Monday, August 20, 2007

Settlers divert water supply from thirsty villagers to their own splash pool


Settlers cut Palestinian water supply to fill up a swimming pool for summer holidays. Ozzy Bee pointed out this instance of hot weather selfishness, which Ronny Shaked filed on ynet news:


Elon Moreh reroutes a pipe carrying drinking water to neighboring Palestinian village to a small pool; water drains back to village's pipe system

Residents of the settlement of Elon Moreh in the West Bank have cut a pipe carrying drinking water to a nearby Palestinian village, and are using it to fill a small swimming pool located at a picnic site, which was itself built on land owned by the village.

The pipe, which carries water to the village of Dir al-Khatab, was rerouted in order to fill the pool. The pipe channels fresh drinking water into the pool and drains dirty water back into the village's water system.

"They not only use water that doesn't belong to them, but they also pollute the drinking water of some of the village residents," said Yoel Marshak, head of the Kibbutz Movement's Special Assignments Branch. "The little kids pee in the water, which flows straight to the taps of the Palestinian school."

The small swimming pool was built at the settlement's picnic site, which is located less than a mile from Dir al-Khatab and on the village's lands.

"The settlers of Elon Moreh behave like landlords on our private land," said Jafar Shatai, deputy chairman of the neighboring village of Salem.

The Civil Administration has issued a demolition order for the picnic site following complains by the Palestinian residents, and stated that the order would be carried out in the coming days.

Benny Katzover, one of the community leaders in Elon Moreh, said in response that the pool in question was merely a small hole dug near an archeological site where travelers visit. He claimed that the water came from a small fountain near Elon Moreh which streams to the village.

"The fountain's water does not constitute the village's main water supply, because the village has been connected to Mekorot (the national water company) for many years. The fountain's water is used as drinking water for the sheep and goats, and as backup in case the water supply is interrupted. No one has blocked the channeling of water to the village," he stated.

Remember that old song? "Summertime & the livin' is easy...so hush,little baby, don't you cry." There are hot tears of frustration all around. This weekend, in the southern town of Ofakim, a Bedouin family was refused entry to an Israeli public swimming pool because the traditional mother refused to unveil as she watched her three kids frolic. Her garb was not dissimilar to what's routinely worn by ultra-Orthodox Jewish women at pools across the country. The children left in tears.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oppressors peeing in the water supply...it's not a good move. This is unhygenic and humiliating.
enuff already. No good Jew woulod do that

Anonymous said...

I think it is hilarious.

Good for the Israelis! Perhaps contaminated water will make more of the Palestinians sick and so they will die of and not breed as fast as they have been doing.

Fewer Palestinians, sounds like a positive development. And at the same time a nice pool on a hot summers day.

Anonymous said...

You forgot to mention that this whole story might just be a fabrication by the Palestinians.

And not quite an original fabrication by the way.

In 1321 Jews were accused of having incited outlaws to poison wells and fountains in the district of Guienne, France. 5,000 Jews were burned at the stake due to this false claim.

And now, this modern "well poisoning" story about the swimming pool. How quickly we just believe that it must be true. Perhaps we are just conditioned by all the lies about "well poisoning" generation after generation to believe this stuff without question when presented to us.

But I for one am ashamed that anyone would fail for such a medieval tactic in this so called modern and enlightened say.

Sorry, but I just don't buy this modern day version of this so over worn myth.

And I am shocked that a so-called Jewish newspaper would print such lies about "well-poisoning".

I would say that the Palestinians need to get more original with their propaganda than reaching back into the Middle Ages for their lies. But for them, "the Middle Ages" is FORWARD thinking.

But what is the excuse for those non-Palestinians who were taken in by this 21st adaptation of the Middle Age myth? Anti-Semetism, unconscious but somehow still part of our cultural makeup. We haven't come as far as we think we have, I guess.

For us to believe this so obvious lie it is like at least part of us are still stuck in the Middle Ages.

