Settler colonialism and manipulation of water supply in the WB

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While "Israel" is largely praised in Western countries for its finesse in developing water management and technology, this appraisal often ignores the detrimental externalities which this prosperity for the settler society has on Palestinians.

In a report titled "A precious resource: how Israel uses water to control the West Bank", Bethan McKernan of The Guardian unpacks the systematic exploitation of Palestinians in favor of the prosperity of the settler society. 

Palestinians living in the West Bank suffer from severe water scarcity, while the occupation authorities control 80% of the water reserves in the West Bank. 

Read more: "Israel" advances plans of 4,500 illegal settlement units in W. Bank

In stark contrast, on the opposite side of settler colonialism, "Israel" started operating a desalination project pumping seawater toward the Tabariyya lake to replenish it.

Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territories of the West Bank are claimed to have a right to get connected to the Israeli national water company. However, in practice, water is a colonial weapon favoring settler-owned vineyards, olive groves, livestock farms, and plantations, The Guardian reports.  

According to a study done by the Israeli NGO B'Tselem, Israeli settlers' consumption of water is three times more than that of Palestinians living in the West Bank. Palestinian farmers in the West Bank struggle to cultivate even low-yielding crops such as wheat, lentils, and chickpeas. 

Read more: IOF storm several West Bank cities, shoot dead Palestinian youth

About 450,000 Israelis have settled in West Bank since its occupation in 1967. Mainly these settlers, who are generally heavily militarized, are driven by the cheaper cost of living and business opportunities as well as religious and political beliefs. The Guardian reports that some settlers have amassed fortunes by cultivating thousands of acres of appropriated Palestinian lands: establishing "lucrative boutique wineries and high-grade Medjool dates and olive oil brands for export".

One of the most notorious settler enterprises that, have flourished through settler colonialism is "Meshek Achiya": an agricultural business founded in 2003. 

Meshek Achiya capitalized on the martial law imposed on Palestinians by the IOF after the second Intifada: whence many Palestinian farmers were forcibly dispossessed of their lands by restricting their access to the land through the various checkpoints spread out across the West Bank.

The unattended lands were swiftly grabbed by "Meshek Achiya" which developed the Palestinian farmers' lands into the settler capitalist's agricultural enterprise. 

Read more: NY law eyes ending funding of illegal Israeli settlements in West Bank

Over the years, Mechek Achiya's prosperity was mainly due to their disproportionate access to water resources.  Settlers' access to the water supply from the Israeli water facilities vastly supersedes that of Palestinians.

On average, Palestinians in the West Bank use about 20 liters of water per day which is five times less than the minimum standard (100 liters) set by the World Health Organization. 

Palestinians' access to water supplies for individual consumption is severely restrained not to mention their access to water access for farming and land cultivation. 

In the West Bank, the occupation, in collusion with the settler capitalists, enforces a severe ultimatum for the Palestinian farmer: forsaking their land or keeping it with minimal resources to cultivate it. 

Furthermore, the UN reports that in the past five years, more than 270 water and sewage facilities used by Palestinians were demolished by occupation authorities under the pretext of the infrastructure being illegal. 

“It is easy to get rich when you don’t have to pay for the land and you’re hooked up to a water supply your neighbors don’t get,” an NGO activist was quoted saying by The Guardian.