• Violation: Destruction of an artesian well
• Location: al-‘Aqba Village / Tubas Governorate
• Date of Violation: July 11, 2024
• Perpetrator: Israeli Occupation Forces
• Affected Party: Farmer Suleiman Ahmed Khudhayrat

Description:

A large force from the Israeli occupation army raided al-Aqba village in Tubas Governorate and reached the area known as "al-Mukhba," located north of the village. They proceeded to bury an artesian well under construction, which belonged to farmer Suleiman Ahmed Khudhayrat.

The occupation authorities also confiscated the water drill (a machine used for drilling wells) and the water pump that was operating at the site. They buried the well's opening to prevent the farmer from extracting water for agricultural purposes.

Farmer Suleiman Ahmed Khudhayrat supports a family of 13, including 4 females and 5 children.

Damage to the artesian well

 Confiscation report and seizure of the drill (water auger)

According to Suleiman Khudhayrat’s statement to the Land Research Center researcher:

“The well, which was still under construction, had been drilled to a depth of 80 meters. It was intended to serve and irrigate at least 60 dunams of irrigated land and provide drinking water for the livestock. Previously, farmers had to buy water at a cost of 150 shekels per tank (4 cubic meters), which was very expensive and burdensome. The well's construction aimed to alleviate this burden and provide water at a nominal cost, but the occupation destroyed everything.”

It is noted that al-Aqba village, like other areas in the Jordan Valley, suffers from severe water scarcity, which has caused a significant decrease in the number of livestock owned by the local Bedouin communities. The occupation imposes restrictions on water resource utilization while facilitating settlers' control and exploitation of these resources.

Al-Aqba village is a model for many other Palestinian towns. Statistics indicate that there are 27 Palestinian villages in Nablus Governorate alone without water networks. At the same time, Israel controls springs and artesian wells, with settlers in the West Bank consuming five times more water than Palestinians.

According to a recent report by the Palestinian Economic Development and Reconstruction Council (PECDAR), the average annual water consumption per Palestinian in the West Bank for all domestic and agricultural purposes is approximately 130 cubic meters, while the average annual consumption per Israeli is 2,235 cubic meters.

Attacking water wells is a severe environmental violation against Palestinians:

 The targeting of wells, water tanks, and ponds has led to increased drought and desertification of agricultural lands, resulting in complete destruction. The occupation's policy of preventing and destroying wells is systematic, followed by the army and settlers. They also pursue and pollute water springs or seize them, such as Ain al-Sakut and Ain al-Halwa in Tubas, among other areas.

According to the Land Research Center’s field research team, in the first half of 2024 alone, the Israeli army demolished 32 wells, water tanks, and artesian wells with a total volume of 463 cubic meters, and destroyed 1,400 meters of water pipelines. These wells used to irrigate 550 dunams of agricultural land, which has been destroyed due to the loss of irrigation sources.

Settler attacks on Palestinian water sources have also increased. The Land Research Center reports that settlers have destroyed or polluted/looted 10 water wells, 66 water tanks, 8 water cisterns, 10 water pumps, 6 water networks totaling 770 meters, and 7 water springs.

About al-Aqba Village: Al-Aqba village is located 6 km east of Tubas city within Tubas Governorate. Its built-up area is 40 dunams and it is considered part of Tayaseer village. According to 2007 Central Bureau of Statistics, the village had a population of 104. Additionally, 332 dunams of its land have been confiscated for occupation camps.

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