Violation: Contamination of water wells.

Date of Violation: 28/04/2024.

Location: Al-Atiriya – Al-Samu' Town / Hebron Governorate.

Perpetrators: Extremist settlers.

Impacted Party: Farmer Abdullah Abu Awad.

Description:

Signs of stress and fear were evident on farmer Abdullah Mohammed Abu Awad from the town of Al-Samu', south of Hebron, after noticing that settlers had thrown strange substances into the agricultural water wells he uses to water his sheep. Abu Awad suspects that these substances might be toxic, aiming to harm his livestock.

Abu Awad resides in the Al-Deir neighborhood, south of Al-Samu', and works in farming and livestock breeding. He owns approximately (30 dunams) of land in the Al-Ateeriya area and rents around (300) additional dunams from other landowners nearby. These lands serve as a crucial source of fodder for his flock of about (400 sheep).

For many years, Abu Awad has been cultivating these lands, harvesting them, grazing his sheep there, and using rented water collection wells to water his animals in the area. However, since (October 7, 2023), coinciding with the outbreak of war in Gaza, he has been unable to cultivate his land during the plowing and planting season (November and December). Israeli occupation authorities imposed a ban on farming near bypass roads or settlements. Most of Abu Awad's land lies adjacent to the bypass road (317) and faces the "Asa'el" settlement and another settlement outpost.

This situation persisted until the beginning of 2024, when Abu Awad and his sons took the risk of trying to save the season by plowing and cultivating the land, despite being late in doing so. However, they faced numerous challenges during their work, including provocations from settlers, being chased out of their land, and having Israeli soldiers fire at their tractor, damaging one of its tires.

As part of the ongoing attacks on water wells, on the night of (April 28, 2024), Abu Awad received a phone call from a farmer in the (nearby village) of Ghuwein. The farmer informed him that he had noticed lights near the water wells that Abu Awad frequents to water his livestock.

The following morning, Abu Awad went to the location, where the two wells are situated south of the bypass road (317). He observed plastic gloves around the entrance of one of the wells, found the doors of both wells open, and noticed pieces of meat, what appeared to be medicinal tablets, and plastic containers scattered near the well's entrance. Additionally, he saw bags and containers dumped inside one of the wells.

 Abu Awad explained that after noticing the condition of the water wells, he contacted the municipality of Al-Samu', which in turn informed the Wall and Settlement Resistance Authority. The municipality's health department, in cooperation with the authority, collected water samples to be analyzed in a laboratory to determine whether the water had been poisoned. According to the health department, the analysis would take approximately two weeks from the date of sampling.

Shafeeq Hawamdeh, head of the health department at Al-Samu' Municipality, stated that the department had taken measures to prevent farmers from accessing the wells suspected of being contaminated or poisoned. The department also issued a notice to farmers in the area, urging them to stay away from these wells.

Hawamdeh noted:
 The initial observations he made at the site, based on his expertise in health, suggest the presence of toxins in the water. He observed medicinal tablets in the area and a greasy layer resembling oil floating on the water's surface. However, only the laboratory analysis will confirm this conclusively.

Faced with this situation, farmer Abdullah Abu Awad has been forced to purchase water to sustain his livestock, requiring approximately (10 cubic meters) of water daily. He emphasized that he had relied on these two wells to water his sheep until the start of summer, as the wells were estimated to hold between (250–300 cubic meters) of water.

It is worth noting that settlers established a herding outpost around five years ago on the lands of Al-Samu', near the Al-Ateeriya area. This outpost focuses on livestock breeding and grazing on private lands and crops belonging to local residents. Farmers in the area have been subjected to numerous assaults by these settlers.

مشروع: حماية الحقوق البيئية الفلسطينية في مناطق "ج" SPERAC IV   - FCDO

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of Land Research Center and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the project donor; the Norwegian Refugee Council.

إخلاء المسؤولية: الآراء ووجهات النظر الواردة في هذا التقرير هي آراء ووجهات نظر مركز أبحاث الأراضي ولا تعكس بالضرورة وجهات نظر أو مواقف الجهة المانحة للمشروع؛ المجلس النرويجي. للاجئين