14 sept 2017
Dirty undrinkable water
Residents of Nablus in the occupied West Bank are suffering from increasing water shortages, according to a new report by B’Tselem.
The rights group reported: “Israel prevents the Palestinians from digging new wells and refuses to sell them more water to ease the suffering.” Consequently, “in summer residents must purchase water privately, at high costs, and use it for essential needs only.”
Israel abuses its control of all water sources between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean by subjecting Palestinians to a permanent shortage of water.
In 2014, Palestinian water consumption in the West Bank was about 80 litres per person a day, lower the than the 100-litre minimum recommended by the World Health Organisation. That same year, “average water consumption for household, commercial and industrial needs in Israel was some 287 litres per person a day – almost four times the average Palestinian consumption.”
B’Tselem notes that “Israel impedes the development of new Palestinian water infrastructure, destroys and confiscates existing infrastructure, and limits Palestinian access to local water sources such as fresh water springs, drilled wells and rainwater cisterns”.
Read: Israel to remove Palestinian village’s sole water pipe
“Together,” the NGO concludes, “these factors have created a permanent water shortage for Palestinians in the West Bank.”
This “state of affairs clearly illustrates how Israel views water – and all other resources in the West Bank – as its sole property, to be used for Israeli needs only, at the expense of Palestinians.”
Residents of Nablus in the occupied West Bank are suffering from increasing water shortages, according to a new report by B’Tselem.
The rights group reported: “Israel prevents the Palestinians from digging new wells and refuses to sell them more water to ease the suffering.” Consequently, “in summer residents must purchase water privately, at high costs, and use it for essential needs only.”
Israel abuses its control of all water sources between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean by subjecting Palestinians to a permanent shortage of water.
In 2014, Palestinian water consumption in the West Bank was about 80 litres per person a day, lower the than the 100-litre minimum recommended by the World Health Organisation. That same year, “average water consumption for household, commercial and industrial needs in Israel was some 287 litres per person a day – almost four times the average Palestinian consumption.”
B’Tselem notes that “Israel impedes the development of new Palestinian water infrastructure, destroys and confiscates existing infrastructure, and limits Palestinian access to local water sources such as fresh water springs, drilled wells and rainwater cisterns”.
Read: Israel to remove Palestinian village’s sole water pipe
“Together,” the NGO concludes, “these factors have created a permanent water shortage for Palestinians in the West Bank.”
This “state of affairs clearly illustrates how Israel views water – and all other resources in the West Bank – as its sole property, to be used for Israeli needs only, at the expense of Palestinians.”
12 sept 2017
Israeli occupation authorities on Tuesday afternoon confiscated cattle and water tanks belonging to Palestinian citizens in the northern Jordan Valley.
Human rights activist Aref Daraghmeh told PIC reporter that officials from the so-called Nature Authority, accompanied by Civil Administration crews and an Israeli military force, broke into Um al-'Ubor area and confiscated a number of cows as well as dozens of water tanks.
Daraghmeh pointed out that while Israeli authorities allow settlers to freely herd their cattle in many of the Jordan Valley lands, Palestinian shepherds are prevented from entering them on the grounds that they are nature reserves.
He called on human rights organizations to stand with the Palestinians living there and protect their property and livelihoods.
Human rights activist Aref Daraghmeh told PIC reporter that officials from the so-called Nature Authority, accompanied by Civil Administration crews and an Israeli military force, broke into Um al-'Ubor area and confiscated a number of cows as well as dozens of water tanks.
Daraghmeh pointed out that while Israeli authorities allow settlers to freely herd their cattle in many of the Jordan Valley lands, Palestinian shepherds are prevented from entering them on the grounds that they are nature reserves.
He called on human rights organizations to stand with the Palestinians living there and protect their property and livelihoods.
7 sept 2017
Israeli occupation authorities are reducing the amount of water provided to Palestinian areas in northern Jordan Valley mostly under pretext of “water scarcity.”
