The Palestinian Return Centre in London (PRC) warned of the dangerous consequences of the water scarcity crisis in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

PRC said that as Palestinians suffer through severe water shortages in one of the hottest summers on record and in human memory, Israeli settlers living nearby in illegal settlements enjoy unlimited quantities of water not only for drinking but to fill swimming pools, irrigate crops and to wash their vehicles.

PRC said that Israeli authorities refuse to grant the necessary licenses to Palestinian water authorities to operate freely in the areas classified as Area C. Israel directly controls over 85% of water resources in the West Bank and also has a final say in how the rest is distributed.

PRC added that the water scarcity crisis in the West Bank is only worsening because of the political will of Israel. Nearly 3,500 Palestinian residents of the Duma village in the Jordan Valley in the Northern West Bank are struggling to find enough drinking water to meet their basic needs and sustain livestock, vital to their livelihoods.

PRC also warned that Palestinian sources of water are often threatened by Israeli settlers. Last month they destroyed a portion of an EU-funded water pipeline in the village of Al-Farsiya in the Jordan Valley.

PRC called on the members of the Human Rights Council to call on the state of Israel to adhere to Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights which states ‘Access to safe drinking water and sanitation are internationally recognised human rights.’

Watch the statement here

https://youtu.be/iVk0NgTQmfY