West Bank settlers besieging Palestinian homes hand Israel's army a humiliation

Israeli settlers in the West Bank have taken control of a freshwater spring that Palestinian farmers have relied on for generations. According to Free Malaysia Today, the spring served as a lifeline for the nearby village of Fasayil in the fertile Jordan Valley, where Palestinians have used it for food, employment, and domestic water. The settlers diverted the water to create a pool advertised as a tourist attraction, leaving crops to wither.

The seizure of the spring is part of a larger pattern of Israeli settlers taking control of water resources in the West Bank. France 24 reports that Israeli settlers have now seized control of 95 percent of the northern Jordan Valley's springs, pushing Palestinian communities off their land. An archaeologist also noted that the settlers are damaging the Herod's Pools site by filling it with water.

The Israeli military's response to the situation has been criticized. Le Monde English reports that the military failed to drive out a handful of radical settlers, known as "hilltop youth," and instead turned against their Palestinian victims. The government fears that the radical settlers will draw criticism from Washington over more ambitious settlement plans.

Defense Minister Israel Katz has announced plans to transfer civilian enforcement authority in the West Bank from the IDF to the Israel Police, a move that has been criticized by MK Gilad Kariv as "contrary to Israeli law, international law, and our country's clear national security interests."

Brief written by urgent.news from Le Monde English, France 24, Free Malaysia Today, Jerusalem Post — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.