Settlers cut off water to 100,000 Palestinians in Ramallah countryside

The countryside of Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate witnessed a dangerous field escalation targeting vital infrastructure, as more than 100,000 Palestinian citizens face the threat of a complete water cut-off. This came after an attack carried out by groups of settlers on Saturday evening, targeting the main station of water wells in the 'Ein Samiya' area, located east of Kafr Malik town, which led to a complete disruption of supplies.

Local sources reported that more than 15 settlers stormed the water facility and physically assaulted employees of the Jerusalem Water Undertaking while they were performing their field work. The assault did not stop at physical intimidation; the attackers also deliberately destroyed the internal contents of the station and sabotaged the operational and technical equipment necessary for pumping operations, before occupation forces stormed the area with military vehicles to secure the withdrawal of the assailants.

For its part, the Jerusalem Water Undertaking issued an urgent statement warning of the catastrophic repercussions of this attack, which it described as brutal, stressing that the repeated attacks recently culminated in the complete cessation of pumping. The Undertaking explained that this forced halt deprives residents of their basic right to access drinking water, especially given the difficult conditions in the region.

According to technical data, this attack directly and immediately affects 19 Palestinian residential communities that rely exclusively on 'Ein Samiya' wells as their sole source of water supply. These wells are considered the main lifeline in the eastern Ramallah countryside, making their sabotage a tool of a systematic 'thirst' policy targeting the Palestinian presence in those areas.

Within the framework of legal and international actions, the Water Undertaking confirmed that it has begun intensive contacts with various relevant international and local parties to pressure for an end to these violations and to provide protection for water facilities. It stressed that the continued targeting of technical teams and equipment threatens Palestinian water security in an unprecedented way, and warns of a humanitarian crisis that will be difficult to control if immediate intervention is not made.

It called on the responsible authorities to provide urgent international protection for water facilities and their crews to ensure the continuity of work, and to immediately begin repairing what the settlers destroyed to restart the wells. These demands come at a time when fears are escalating about the expansion of targeting Palestinian natural resources as part of the tightening policy practiced by settler groups under army protection.

The continuation of this situation poses a serious threat to water security and warns of an exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis in the affected areas.