Escalation: Settlers Divert Water, Claim Heritage Sites

Water from a spring that fed the Palestinian village of Fasayil was illegally diverted this summer to fill an ancient stone pool near the Petzael settlement, renamed for Herod as a tourist draw. The pool lies under full Israeli military control, on privately owned land. Israel’s military administration for the West Bank acknowledged the diversion was unauthorized and opened an investigation.

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu visited the pool and praised the group that diverted the water. About $1 million is earmarked to rehabilitate it, part of at least $166 million for more than 100 West Bank heritage sites. He said the pool will be drained after the holidays for a full archaeological survey and declared, "We'll turn this place into the Garden of Eden," adding, "There is no such thing as a Palestinian nation."

Fields in Fasayil have been devastated by the cutoff. In Al Auja in the Jordan Valley, spring takeovers have forced farmers to abandon plots and gutted local tourism. Across the West Bank this year, settlers have damaged, destroyed or seized about 160 Palestinian water and sanitation structures, disrupting supply to entire communities.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources