A new report has revealed that the occupying Israeli regime has tightened its control over water resources in the West Bank, now controlling over 84% of Palestinian supplies in light of escalating shortages in the occupied territory.
The report released on Saturday by the National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements, which is associated with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), indicated that Israeli authorities and illegal settlers have intensified their efforts to seize Palestinian water resources, including the demolition of over 500 rainwater harvesting wells throughout the region.
According to the bureau, 52% of the water from the West Bank is allocated for Israeli use, whereas an additional 32% is directed towards illegal settlements. This leaves Palestinians with a mere 16%, resulting in significant supply shortages, particularly during the hot summer months.
Tensions escalated this week following an assault by illegal Israeli settlers on the Ain Samia spring, located east of Ramallah, which resulted in a total cessation of water pumping to numerous nearby towns and villages.
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The al-Quds Water Authority announced that it has lost oversight of the region's water infrastructure as a result of ongoing assaults on power lines, pumps, communication systems, and surveillance equipment.
It cautioned that more than 70,000 Palestinians currently face the threat of losing access to clean water, describing the situation as “a looming humanitarian catastrophe.”
The report further emphasized the significant disparity in daily water usage. On average, a Palestinian utilizes approximately 85.7 liters each day, whereas Israelis use close to 300 liters.
Since the start of Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the Palestinian Health Ministry reports that at least 1,006 Palestinians have lost their lives and over 7,000 have sustained injuries in the West Bank due to actions by Israeli forces and illegal settlers.
In a significant ruling last July, the International Court of Justice deemed Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory unlawful and urged the removal of all settlements in the West Bank and East al-Quds.
Source:Websites
