Occupation forces have continued their attacks on the farmers of Bardala village in the north in Jordan Valley by once again destroying the water pipes that they depend on for their water supply.

On Monday, 17 September, 2018 Israeli Occupation Forces invaded Bardala, bringing with them three military jeeps and two bulldozers.  They cut off the water supply to local farmers and proceeded to destroy 500 metres of water pipes that supply local farms.  Farming is the main source of livelihood for the village of Bardala. Cutting the water supply means that hundreds of dunums of agricultural land will be damaged, crops will be destroyed, and the livelihood of approximately 50 farmers threatened.

The farmers and residents of Bardala village immediately came together with local activists to resist this attack on their right to farm their land.  They stood together to prevent further destruction of their water pipes, by holding onto the water pipes and lying on them. This forced the occupation to stop the destruction and pull out of the village.

The protest then moved to the Israeli water well and pumping station, which is based in the centre of Bardala village and owned by the Israeli water company, Mekorot.  The lock to the security gate of the Mekorot compound was broken, as was one of the security cameras.  This sent a clear message to the occupation forces: ‘If you are going to come here and destroy our water pipes, then we can also destroy your water wells.  Your wells are stealing our water and piping it directly to the settlements surrounding our village, that have already stolen our land.’

The following day activists came together with the local community yet again and replaced the destroyed water pipes.  This doesn’t provide a permanent solution to the problem, because the new pipes are smaller than the original ones and there are no guarantees that the occupation forces will not return, as they have done many times in the past.  However, it does allow the local farmers to water their crops and trees in the short term whilst the weather is still very hot.  It also gives strength to the local community, in the face of the on-going attacks by the occupation.

This attack is part of the on-going policy of the criminal Zionist occupation to cut even the drinking water supply, to drive people to quit and leave their land, leading to more Palestinian displacement and land grabs. The occupation’s most recent attack on Bardala’s water supply was just two months ago, on 5th July 2018. But these attacks are not exclusive to Bardala. In early September the water supply to Furush Beit Dajan, just a little further south, was destroyed by the occupation.

Further protests are planned by the village.  If you would like to support us in our right to use our water, to farm our land, please contact us or donate to our crowd funder at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jordanvalleywaterwells