West Bank village of Sawiya under threat from settlement by IWPS 10:00pm Thu May 1 '03 address: www.womenspeacepalestine.org iwps@palnet.com The water source of the village of Sawiya, near the Zatara (Tapuah Junction) checkpoint, is being threatened by settlers... Sawiya is a village of 2,000 people, located south of Zatara Checkpoint, which lies on either side of the road from Jerusalem to Nablus (Highway 60) that was constructed two years ago. The houses are mainly on the west side while the land is on the east side. On the hilltop directly above the Palestinian agricultural land, lies the settlement of Eli that straddles several hills. The newest addition, a collection of trailers set up in the year 2000, is just north of the water source. The residents of Sawiya are currently experiencing problems with a key agricultural water source – an underground spring/well, which the settlers are attempting to annex. As one resident told IWPS: “The settlers are occupying our water”. The water pipes are unprotected and on April 24th were shot by settlers leading to more water wastage. Currently, water is simply running all over the ground. This has been the situation for the past three months. The residents have also experienced settler- related problems with their olive trees, hundreds of which are located near the water source. These problems are: 1. Settlers have systematically poisoned the trees – about 40 trees have been killed since October 2002. 2. A natural small pool near the water source has been “annexed” by the settlers who are using it as a recreational swimming pool. Yesterday they fired shots into the air to force Palestinians to leave the area. 3. Settlers have blocked up the entrance to the water source so that Palestinians cannot draw out water. 4. Settler violence against the farmers is ongoing – a woman we interviewed described how, during last year’s olive harvest, she was attacked by two male settlers who kicked her viciously in the chest, pushing her over. They then cut her donkey free while it was loaded up with sacks of olives, and made off with both the donkey and the olives. The settlers stole the olives and the family only found the donkey two days later. 5. It is unsafe for the farmers to plough or tend to the crops and they are currently waiting for Israelis to come in large numbers to protect and help them to plough and do farming. 6. In the photo you will see that settlers shoot the water pipes. Water and Agricultural History of Sawiya During the period of the Ottoman Empire and the British Mandate right up until the 1990’s, the natural spring was used as the only water source. Six years ago, the village was forced to buy the privatized Israeli Merkorot water from the Ariel settlement for domestic use, even though they have their own water sources they could be using. The water bill for the village for the past year is 150,000 shekels, a sum they find very difficult to pay with the high unemployment. Some homes have their own wells, and use some of this water for their domestic use. The water source is one of these, since the pipes lead to a small water storage tank in the village. Farmers currently grow wheat, olives, grapes, figs, and beans and wish to start growing orange trees on the underutilized land. The village is entirely dependent on the land – previously about 250 of the village residents worked in Israel but now only about 3 people do. The villagers also use the land for grazing their animals. Some residents make yoghurt from their cows and sell it. www.womenspeacepalestine.org add your comments Source file