Water is finally being discussed, however disingenuously, in regard to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. But actually, water needs to be understood as a fundamental reason for the ongoing occupation. It came to the fore this week when the EU Parliamentary President mentioned it in his speech in the Knesset. The Israeli reaction was quite severe, including a walkout by the HaBayit HaYehudi (Jewish Home) party, one of the leading parties in Israel’s governing coalition.
In fact, the importance of water and the degree to which Israel needs Palestinian water resources and keeps those resources for disproportionate Israeli use are important and scandalous enough to merit the Israeli reaction to their mention. But the facts are hidden from most of the world, including the vast majority of Israelis. Anyone who ventures into the West Bank can see the water disparity, where Palestinians struggle to get enough to cover basic needs while many settlers have lush lawns and some even have swimming pools.
In my latest piece at my blog, I explore this issue and the significance of it finally getting some publicity. But most importantly, I delve into the reality of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian water.
Photograph courtesy of Guillaume Paumier. Published under a Creative Commons license.
