The Israeli army and civil administration have destroyed the water pumps in Bardala and shut down all water supplies in the village, preventing 5,000 Palestinians from having access to water!

Bardala is a Palestinian village in the northern Jordan Valley that depends on agriculture. To go back to the story that links Bardala and water, we must go back to the year 1964. More than 500 people lived in this village. That same year, during Jordanian governance, the villagers sought permission to dig a well that they attached to a water source in the vicinity and those with a view to strengthening the agricultural sector.

At that time, water sources supplied more than 200 cubic meters per hour. The Jordanian government authorized the building permit for a well of a depth of 67 meters. This well was built thanks to the collective work of the families of the village of Bardala. It allowed villagers to get 300 cubic meters of water per hour by using a diesel engine since there was no electricity at that time. This situation changed in 1967 due to the invasion and occupation of Israel in the Jordan. Indeed, the villagers became targets of the Israeli oppressive police who forced the inhabitants to leave their land by leaving their village. However, some people resisted by staying in the village and those despite the hardships imposed on them by Israel. Because of this choice of resistance, these villagers were constantly threatened by the Israeli army. Following this strategy, the occupying government and the Israeli company Makarot built several wells 300 meters deep inside the village. These wells are located 200 meters from the original 1967 well that was built by the villagers.

In 1974, the Israeli “civil administration” and Makarot used pressure on the village chief to condemn the Palestinian well. In exchange for its closure, they agreed to provide 240 cubic meters per hour to the village who had no choice but to accept.

However, in 2006, Makarot violated this agreement by supplying only 60 cubic meters per hour instead of the 240 cubic meters it had agreed.

There was great distress on the villagers as they had to find other ways to access the water they needed to live. They were forced to buy water and struggle to survive. Yet each Israeli well produces more than 800 cubic meters of water. This struggle for survival is due to the fact that this water is only destined for the Israeli settlements.

The village has expanded and so in parallel, the demand for water has increased. Today, more than 5,000 Palestinians live in Bardala. To what extent can Israel decide that Palestinian landowners have no right to access their water while offering this same water to Israelis who live in settlements that were forcibly stolen from the Palestinians ? Bardala and its water is a shining example of the racist policies Israel is undergoing to Palestinians and those with the aim of making their lives impossible. The goal is to make them leave their village to steal more and more of their land.

A few days ago, the Israeli “civil administration” attacked the village of Bardala while warning the premises that they would close all water outlets.

Today the strength of the Israeli army and the “civil administration” attacked the village with 40 bulldozers and 40 soldiers. They destroyed the main pipeline – a pipeline – that supplied water to Palestinian farms. They also expropriated 168 meters of steel pipes belonging to the village council office and the farmers.

Today, over 4,000 dunums of fruit and vegetables are at risk. The greatest danger is the poverty that falls on the inhabitants of the village. One of the members of the Makota company, an army official and the people of Peru say they may not circulate water. To this they add that they are trying to organize the possibility of allowing them access to a water source from the regions of 1948, and those from 2040!