Sad.

Anonymous said...

"But I for one am ashamed that anyone would fail for such a medieval tactic in this so called modern and enlightened say."

I meant to type Day. But we can't call ourselves so enlightened if we can be taken in by a medieval hoax can we?

I would have said that the Palestinians must have read "the Jew of Malta" before concocting this lie but most of them can't read, and especially not English.

"Well poisoning". Hardly original, but I guess if something works for you, you keep on using it.

Anonymous said...

I meant the Lie of accusing the Jews of Well Poisoning. That is what I mean is hardly original. The lie. But since the lie works, why abandon it, right? Just update it for a new generation.

Anonymous said...

"No one has blocked the channeling of water to the village," he stated."

Yeah, it might have been near the end of the article but that one sentence can't be ignored.

It didn't happen he said. So basically you are getting mad about something that isn't true.

So, you can stop cutting down trees to use as stakes to put the settlers one. You can save the matches and petrol for another day.

Anonymous said...

Scott
How come you dismiss this article as a fabrication? Just because this is unpleasant behavior to contemplate and reaffirms some old preconceptions? This does not mean it's a lie.
Even Benny, an elder in Elon Moreh, admits that this swiiming hole has been dug near village land & filled up (tho' he insists it's a backup water supply. How does he know?)
Just because tactics are historic does not mean that they are not used.
Rape and pillage still work in many parts of the world.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, let's believe that about the Jews.

What else do you want us to believe? There are many other myths about Jews that people have made up over the years to justify persecuting them.

I bet the pool was financed by those Jewish Bankers who controls everything, Okay. How am I doing?

Perhaps the Jews used the pool to wash their hands after their blood sacrifices, Right? Oh, I am on a roll now.

You know that pool must be mentioned in the Protocols of Zion, don't you think?

I am sorry, hotpink heifer but there is no reasoning with bigoted kooks like you. Goebbels used people like you to convince other Germans that the "Final Solution" was a hell of a good idea.

Anonymous said...

Mr Max
With a minimum of thought you would see the error in your logic.The ynet article says the village water gets diverted, fills up the illegally dug pool, and then the runoff is put back into the water pipe that goes into Salem.
Yoel Marshak, head of the Kibbutz Movement's Special Assignments Branch, confirms this. So one settler guy interprets that "no one has blocked the channeling..." because the pool's spillover goes back into the pipe and onto the village. It's still nasty and not H2O you'd wanna drink.
How can you baldly state "It didn't happen" ? Splash some spring water on your face and wake up.

Anonymous said...

"It's still nasty and not H2O you'd wanna drink."

NO, of course he wouldn't want to drink that H2O. After all if he did he would get the Black Plague which the Jews spread, right?

It is sad that prejudices that go back to the medieval era and even before that are still strong today and still effective.

Anonymous said...

"Splash some spring water on your face and wake up."

And then what? Get some torches and some logs that we can stake the Jews to while we burn them at the stake?

This lie goes back hundreds and hundreds of years yet even in the 21st century it still can be effective.

Why don't you go back to reading your copy of Mein Kampf and settle down. There will be no pogrom today.

Anonymous said...

Hey,scott
I wouldn't even wanna drink my girlfriend's bathwater. Stranger runoff is unappealing It's not nasty because it was used by Jews; it's nasty H20 cuz it was used. Period. Slap a recirculation pump and filter on there and it ain't so bad.
Just damned inconsiderate of the folks resettling in the blessed Samarra to act this way. We should be better.
And that other village, where the bedouin are excluded from the splash party. The name says it all. Ofakim. Pronounced "Oh, fuck him"?

Anonymous said...

But the fact still is that it didn't happen.

It says so in the very article.

"No one has blocked the channeling of water to the village."

It is buried near the end of the article but still it's there.

But you are conditioned by century upon century upon century of lies to believe it.

Pull your head out of the medieval era!

Anonymous said...

I say let the Palestinians drink oil!

Anonymous said...

