To think that water occupation is oppressive?

[Gardenowl]

Till now I had read on most of the threads that Palestinians rely on water supply from Israel because they have not bothered to build their own water supply, desalination plants etc. But then one of the posters on another thread posted a link to an Amnesty article about water occupation and I was surprised reading it. Most of the article is about West Bank not Gaza.

Isn't this extremely oppressive? And to take water from your land to supply to the neighbouring country? They must feel so helpless.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2017/11/the-occupation-of-water/

"In November 1967 the Israeli authorities issued Military Order 158, which stated that Palestinians could not construct any new water installation without first obtaining a permit from the Israeli army. Since then, the extraction of water from any new source or the development of any new water infrastructure would require permits from Israel, which are near impossible to obtain. Palestinians living under Israel’s military occupation continue to suffer the devastating consequences of this order until today. They are unable to drill new water wells, install pumps or deepen existing wells, in addition to being denied access to the Jordan River and fresh water springs. Israel even controls the collection of rain water throughout most of the West Bank, and rainwater harvesting cisterns owned by Palestinian communities are often destroyed by the Israeli army. As a result, some 180 Palestinian communities in rural areas in the occupied West Bank have no access to running water, according to OCHA."

"While restricting Palestinian access to water, Israel has effectively developed its own water infrastructure and water network in the West Bank for the use of its own citizens in Israel and in the settlements – that are illegal under international law. The Israeli state-owned water company Mekorot has systematically sunk wells and tapped springs in the occupied West Bank to supply its population, including those living in illegal settlements with water for domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes. While Mekorot sells some water to Palestinian water utilities, the amount is determined by the Israeli authorities. As a result of continuous restrictions, many Palestinian communities in the West Bank have no choice but to purchase water brought in by trucks at a much high prices ranging from 4 to 10 USD per cubic metre. In some of the poorest communities, water expenses can, at times, make up half of a family’s monthly income.
The Israeli authorities also restrict Palestinians’ access to water by denying or restricting their access to large parts of the West Bank. Many parts of the West Bank have been declared “closed military areas”, which Palestinians may not enter, because they are close to Israeli settlements, close to roads used by Israeli settlers, used for Israeli military training or protected nature reserves.
Israeli settlers living alongside Palestinians in the West Bank – in some cases just a few hundred meters away – face no such restrictions and water shortages, and can enjoy and capitalize on well-irrigated farmlands and swimming pools."

Not entirely. Israel also controls the border between Gaza and Egypt as the occupying power over Gaza. Egypt cannot send anything, receive anything or let anyone in/out without Israel’s approval.

When you have a region that you (a nation) have sovereign power over the land and the people, that is considered occupation regardless of whether or not you have any colonists in the region or not. Military occupation can be by stationing troops within the region or, as in the case of Gaza, encircling the region with troops and controlling everything and everyo r that goes in or comes out.

Most are decades old weapons (including the AK-47s) or home made (the rockets). Some, the grenades were likely smuggled in. You do know the difference between importing vs smuggling on the black market?

It would mean that Gaza would have the authority to decide to build more desalination plants, and West Bank would have the authority to share its water with other parts of the West Bank and with Gaza.

Yes, Palestinians absolutely could have built desalination plants.

No they could not have. Did you not even read the OP?

"In November 1967 the Israeli authorities issued Military Order 158, which stated that Palestinians could not construct any new water installation without first obtaining a permit from the Israeli army. Since then, the extraction of water from any new source or the development of any new water infrastructure would require permits from Israel, which are near impossible to obtain.”

I jumped around a bit to show it is an ongoing thing.
I’m sorry your family has been affected by the cycle of ethnic violence in the region. I hope you are in favour of breaking the cycle by peaceful means.

A pp has stated very well how the planned ground offensive is likely to result in more massacres of civilians, including surviving hostages over a dozen of which have already been killed by Israel air strikes. That is why many are upset.

Even the greenhouses left behind with the settlements were cleared were looted and destroyed when they could have been used for agriculture
The greenhouses suffered some damage from theft in 2005, but that wasn’t why the Greenhouse project failed. It failed because Israel refused to let the produce out to be sold, so it rotted. Israel then refused to supply fertiliser, seed and water for the crops. The investors had to pull out.

https://mondoweiss.net/2014/08/propaganda-dehumanize-palestinians/

https://matthewzgindin.medium.com/greenhouses-in-gaza-what-happened-ba22b1ac9fdd

I wouldn’t be so sure that the “election” of Hamas was done in any honest way like our elections are done. So I don’t think we can blame Palestinians in Gaza for Hamas claiming they “elected” them. A vote under duress from a terrorist isn’t a valid vote.

StarTrek6· Today 14:11

You cannot let people willy nilly drill for water in an area short of water or the groundwater becomes salty.

Gaza has an aquifer, which is cross border, shared with Israel. Israel abstracts far more than its fair share, just as they did when they had settlers there. At that time, 90% of the water went to 7,000 Israeli colonists, whilst a million and a half Palestinians had to scrabble over the rest.

Much of the water for the colonists went on growing flowers, for sale.

On its seaward side, the aquifer has become more saline than on the landward (Israeli) side. Israel has bombed sewage treatment plants, pumping stations and desalination plants and has embargoed parts to repair them.

The surrounding Arab Muslim countries could sort this - supporting Gaza and negotiating with Israel but because they want Israel gone they are happy that Gaza is the fall guy and Palestinians have not got a functioning country and that many live in refugee camps. They won't negotiate and the world decides Israel is the bad guy. I don't see this fixed unless they negotiate and sort something with both Israel and Palestine or Israelis move out to another part of the world.

Meanwhile there are faults on all sides.

Isn't it racist to insist that Muslim countries have a special duty to help Palestinians. Its not 'their' problem to solve any more than it is your average Jewish Londoners problem to sort out Israel.

I agree that has racist overtones. The UN law clearly states that the occupying nation has full responsibility for the civilians in its occupied territories. Gaza, West Bank, and part of East Jerusalem are all defined by the UN as occupied territories.

The law says Israel is responsible, not some third party foreign nation where a majority of its people coincidentally happens to worship the same God or are considered to be “Arab” (ethnically) by Israel.