Moataz Bisharat, in charge of the Jordan Valley settlements file in the Palestinian Authority, said that during the past few months, the occupation authorities started reducing water supply to Ayn Al-Bayda, Bardala and Kardala.
In an interview with Quds Press today, Bisharat claimed, accoridng to Days of Palestine, that the occupation reduced the amount of water yesterday, which significantly affected the citizens, and created a crisis for many houses and factories.
He pointed out that “there are areas and neighbourhoods that water does not completely reach.” He noted that they contacted the concerned authorities, which in turn addressed the Israeli side. “However, the occupation justified its actions, claiming there is a lack of water.”
The Palestinian official questioned the validity of the Israeli justifications. He explained: “The occupation’s actions are limited to the Palestinian communities, while the Israeli water company pumps large quantities of water to settlements and settlement outposts in the area.”
Residents held protests in the area today demanding sufficient water be pumped into the region.
Bisharat stressed: “It is impossible to radically solve the problem of water shortage, because the occupation has control of most of the geographic areas in the region. In addition, it prevents Palestinian companies from establishing wells and benefiting from groundwater.”
Palestinians have been suffering from water shortages since Israeli occupation forces took control of the water supplies in the occupied territories, and prevented Palestinians from using them.
On 13 July, the US envoy to the peace process, Jason Greenblatt, signed a bilateral agreement on water between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.
Under the agreement, which was signed in Jerusalem, and attended by Israeli Minister of Regional Cooperation Tzachi Hanegbi, Palestinian Water Authority Chairman, Mazen Ghunaim, and Greenblatt, the Israeli authority pledged to increase the amount of water it annually sells to Palestinians.
The agreement is part of a joint “Naqil Al-Bahrain” project between Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Israel in order to build a 200 kilometre pipeline extending from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea and to set up a water desalination plant at Jordan’s Aqaba Port.
Moataz Bisharat, in charge of the Jordan Valley settlements file in the Palestinian Authority, said that during the past few months, the occupation authorities started reducing water supply to Ayn Al-Bayda, Bardala and Kardala.
In an interview with Quds Press today, Bisharat claimed, accoridng to Days of Palestine, that the occupation reduced the amount of water yesterday, which significantly affected the citizens, and created a crisis for many houses and factories.
He pointed out that “there are areas and neighbourhoods that water does not completely reach.” He noted that they contacted the concerned authorities, which in turn addressed the Israeli side. “However, the occupation justified its actions, claiming there is a lack of water.”
The Palestinian official questioned the validity of the Israeli justifications. He explained: “The occupation’s actions are limited to the Palestinian communities, while the Israeli water company pumps large quantities of water to settlements and settlement outposts in the area.”
Residents held protests in the area today demanding sufficient water be pumped into the region.
Bisharat stressed: “It is impossible to radically solve the problem of water shortage, because the occupation has control of most of the geographic areas in the region. In addition, it prevents Palestinian companies from establishing wells and benefiting from groundwater.”
Palestinians have been suffering from water shortages since Israeli occupation forces took control of the water supplies in the occupied territories, and prevented Palestinians from using them.
On 13 July, the US envoy to the peace process, Jason Greenblatt, signed a bilateral agreement on water between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.
Under the agreement, which was signed in Jerusalem, and attended by Israeli Minister of Regional Cooperation Tzachi Hanegbi, Palestinian Water Authority Chairman, Mazen Ghunaim, and Greenblatt, the Israeli authority pledged to increase the amount of water it annually sells to Palestinians.
The agreement is part of a joint “Naqil Al-Bahrain” project between Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Israel in order to build a 200 kilometre pipeline extending from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea and to set up a water desalination plant at Jordan’s Aqaba Port.
