News Roundup: June 2016

An important piece from Israeli journalist Amira Hass on Israel’s water wars:

Water is the only issue in which Israel (still) finds it difficult to defend its discriminatory, oppressive and destructive policy with pretexts of security and God.

Israel Incapable of Telling the Truth About Water It Steals from Palestinians [via Haaretz]


Israel intends to destroy a water-holding tank that serves 20 families of Palestinian shepherds and their flocks in the northern Jordan Valley.

Israel Plans to Destroy the Only Water Source for Shepherds in West Bank Village [via Haaretz]


Even when clinics receive new surgical instruments, these are swiftly destroyed by factors far outside the control of Gazan surgeons. This is because the water supply in Gaza is so contaminated that many clinics rely on sea water to clean surgical instruments—and ‘this just corrodes it all,’ the surgeon said.

Unexpected Details Ram Home the Scale of Gaza Crisis [via SciDev]


This UNICEF article [PDF] addresses inequitable access to water in the West Bank, as well as Gaza’s water supply, which is unfit for human consumption due to sewage, agricultural infiltration, and salt-water intrusion from the sea.

About one million West Bank Palestinians consume 60 litres of water per capita per day or less, significantly below the WHO recommendation of 10.

December 2013: Protecting children from unsafe water and inadequate sanitation [via UNICEF State of Palestine News]

Greenwashing Israel: Water Firms in California

This is one of the reasons we organized this website: We must raise the issue of Israel’s use of water as a weapon against Palestinians every time the country portrays itself as a pioneer in water technology and access. Israeli business journal Globes:

Seeking US money, Israeli water companies are turning to drought-stricken California. Representatives of no fewer than 26 water purification, desalinization, wastewater treatment, piping, irrigation, and other companies will travel to Los Angeles at the end of the month in an effort to slake the thirst of Californians, while making a few dollars in the process.

Israeli water tech companies to tackle California drought [via Globes]

A Palestinian plea to the US Congress

In this past year, Rebuilding Alliance has held nearly 100 briefings with Senate and House staff to keep Susiya, Al Aqaba, Um Al Kheir and all Palestinian Villages standing. What we’re hearing from Congressional staff on both sides of aisle is this: it really makes a difference when constituents call in to express concern and to ask their members of Congress to take action.

‘Why is water dangerous?’ A Palestinian plea to the US Congress [via Mondoweiss]