Israeli settlers divert Palestinian spring water to West Bank pool

Israeli settlers have diverted a vital water source from a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, turning it into a recreational pool and tourist attraction, a move that local farmers and rights groups say is part of a broader campaign to seize natural resources and displace Palestinian communities. The incident in the Jordan Valley village of Fasayil highlights escalating tensions over water access amid a sharp increase in settlement activity and settler violence across the territory.

The dispute centers on a spring that has sustained Fasayil for generations, providing water for crops, employment, and domestic use. In June, settlers seized an irrigation pipeline belonging to farmer Saad Nemer and redirected the water to an ancient pool at a nearby archaeological site. The pool was subsequently promoted as an Israeli tourist destination, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich pledging 3 million shekels, approximately $1 million, for its restoration and development into a recreational park.

"Our water supply remains cut off to this day, depriving us of the water we depend on for our homes, our livelihoods, and our agricultural land," Nemer said. The loss of water has left...