Oh scott/gus
You boys are right -the phrase "poisoning the well" alludes to the ugly medieval European myth that the black plague was caused by Jews poisoning town wells— but that clearly ain't the case here.
The Civil Administration has issued a demolition order for the settler picnic site and pool after numerous complaints about fouling upstream. It's just a little trickle, boys..why so much d'Nile? (denial)

Jameel @ The Muqata said...

Still looking for a picture of this. A picture of the alleged "pool" would do wonders to enlighten us all.

Izzy Bee said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

"No one has blocked the channeling of water to the village."

That's what the guy said.

Well, perhaps he was lying.

After all we all know what a deceitful people Jews are, don't we?

What this appears to be is just plan olde fashion, Jews hate propaganda.

Anonymous said...

What this appears to be is just plan olde fashion, Jewish hate propaganda.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps the Civil Administration should start looking for the bodies of all the dead boys.

You know, the ones those Jews used in their blood sacrifices.

It is so sad that such a myth like "well poisoning" can still be believed in the 21st century.

It just shows how hard it is to get rid of prejudice. The Jews that are so quick to believe this about other Jews should be very ashamed. Anyone who believes this lie should be very ashamed but especially fellow Jews.

Anonymous said...

The truth of this story remains in great doubt.

But regardless, it is clear that the way that YNET has cover this story has been despicable.

The way the story was written played to the "poison well" myth. From the outrageous headline, to the burying of key facts to the end of the story, YNET has shown no integrity at all by publishing this article. And of course if it turns out to be false, that makes it all the worse.

It comes a time when even open societies with strong beliefs in Free Speech must put public safety first. YNET has been unable to regulate itself and therefore some public sanction should be placed due to their abuse of the public trust. Can Israel really afford YNET being a propaganda outlet for the Islamo-fascists out there? Words can kill as Goebbels so ruthlessly showed.

Israel needs to start a full investigation of its news media. And YNET needs to be shut down until they become responsible with how they conduct their business

Izzy Bee said...

I have been scouring for further info. The Israeli women of Machsom Watch, who stand lookout for rights abuses at checkpoints, documented the construction of this pool at the start of the summer.
I quote from their website (linked in my blogroll)

"Large containers of water head each day from the "well", through Beit Furik roadblock, bringing water to Salem- this detour takes over half an hour. The villagers used to get their water from Mekorot, but now most of the water is directed to Elon Moreh, so the flow of water that reaches Salem is slow and isn't sufficient. But the water isn't sufficient for the settlers of Elon Moreh either. They want more:

From east to Elon Moreh, several hundred meters away from the gate of the settlement, is a spring of water called "Kabir". It belongs to Deir Al Hatab village. There is a tube that leads the water from the spring to the village, where it is gathered in a small pool, this amount of water is sufficient (more or less) for the needs of the residents. Recently, the Elon Moreh settlers dug a pool of their own by the tube, they cut the tube so that the water ran to their pool, that way their kids have something to do during their vacation. After the intervention of some Kibbutz volunteers, the tube was fixed and the water was directed to Deir Al Hatab again, but not for long… Not long ago the tube was cut once again and now the water runs to the amusement pool of Elon Moreh. (Beit Furik, 30.6)"

You can also visit the Elon Moreh settler's webpage, where Pinchus Fuchs reveals the community's long-term plans. There is a photo of the school pool and another of the picnic grounds, snapped before the new swimming hole was dug there.
The link

http://www.shechem.org/elon-moreh/engproj.html


It does not appear that this is a modern rehash of a medieval "well-poisoning" libel; more a tussle over limited resources in disputed land.

Anonymous said...

Yuri, you clot.
It's Samaria, not Samarra (this settlement was one of the first to reclaim this Jewish homeland, founded by pioneers in 1974. The IDF still guards it from Arabs, and there was a killing just a few days ago in one of the homes.
Perhaps related to the water dispute.
Or just pure hatred, as happens