlement outpost, to rubble in case they are not willingly demolished by the native land owners within the next few days.
30 mar 2015
Israeli forces delivered demolition notices to seven Palestinians in the village of Qasra in southern Nablus on Monday.
Locals said the notices were for water wells and steel structures used for farming purposes that belong to Palestinians living near the Yash Kodesh settlement outpost.
The structures under demolition order belong to Ahmad Abd al-Rahman Ahmad Hassan, Mustafa Hilal Fayyad Odeh, Thaer Adel Abd al-Hamid Hassan, Mahmoud Zaal Ahmad Odeh, Saed Muhammad Ahmad Wadi, Tareq Hussein Hassan Abu Rida, and Ibrahim Ahmad Mahmoud Wadi.
Approximately half of Qasra's lands are classified Area B and the other half Area C, under the Oslo Accords.
In Area C Israel has full civil and military control, and Palestinians require permits approved by Israeli authorities to construct. As a result of rarely approved permits, Palestinian residents are forced to build without permits and their structures are often liable to be torn down later by Israeli forces.
In addition to Yash Kodesh settlement outpost, Migdalim settlement and Ahiya settlement outpost also lie in Qasra's lands.
There are over 500,000 Israeli settlers living in settlements across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
Some settlers act without approval to expand settlements or create new ones in the West Bank, building outposts that are illegal even by Israeli government standards.
In some cases, these settlement outposts are "legalized" by Israel, and in rare cases they are dismantled.
Locals said the notices were for water wells and steel structures used for farming purposes that belong to Palestinians living near the Yash Kodesh settlement outpost.
The structures under demolition order belong to Ahmad Abd al-Rahman Ahmad Hassan, Mustafa Hilal Fayyad Odeh, Thaer Adel Abd al-Hamid Hassan, Mahmoud Zaal Ahmad Odeh, Saed Muhammad Ahmad Wadi, Tareq Hussein Hassan Abu Rida, and Ibrahim Ahmad Mahmoud Wadi.
Approximately half of Qasra's lands are classified Area B and the other half Area C, under the Oslo Accords.
In Area C Israel has full civil and military control, and Palestinians require permits approved by Israeli authorities to construct. As a result of rarely approved permits, Palestinian residents are forced to build without permits and their structures are often liable to be torn down later by Israeli forces.
In addition to Yash Kodesh settlement outpost, Migdalim settlement and Ahiya settlement outpost also lie in Qasra's lands.
There are over 500,000 Israeli settlers living in settlements across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
Some settlers act without approval to expand settlements or create new ones in the West Bank, building outposts that are illegal even by Israeli government standards.
In some cases, these settlement outposts are "legalized" by Israel, and in rare cases they are dismantled.
27 mar 2015
Dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded, Friday, the village of Kufur Qaddoum near the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, and attacked its weekly nonviolent protest against the Wall and settlements, leading to clashes; at least five Palestinians injured.
The Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in the village said the soldiers closed main roads, fired dozens of gas bombs, concussion grenades, rubber-coated metal bullets, and live ammunition.
Clashes erupted between the invading soldiers and scores of local youths in the village that was covered with smoke resulting from gas bombs fired by the soldiers.
Coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in Kufur Qaddoum Murad Shteiwy said the soldiers used excessive force against the weekly protest that is also held demanding Israeli to reopen the village’s main road that the army sealed 13 years ago.
He added that the soldiers invaded the village from three directions while firing dozens of gas bombs and live rounds.
Residents Nasser Barham, 42, Hakam Khaldoun, 24, were shot by rubber-coated metal bullets in the abdomen, while resident Mohammad Abdul-Salam, 18, was shot by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head, and Maher Jom’a was shot in the leg.
In addition, an Israeli military bulldozer destroyed the main water pipe leading to the village, causing the villagers to be without running water for a few hours before local maintenance teams managed to fix it.
The Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in the village said the soldiers closed main roads, fired dozens of gas bombs, concussion grenades, rubber-coated metal bullets, and live ammunition.
Clashes erupted between the invading soldiers and scores of local youths in the village that was covered with smoke resulting from gas bombs fired by the soldiers.
Coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in Kufur Qaddoum Murad Shteiwy said the soldiers used excessive force against the weekly protest that is also held demanding Israeli to reopen the village’s main road that the army sealed 13 years ago.
He added that the soldiers invaded the village from three directions while firing dozens of gas bombs and live rounds.
Residents Nasser Barham, 42, Hakam Khaldoun, 24, were shot by rubber-coated metal bullets in the abdomen, while resident Mohammad Abdul-Salam, 18, was shot by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head, and Maher Jom’a was shot in the leg.
In addition, an Israeli military bulldozer destroyed the main water pipe leading to the village, causing the villagers to be without running water for a few hours before local maintenance teams managed to fix it.