Israelis use significantly more water per capita than Palestinians

Palestinian Families Face Water Crisis as Israeli Settlers Seize Springs

In the eastern occupied West Bank, a centuries-old water source known as al-Auja spring has been seized by Israeli settlers. The spring, which serves as one of the largest and oldest water basins in Palestine, has been fenced off and pumps have been installed to siphon water directly from the aquifer, leaving Palestinian pipes dry.

According to Jad Isaac, director of the Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem (ARIJ), Palestinians are forced to purchase over 100 million cubic metres of water annually from Israeli companies at market price. This has created a significant inequality in access to water resources, with Palestinians receiving approximately 80 litres per day, while settlers consume seven times that amount.

Drone footage obtained by Reuters reveals the stark contrast between Palestinian greenhouses, which have withered and brown due to lack of water, and lush settlement agriculture thriving on seized water. The situation has left many families in a “trap” set by the Oslo Accords, as Israel has refused to negotiate on Palestinian water rights.

The Palestinian Authority is now required to purchase water from Israeli companies, effectively buying back their own natural resources. Rights groups warn that this engineered thirst is a strategic method to force Palestinians to abandon their homes. According to ARIJ data, more than 56 water springs in the West Bank have been subjected to repeated settler attacks or takeovers.

The seizure of water resources appears to have explicit backing from the Israeli government. In a video circulating online, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised settlers for taking physical control of the springs, calling them “heroes”. The situation has left many Palestinian families facing a crisis, with their natural springs seized or blocked, and their infrastructure being dismantled.

Source: Al Jazeera