Union for Justice: The Occupation Controls Water Sources and Uses “Thirst” as a Tool to Pressure Palestinians
13 August 2025 – Union for Justice Foundation
The Union for Justice Foundation stated that the Israeli occupation authorities continue to seize Palestinian water resources—both those designated for drinking and for irrigation—by controlling major springs in the West Bank and pursuing a policy aimed at pressuring Palestinians and driving them toward displacement.
The Foundation pointed out that Israeli authorities prohibit Palestinians from drilling new artesian wells in Areas “B” and “C” of the West Bank and prevent the rehabilitation of existing ones. They also ban the construction of water reservoirs or rainwater harvesting systems, while at the same time encouraging settlers to establish massive agricultural projects that deplete Palestinian water resources.
According to human rights reports, the occupying power now controls more than 84% of the water resources in the West Bank, a situation exacerbated by the Oslo Accords’ deferral of the water issue to “final status” negotiations. This has led to a severe crisis across Palestinian cities, towns, and villages.
Occupation bulldozers have also demolished at least 500 water collection wells in the West Bank. For instance, as documented by the Union for Justice Foundation, on 7 July, Israeli bulldozers demolished more than 50 water tanks in the al-Mushtal area east of Al-Eizariya, east of occupied Jerusalem.
In the village of Beit Dajan, east of Nablus Governorate, occupation forces shut down several artesian wells in early August that had been supplying households and agricultural crops, causing significant damage to the agricultural sector.
On 5 August, occupation forces also sealed off seven springs in the al-Baha area of Dahriyya, south of Hebron, confiscated equipment used for springs and farmland, demolished a 1,000-cubic-meter water reservoir in the al-Safah area east of Tubas, and destroyed an 800-meter water pipeline.
Meanwhile, a 2023 report by the Israeli organization B’Tselem noted that while settlers in the West Bank enjoy running water on a daily basis, only 36% of Palestinians in the West Bank have daily access to running water.
Settlers as Partners in Crime
The Union for Justice Foundation indicated that the policy pursued by the occupation authorities to deprive Palestinians in the West Bank of their water resources goes hand in hand with daily attacks carried out by settlers. These attacks target artesian wells, water pipelines, pumping stations, infrastructure, and water transport tankers.
According to monitoring by the Union for Justice Foundation, settlers carried out 14 attacks during the past month and a half, targeting water wells, transport tankers, reservoirs, pipelines, and irrigation networks—particularly in the Jordan Valley and agricultural areas—as part of a strategy designed to expel farmers and destroy Palestinian agriculture.
Settlers have also seized 56 water springs in the northern Jordan Valley and in the western areas isolated behind the separation wall, converting them into exclusive tourist sites for their use.
The Foundation explained that the most significant and dangerous of these assaults targeted the Ein Samia water wells, east of Kafr Malik, northeast of Ramallah. The area contains five wells. Settlers repeatedly stormed the site after breaking its main gate, destroyed surveillance cameras installed on the station walls, vandalized pumping and waterline equipment, and broke the main feeder pipeline.
The Ein Samia area, which produces a total of 12 cubic meters of water daily and supplies 19 local communities with approximately 65,000 residents, is considered one of the most vital groundwater sources in northeast Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate. It contains a network of wells and stations that provide safe drinking water to wide areas of the governorate.
Other settler attacks included the destruction of a 100-dunum nature reserve in the village of Kisan, east of Bethlehem, which contained water basins and wells, as well as the destruction of a water network in Aqraba, south of Nablus, that supplied seven villages south of the town.
Purchasing Water at High Prices
Palestinian towns, villages, and refugee camps—particularly in the central and southern regions—suffer from a severe water crisis, despite the fact that the West Bank lies on a major aquifer rich in groundwater. In some areas of the West Bank, the per capita daily share of water does not exceed 35–40 liters, whereas the World Health Organization recommends a minimum of 120 liters per person per day.
By contrast, the average daily water consumption of an Israeli settler residing in settlements built on West Bank land is 247 liters, which is nearly three times the average daily consumption of a Palestinian in the West Bank (82.4 liters).
Palestinians depend on groundwater for approximately 76% of their supply, due to the lack of alternative sources under Israeli restrictions. This is despite the fact that more than 165 million cubic meters of rainfall accumulate annually, which Palestinians are prevented from utilizing because of the Israeli ban on constructing reservoirs and collection basins.
As a result of the acute water shortage, citizens are often forced to purchase a 3-cubic-meter water tanker for 150 shekels, adding to their financial burdens.
The deprivation of Palestinians’ access to water constitutes a violation of international law, which guarantees the right to water as an integral part of the right to life. However, the daily reality for Palestinians in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip starkly illustrates the gap between legal provisions and the practices of the occupying power on the ground.
