HEBRON, January 05, 2016 (WAFA) –
Israeli army Tuesday notified two Palestinians to remove water tanks used for
agriculture purposes in their lands in Thughrit al-Shabak area, north of Beit
Ummar in Hebron.
Mohammad Awad, spokesperson of the
anti-settlement popular committee in Beit Ummar, informed WAFA that Israeli
forces raided Thughrit al-Shabak area and handed over two notifications to
Khaled and Ghassan Barghith to remove water tanks used for planting.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces placed road
blocks in the valley of al-Sheikh, adjacent to the Jerusalem-Hebron Street,
hindering the movement of passers-by in this area.
The destruction and removal of
agricultural water facilities by Israeli army are far from uncommon and are not
confined to one particular area of the West Bank
Amnesty International stated in
2008, Israeli soldiers demolished nine rainwater harvesting cisterns north-west
of Hebron. Each cistern intended to provide water for a plot of 10 – 12 dunums
as part of an agricultural project to improve food security that was funded by
the European Union (EU).
In 2009 the army delivered 10 orders
to villagers in al-Khader, near Bethlehem, for the demolition of four rainwater
harvesting cisterns. Other cisterns in the village also have pending demolition
orders.
On November 2015, Israeli bulldozers
destroyed a water tank and artesian wells, along with a set of agricultural
equipment, in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, according to the
Palestinian Information Center.
D.J/M.H
