Water Used as Weapon

West Bank: Settlers Attack System of Wells to Force Relocation

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From his monitoring station on a hill in the occupied West Bank, water operator Subhil Olayan keeps watch over a lifeline for Palestinians, the Ein Samiyah spring. So, when Israeli settlers recently attacked the system of wells, pumps and pipelines he oversees, he knew the stakes.

"There is no life without water, of course," he said, following the attack which cut off the water supply to nearby villages.

The spring, which feeds the pumping station, is the main or backup water source for some 110,000 people, according to the Palestinian company that manages it—making it one of the most vital in the West Bank, where water is in chronic short supply.

The attack is one of several recent incidents in which settlers have been accused of damaging, diverting or seizing control of Palestinian water sources.