Falastin quote of the day

By Mary Rizzo • Jul 22nd, 2008 at 8:51 • Category: Falastin, Quotes

Immediately after their 1967 conquest of the West Bank and Gaza, Israeli military occupation authorities issued orders to the effect that no new wells were to be drilled to supply water to the Palestinian population. All new wells drilled in the ensuing 28 years provide water only for Israel and for the Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Israeli wells have proliferated to the point that 80 percent of the water pumped from West Bank acquifers now is diverted to Israeli usage, reducing the Palestinian portion to only 20 percent. The total pumping rate has reached the maximum, or average annual rainfall replacement rate of the aquifer, and is possibly beyond the safe point, given the highly variable rainfall of this semi-desert region.
Frank Collins, report on water

Mary Rizzo is an art restorer, translator and writer living in Italy. Editor and co-founder of Palestine Think Tank, co-founder of Tlaxcala translations collective. Her personal blog is Peacepalestine.
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