Palestinians in West Bank accuse settlers of cutting water supplies

Palestinian residents of Khirbet Al-Tawil in the occupied West Bank have accused Israeli settlers of deliberately cutting off water supplies and targeting wells to force them from their land. Locals report that the community’s main water line was severed approximately four and a half months ago, and subsequent attempts to repair the line were blocked.

Following a dry summer, residents state that settlers are attempting to pump remaining wells dry, leaving some individuals without water. To avoid the seizure of vehicles, residents have resorted to transporting water supplies under the cover of night.

An activist and retired IDF colonel reported being detained after challenging a military order that declared the area a closed military zone during a confrontation over well access. He accused the Israeli government of supporting settler actions aimed at displacing Palestinians from the West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously dismissed reports of settler violence as media exaggeration.