More Sewage Spills into Palestinian Fields

"A sewage treatment facility for Amihai, which is planned to serve Shiloh and other settlements, has yet to be built. A visit to the pit built by the settlers shows it’s mere meters from Palestinian fields, and contaminates them. The ground around the pit is soaked with wastewater. Members of Torat Tzedek (Torah of Justice) photographed the sewage leakage."

New West Bank Settlement's Sewage Overflowing Into Palestinian Fields

Raw sewage that flowed from the new West Bank settlement of Amihai into the fields of the Palestinian village Turmus.

Raw sewage that flowed from the new West Bank settlement of Amihai into the fields of the Palestinian village Turmus.

Water as a Weapon: The West Bank Village of Bardala

The Alliance's Weekly Fact:

In April 2017, 40 Israeli soldiers raided the Palestinian West Bank village Bardala, bulldozed its water outlets, destroyed pipelines to farms, and confiscated 168 metres of pipes that belonged to farmers and the village.

A month later, Israeli forces opened fire at the village's peaceful Right to Water march of 500 people, injuring five youth and detaining one youth for 48 hours.

Bardala depends on agriculture. In 1964, its wells provided 200 cubic metres (52,834 gallons) of spring water/hour. The village built an 67-metre-deep well that provided 300 cubic metres (79,251 gallons) of spring water/hour.  

After Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, Israel and its water company, Mekorot, built several 300-metre-deep wells on Bardala's lands, 200 metres from the village's original well.

In 1974 Israel and Mekorot closed the Palestinian wells and demanded Bardala residents pay to receive 240 cubic metres of water from their own springs. 

In 2006, Mekorot further reduced the supply to 60 cubic metres of water. This has had a disastrous effect on crops, livestock, and residents, whose population since 1964 has increased from 500 to 5000 people.

Sources for fact: StoptheWall.org, May 2017, StoptheWall.org, April 2017

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Nidal Al-Azraq, the Executive Director, of 1for3.

Nidal Al-Azraq, the Executive Director, of 1for3.

Annual Harvard Graduation Demo Puts Spotlight on Gaza

Palestine Solidarity Activists Stand Out for Gaza

On May 24, a line of 60 or so activists holding banners and signs protesting the Gaza massacre greeted newly-minted Harvard graduates and their families as they left Harvard Yard.  

They walked past names of most of the Gazans killed in creative, unarmed demonstrations mounted to demand their dignity, freedom from the cage confining Gaza, and a recognition of the rights of refugees.  

A flyer headlined ‘Slaughter in Gaza Demands our Response!’  spelled out the results of Israel’s lethal impunity:

• At least 118 killed, most targeted by Israeli snipers from hundreds
of yards away. 15 children, one a baby, and 2 journalists were killed.
• 12,600+ injured, many with wounds requiring amputations.
Dozens of journalists and some 700 children are among the wounded.
• 1 Israeli soldier reported to be ‘lightly wounded’; 0 Israelis killed.

What was the reaction?  There was more anger expressed towards us than in previous years, revealing the extent to which Israel’s relentless demonization of Palestinians has been internalized by some Americans.

But there was also a show of support from many graduates.  Most heartwarming was the outpouring of joy from a young Palestinian woman in cap and gown, whose family thanked us for our presence by distributing ice cream to the entire group. 

Nancy Murray, Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine

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