Palestinians Face Water Crisis
by Polly Mann, WAMM
In March, WAMM received an e-mail from Tzaporah Ryter, a 28-year-old Jewish woman from Minneapolis who was then living in Ramallah, where she was research assistant and field producer for Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME), a chapter of Friends of the Earth International, the largest environmental organization in the world. While the message dealt mainly with issues of FoEME leadership, divided between Jordanian, Israeli, and Palestinian directors, it also covered issues of Israeli policies and practices about which, we believe, WAMM members and the public need to be informed -- especially those concerning the distribution of water. Ryter wrote:
"The Israelis have, even prior to the Intifada, been dumping untreated wastewater leaks into the ground water, polluting it. Groundwater is the only accessible water resource for Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Outside of this option, the Israeli settlers have control over supplies of clean water they bring in from areas where they do not reside (i.e. unpolluted by them), which Palestinians are allowed to purchase. But the Israelis are able to manipulate the drinkable-water taps in the West Bank and Gaza and shut them off as they please to the Palestinian water suppliers who must buy from them, resulting in the inability of Palestinians to access drinking water.
"As well, when they shell, the shards are reportedly coated in DU, releasing toxic levels of the substance into the air and water. Palestinians under closure may soon need to drink out of old wells, which necessitates the purification of these wells and an information campaign for awareness about it."
According to the Jerusalem Post, even before the current Intifada the Palestinians faced a serious water crisis resulting from a division of water resources favoring Jewish settlers by 12 to 1; Arabs were forbidden to dig new wells and paid three to four times what Israeli settlers did for water.
WAMM decries the use of violence by both Palestinians and Israelis; however, the overwhelming majority of Palestinians live as supplicants in the land of their ancestors and their casualties are fifteen times higher than those of the Israelis. The U.S. government, according to 1997 figures, supplies Israel with approximately $17 million a day; tanks, helicopters, and guns used by the Israelis are manufactured in the U.S.
Opportunities for Activism
Thom Saffold of Ann Arbor, Michigan, proposes that a group of U.S. citizens visit Israel/Palestine as a peace force to witness the violence for a two-week period in July or August. If you are interested, contact him at tsaffold@provide.net.
Minnesota Jews for Justice will hold weekly vigils at Snelling and Summit avenues in St. Paul, each Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., beginning July 13. Please wear black; signs will be provided. (Please note that on Friday, August 3, the vigil will be held at Hennepin and Lagoon avenues in Minneapolis and will be followed by a potluck supper nearby. Details available at the vigils.)