Islam Times - Israeli settlers steal water from Palestinians

Islam Times - A new report reveals that Israeli settlers have been stealing water from Palestinian water springs near the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank for their fish farms.

The Palestinian NGO, Land Research Centre, said in a report that Israeli settlers from the settlements of Yiztar and Baracha have been using water springs in the Palestinian residents of Burin in order to raise fish.

Jamal Daoud, a Burin resident, said the Israeli settlers confiscated the Palestinian water springs, which are used to irrigate crops.

Daoud also said Palestinians always had problems with Israeli settlers, and for several times the settlers attacked Palestinians on their farms.

The Palestinian residents lodged a complaint with Israeli authorities, saying that the settlers use their only source of water, not only for farming but also for their leisure. This is while the Palestinian community suffers water shortages and has to pay extortionate rates for water.

The Israeli settlements are considered illegal by much of the international community. However, defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the settlement construction is part of Tel Aviv’s policy and will not stop.

Construction of Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian lands violates the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prevents an occupying power from transferring its own population into occupied territory, an act that could be equal to war crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.