‘No life without water’: settler attacks threaten West Bank communities

In the West Bank village of Kafr Malik, Palestinian water operator Subhil Olayan monitors the vital Ein Samiyah spring, which supplies water to around 110,000 people. Recently, Israeli settlers attacked the system, damaging pipelines and temporarily cutting off water to nearby villages. Settlers, some armed, have also been seen using the spring's pools shortly after the sabotage.

This attack is part of a broader pattern of settler efforts to seize or sabotage Palestinian water sources, with support or indifference from Israeli authorities. Palestinians and experts say these actions are part of a strategy to push Palestinians off the land by depriving them of water—a tactic tied to growing calls for annexation of the West Bank.

Water scarcity, long a crisis in the region, is worsening. In Dura Al-Qaraa, a village reliant on Ein Samiyah as a backup source, agriculture has declined due to falling water levels, and drilling wells is banned under Israeli law. As droughts intensify and legal restrictions remain, Palestinians face deepening water insecurity.

According to B’Tselem, 2023 data shows that while nearly all Israeli settlers have daily running water, only 36% of West Bank Palestinians do. Residents fear the crisis is escalating year by year.