Israeli settlers divert Palestinian water to fill West Bank pool

On a scorching summer day, Israeli settlers indulged in a West Bank pool created by diverting water that had irrigated Palestinian crops. This pool, built on the site of Herod's Pools, is part of a larger pattern of water seizures by settlers across the occupied territory. The spring, a vital source of water for the nearby Palestinian village of Fasayil, has been cut off for years, depriving villagers of water for their homes, livelihoods, and agricultural land.

Saad Nemer, a farmer in Fasayil, revealed that the settlers seized his irrigation pipeline in June, redirecting the water to the ancient pool. The settlers have since advertised the pool as an Israeli tourist attraction, receiving financial support from Israel's far-right finance minister. The theft of water resources is, according to Palestinians, part of a deliberate strategy to make life in the West Bank unbearable for Palestinians.

The seizure of the Fasayil spring is just one example of the numerous water and sanitation sites attacked by Israeli settlers this year. An archaeologist with the Israeli rights group Emek Shaveh, Alon Arad, noted that the settlers are damaging an archaeological site by filling it with water, using the pool to promote the idea of a Jewish-only West Bank. Despite the protests from Palestinians, the settlers continue to target water resources, fearing the idea of a Palestinian state.