5 sept 2017
Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) on Tuesday notified the demolition of the water pipeline feeding Khirbet al-Marajem which is located near Duma village to the south of Nablus city.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian official who is in charge of the settlement file in the northern West Bank, said that 14 families living in Khirbet al-Marajem will be deprived of accessing water supplies at any moment.
Demolition operations are carried out on a regular basis by the IOA against Palestinian houses and properties in the West Bank villages, particularly those located in Area C, which is completely controlled by Israel. These practices fall in line with Israeli systematic attempts to seize more Palestinian lands.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian official who is in charge of the settlement file in the northern West Bank, said that 14 families living in Khirbet al-Marajem will be deprived of accessing water supplies at any moment.
Demolition operations are carried out on a regular basis by the IOA against Palestinian houses and properties in the West Bank villages, particularly those located in Area C, which is completely controlled by Israel. These practices fall in line with Israeli systematic attempts to seize more Palestinian lands.
27 aug 2017
Israeli settlers have attempted to hold sway over new Palestinian lands and water resources in Nablus’s southern town of Madama in favor of illegal settlement expansion.
According to activists from Madama town, a series of snapshots propagated on social media networks show Israeli settler hordes from Yitzhar illegal settlement as grabbing hold of a Palestinian land tract in the area.
The Israeli settlers are also caught on pictures while transferring water lines to an adjacent swimming pool and turning a fertile land planted with almonds and figs to a touristic zone.
The settlers also launched calls for a mass presence in the area so as to impose a new fait accompli on the ground.
Madama village council announced the launch of a project to document the Israeli violations against Palestinian land and water resources in the area.
According to activists from Madama town, a series of snapshots propagated on social media networks show Israeli settler hordes from Yitzhar illegal settlement as grabbing hold of a Palestinian land tract in the area.
The Israeli settlers are also caught on pictures while transferring water lines to an adjacent swimming pool and turning a fertile land planted with almonds and figs to a touristic zone.
The settlers also launched calls for a mass presence in the area so as to impose a new fait accompli on the ground.
Madama village council announced the launch of a project to document the Israeli violations against Palestinian land and water resources in the area.
26 aug 2017
The Independent British newspaper said that "An incredible 96 per cent of Gaza’s water supply is unsafe to drink, as its only aquifer is contaminated by sewage and the coastal enclave’s three desalination plants are in effect offline".
In a report on Saturday, the newspaper said, “The Strip’s burgeoning water and electricity crises have taken their toll, and three years on since Israel’s war on Gaza, it’s clear things in the Strip are getting worse, rather than better”.
“July report from the UN found that 10 years into the siege, the Gaza Strip is now “unlivable”, and de-developing quicker than expected”, the report stated.
It added that when the Israeli aggression on Gaza ended on 26 August 2014 – after the deaths of 2,200 Palestinians, Israel vowed to change course on Gaza.
“Yet nothing has come of the promises to increase travel permits to let Palestinians out of the “open-air prison”; fewer people are granted permission to leave the Strip than in 2014, even for medical reasons. The crossing into Egypt also remains closed”, the report highlighted.
Only a third of the some 11,000 homes destroyed in the 2014 war have been rebuilt, the Norwegian Refugee Council estimated recently. The economic knock-on effects of two wars and ten years of Israeli sea and land blockades have led the Gazan economy to effectively collapse, unemployment is sky-high at 41 per cent, rising to 60 per cent for the young, and the threat of Israeli force's air strikes is constant.
The power is often only on for three hours a day. Hospitals have warned the blackouts endanger patients’ lives, and since many households rely on electric pumps for their water, millions have difficulty washing, cooking and doing laundry, the report concluded.
In a report on Saturday, the newspaper said, “The Strip’s burgeoning water and electricity crises have taken their toll, and three years on since Israel’s war on Gaza, it’s clear things in the Strip are getting worse, rather than better”.
“July report from the UN found that 10 years into the siege, the Gaza Strip is now “unlivable”, and de-developing quicker than expected”, the report stated.
It added that when the Israeli aggression on Gaza ended on 26 August 2014 – after the deaths of 2,200 Palestinians, Israel vowed to change course on Gaza.
“Yet nothing has come of the promises to increase travel permits to let Palestinians out of the “open-air prison”; fewer people are granted permission to leave the Strip than in 2014, even for medical reasons. The crossing into Egypt also remains closed”, the report highlighted.
Only a third of the some 11,000 homes destroyed in the 2014 war have been rebuilt, the Norwegian Refugee Council estimated recently. The economic knock-on effects of two wars and ten years of Israeli sea and land blockades have led the Gazan economy to effectively collapse, unemployment is sky-high at 41 per cent, rising to 60 per cent for the young, and the threat of Israeli force's air strikes is constant.
The power is often only on for three hours a day. Hospitals have warned the blackouts endanger patients’ lives, and since many households rely on electric pumps for their water, millions have difficulty washing, cooking and doing laundry, the report concluded.
23 aug 2017
Palestinians living in Belaa town, north of Tulkarem province, have sounded distress signals over the acute dearth in much-needed water supplies.
Belaa Mayor, Anwar Ameir, said during a Tuesday meeting with the head of the Water Authority in Ramallah that the water crisis has wrought severe damage on Belaa’s agricultural lands.
Ameir urged the Water Authority to take urgent steps so as to work out the crisis and boost both the quality and quantity of water supplies to Belaa.
He further pressed for raising funds and speeding up underway efforts to excavate a new water well in Belaa.
Head of the Water Authority, Mazen Ghneim, attributed the water crisis to the sharp decrease in the output of the local water well, vowing to seek out ways to tone down the crisis.
Belaa Mayor, Anwar Ameir, said during a Tuesday meeting with the head of the Water Authority in Ramallah that the water crisis has wrought severe damage on Belaa’s agricultural lands.
Ameir urged the Water Authority to take urgent steps so as to work out the crisis and boost both the quality and quantity of water supplies to Belaa.
He further pressed for raising funds and speeding up underway efforts to excavate a new water well in Belaa.
Head of the Water Authority, Mazen Ghneim, attributed the water crisis to the sharp decrease in the output of the local water well, vowing to seek out ways to tone down the crisis.
31 july 2017
Scores of Palestinians on Monday staged a sit-in on the main road adjacent to al-Lebban al-Sharqiya town, south of Nablus city. The sit-in aimed at protesting the Israeli reduction of the town’s allocation of water supply.
Head of the town’s council, Samer Uwais, said that the Israeli water company Mekorot has recently reduced the quantities of water supplying the town to only quarter the usual amount, which created a real water crisis.
Uwais told Quds Press that the sit-in was a step within a series of protests the inhabitants are planning to hold to express their refusal of the reduction of water supply until the cancellation of the Israeli company’s decision.
The company claimed that the decision was made because of the inhabitants’ overuse of water and the scarcity of water due to the summer heat, he pointed out.
“Alternative options are very rare in light of the Israeli control of most of the Palestinian water resources in the area and banning Palestinian institutions from establishing artesian wells and making use of the groundwater", Uwais said.
Head of the town’s council, Samer Uwais, said that the Israeli water company Mekorot has recently reduced the quantities of water supplying the town to only quarter the usual amount, which created a real water crisis.
Uwais told Quds Press that the sit-in was a step within a series of protests the inhabitants are planning to hold to express their refusal of the reduction of water supply until the cancellation of the Israeli company’s decision.
The company claimed that the decision was made because of the inhabitants’ overuse of water and the scarcity of water due to the summer heat, he pointed out.
“Alternative options are very rare in light of the Israeli control of most of the Palestinian water resources in the area and banning Palestinian institutions from establishing artesian wells and making use of the groundwater", Uwais said.
19 july 2017
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) raided on Wednesday Ain al-Beida area in northern Jordan Valley. The IOF soldiers confiscated equipment used by farmers to pump drinking and irrigation water under the claim of lacking license.
