Stolen water

On tour /

Yesterday our group went to visit the Jordan Valley.  Our host there was part of Jordan Valley Solidarity. I have read a lot about how Israeli settlers stole water from the Palestinians but seeing it with your own eyes is different.  Water is yet another weapon used by the Israeli state to force Palestinians off their land.  It is a planned strategy.

The Jordan Valley is a prime agricultural area and has been planted peacefully by all people for centuries.  There was plenty of water for crops.  Abundant springs. This has all changed.  Now Palestinians are not allowed to have any water from the ground.  The farmer we visited has two tanks that he has to connect to a tractor and go miles to a town where he is allowed to buy water.  Settlers have water piped to their houses while Palestinians have to buy every drop – and it’s very expensive! But the worst thing is that the pipes bringing water to the settlers run right through this family’s land.

He once decided to connect to one of these pipes.  He got water for one week but was then arrested.  He spent a week in prison and was fined 4000 shekels (£1000).
The Palestinians have stayed farming this land even though life is so difficult.  Every day that I am here I deeply feel what the expression ‘existence is resistance’ means.
The area we visited was full of soldiers.  It is used as a training ground.  They can declare any area a militant zone and practise their raids on the local people.  Every aspect of life is affected.  Going to school becomes almost impossible. This family built a schoolroom on their land by putting up a tent first then building walls inside.  This was done at night, in secret because building a school is forbidden.  And yet with all of this the people we met showed warmth, hospitality and resilience – as always.

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