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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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Amnesty: Israel Is Denying Palestinians Water

Report slams Israel's 'total domination' of water supplies

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(Newser) – Israel is guzzling the region's water supply to keep its farmland lush and its lawns green while many Palestinians struggle to get the bare minimum for life, according to an Amnesty International report. The report accuses Israel of using its "total control" over water supplies to discriminate against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, the BBC reports.

Many Palestinians in the West Bank have no access to running water and the Israeli military prevents them from digging wells and accessing rainwater, the report charges. Israeli settlers, meanwhile, enjoy virtually unrestricted access to water despite a prolonged drought. Israeli officials call the Amnesty report "biased and incorrect" and accuse the Palestinians of mismanaging their water resources.

A Bedouin Arab follows his camels down an almost dry river bed, where he waters his herd with polluted argicultural run-off near Jericho in the West Bank.
A Bedouin Arab follows his camels down an almost dry river bed, where he waters his herd with polluted argicultural run-off near Jericho in the West Bank.   (Getty Images)
Palestinian farmer Abu Mohammed, 75, uses a donkey to pull a plow to cultivate his field in the West Bank village of Lubban on the outskirts of Nablus.
Palestinian farmer Abu Mohammed, 75, uses a donkey to pull a plow to cultivate his field in the West Bank village of Lubban on the outskirts of Nablus.   (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)
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Water is a basic need and a right, but for many Palestinians obtaining even poor quality, subsistence-level quantities of water has become a luxury that they can barely afford. - Donatella Rovera,
author of the Amnesty report

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19 comments
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cementhead
Oct 27, 09 5:22 AM CDT
What ??? Jews being greedy and selfish? Who would have thunk it? I'm amazed the Palestinians got ANY water. Reply
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-1
DarkFrancis
Oct 27, 09 5:43 AM CDT
Someone'll say they deserve it. Taking a side in this mess is very silly. They're both touched. Reply
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+4
IN RESPONSE:
bewilderbeast
Oct 27, 09 8:45 AM CDT
Maybe they're both touched. But one side is touched with great power. That power has corrupted them and they now abuse the Palestinians and have an apartheid regime which is grossly unfair towards these people whose land they occupy. Good people of conscience should stand up to the Israelis and demand they act lawfully towards the Palestinians.
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+2
IN RESPONSE:
shonangreg
Oct 27, 09 9:33 AM CDT
Yeah, and Israel, by virtue of their power, can *appear* to be non-aggressive while strangling the native inhabitants. The only thing the Palestinians can do is throwing stones and launching rockets. This is genocide with a suit and tie.
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+3
IN RESPONSE:
Spudsy
Oct 27, 09 6:35 PM CDT
Correct DarkFrancis. Both are trying to run governments combined with a religion. It only leads to violence and hatred. Let's not let it happen here folks.
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