The Palestinian activist in Jordan Valley, Mutaz Bsharat, told Quds Press that the confiscation was carried out in full disregard to an Israeli court precautionary decision to freeze a former order that stipulated halting using water in the area, claiming that it is a "state property".
Bsharat opined that the confiscation ran contrary to the court’s decision. He pointed to several reports issued by international and humanitarian institutions on the Israeli persistence in targeting Palestinians in Jordan Valley district in order to make them leave their homes to allow room for Jewish settlers.
The Palestinian activist in Jordan Valley, Mutaz Bsharat, told Quds Press that the confiscation was carried out in full disregard to an Israeli court precautionary decision to freeze a former order that stipulated halting using water in the area, claiming that it is a "state property".
Bsharat opined that the confiscation ran contrary to the court’s decision. He pointed to several reports issued by international and humanitarian institutions on the Israeli persistence in targeting Palestinians in Jordan Valley district in order to make them leave their homes to allow room for Jewish settlers.
17 july 2017
Palestinian municipal authorities in the central West Bank city of Salfit declared a state of emergency after Israel’s national water company of Mekorot completely cut off water supply to the city.
Factories have been shut down due to the water shortage while locals have been forced to pay for water brought in large tankers for household use.
Every summer Israel implements a policy of water cuts against Palestinian communities to meet the increased demand for water in settlements.
Even without the cutbacks, the amount of water supplied to Palestinian communities is much smaller than the water available to Israeli settlers in the neighboring settlements and falls short of the amount recommended by the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO).
Factories have been shut down due to the water shortage while locals have been forced to pay for water brought in large tankers for household use.
Every summer Israel implements a policy of water cuts against Palestinian communities to meet the increased demand for water in settlements.
Even without the cutbacks, the amount of water supplied to Palestinian communities is much smaller than the water available to Israeli settlers in the neighboring settlements and falls short of the amount recommended by the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO).
7 july 2017
The Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) scaled down the amount of water it supplies to the central West Bank city of Salfit for the second day in a row, causing severe damage to field crops.
Local sources affirmed to the PIC reporter that IOA reduced the water supply by more than 50%, pushing the local municipal authorities to cut off the water to large areas in the city.
Every summer Israel implements a policy of water cuts against Palestinian communities to meet the increased demand for water in settlements.
Even without the cutbacks, the amount of water supplied to Palestinian communities is much smaller than the water available to Israeli settlers in the neighboring settlements and falls short of the amount recommended by the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO).
Local sources affirmed to the PIC reporter that IOA reduced the water supply by more than 50%, pushing the local municipal authorities to cut off the water to large areas in the city.
Every summer Israel implements a policy of water cuts against Palestinian communities to meet the increased demand for water in settlements.
Even without the cutbacks, the amount of water supplied to Palestinian communities is much smaller than the water available to Israeli settlers in the neighboring settlements and falls short of the amount recommended by the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO).
6 july 2017
Palestinians setting up roots in Salfit sounded distress signals on Thursday after the Israeli occupation authorities cut water supplies pouring into the city.
According to local sources, water supplies to Salfit have been curtailed by up to 60%, forcing the local municipality to rein in the distribution and consumption of drinking water.
Researcher Khaled Maali said the IOA has been transferring water supplies stolen from the Palestinians to some 25 illegal settlement outposts built on Palestinian lands in Salfit.
In Maali’s terms, such moves make part of Israeli attempts to tighten the noose around Palestinians’ neck in Salfit so as to force them out of the area in favor of illegal settlement expansion.
According to local sources, water supplies to Salfit have been curtailed by up to 60%, forcing the local municipality to rein in the distribution and consumption of drinking water.
Researcher Khaled Maali said the IOA has been transferring water supplies stolen from the Palestinians to some 25 illegal settlement outposts built on Palestinian lands in Salfit.
