Israeli occupation authorities today handed Palestinian farmers to the northeast of Jenin, in the northern occupied West Bank, notices ordering them to stop the drilling of water wells, according to local sources.
Sources told WAFA carried out large-scale search campaigns in agricultural land to the northeast of Jenin and delivered notices ordering farmers to stop the drilling of water wells, which they use to irrigate their crops.
Forces also intensified their military presence in the area and placed flying checkpoints in the vicinity of several towns and villages to the northeast of Jenin, obstructing the movement of Palestinians.
In 1967, Israel seized control of all water resources in the newly occupied territories. To this day, it retains exclusive control over all the water resources that lie between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, with the exception of a short section of the coastal aquifer that runs under the Gaza Strip, said the Israeli information center for human rights in occupied territories, B’Tselem.
“Israel uses the water as it sees fit, ignoring the needs of Palestinians in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip to such an extent that the two areas suffer a severe water shortage,” it said.
“In both areas, residents are not supplied enough water. In Gaza, even the water that is supplied is substandard and not potable,” added B’Tselem.
“The right to water and sanitation is a fundamental human right enshrined in international conventions of which Israel is a signatory. Israel is therefore obligated to uphold this right in all territories under its control,” said the human rights center.
Source: Palestine News & Information Agency