In Maali’s terms, such moves make part of Israeli attempts to tighten the noose around Palestinians’ neck in Salfit so as to force them out of the area in favor of illegal settlement expansion.
13 june 2017
The Israeli occupation army on Monday disconnected water supply lines used by Palestinian farmers to irrigate their agricultural lands in Furush Beit Dajan village, east of Nablus city in the West Bank.
Chief of the village council Tawfiq al-Hajj stated that the Israeli army’s civil administration prevented Furush Beit Dajan farmers from watering their cultivated plots of land, which would affect the crops and the agricultural season.
Hajj explained that employees from the civil administration escorted by soldiers cut water pipes utilized by local farmers to irrigate their crops at the pretext they were established without a license.
He complained that the Israeli military authorities systematically target Furush Beit Dajan villagers and deprive them of using groundwater resources in their area, and reclaiming or cultivating their lands.
He added that such Israeli measures are aimed at paving the way for annexing the Palestinian agricultural land in Furush Beit Dajan and using it for settlement projects.
Chief of the village council Tawfiq al-Hajj stated that the Israeli army’s civil administration prevented Furush Beit Dajan farmers from watering their cultivated plots of land, which would affect the crops and the agricultural season.
Hajj explained that employees from the civil administration escorted by soldiers cut water pipes utilized by local farmers to irrigate their crops at the pretext they were established without a license.
He complained that the Israeli military authorities systematically target Furush Beit Dajan villagers and deprive them of using groundwater resources in their area, and reclaiming or cultivating their lands.
He added that such Israeli measures are aimed at paving the way for annexing the Palestinian agricultural land in Furush Beit Dajan and using it for settlement projects.
8 june 2017
The Israeli occupation authorities at daybreak Thursday cut off water supplies to 13 Palestinian towns southeast of Nablus, in the northern West Bank.
According to Ghassan Dughlas, a Palestinian activist monitoring settlement activity in the northern West Bank, the occupation authorities have often cut off water supplies to the area without prior notifications.
However, illegal settlement outposts built on Palestinian lands in and near the area have been granted unrestricted access to Palestinian water resources.
Palestinian groundwater supplies in Nablus and Salfit have been permanently misappropriated by the Israeli authorities and transferred to nearby settlement outposts.
According to Ghassan Dughlas, a Palestinian activist monitoring settlement activity in the northern West Bank, the occupation authorities have often cut off water supplies to the area without prior notifications.
However, illegal settlement outposts built on Palestinian lands in and near the area have been granted unrestricted access to Palestinian water resources.
Palestinian groundwater supplies in Nablus and Salfit have been permanently misappropriated by the Israeli authorities and transferred to nearby settlement outposts.
7 june 2017
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) on Tuesday threatened to demolish structures used to protect spring water against contamination to the east of the Palestinian town of Barta’a, which is isolated by Israel’s separation wall in the south of Jenin city.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that employees from the Israeli water authority escorted by Israeli troops stormed al-Nab’ah area in the town and threatened to remove structures used at the site to protect the spring.
Barta'a Cooperative Association for Drinking Water and Lighting had carried out a project to protect the spring from the wastewater that comes from Katzir settlement, which was built illegally on annexed land in the area.
Al-Nab’ah area is considered the main water supply to Barta’a, but Israel prevents the locals from establishing any water project in Area C of the West Bank and removes any related structures at the pretext of unlicensed construction.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that employees from the Israeli water authority escorted by Israeli troops stormed al-Nab’ah area in the town and threatened to remove structures used at the site to protect the spring.
Barta'a Cooperative Association for Drinking Water and Lighting had carried out a project to protect the spring from the wastewater that comes from Katzir settlement, which was built illegally on annexed land in the area.
Al-Nab’ah area is considered the main water supply to Barta’a, but Israel prevents the locals from establishing any water project in Area C of the West Bank and removes any related structures at the pretext of unlicensed construction.
