Posts Tagged ‘sewage’
March 8: Latest on Wadi Fuqeen
March 9th, 2010 • Awareness, News
Tags: Biden, illegal, settlements, sewage, talks, wadi fuqeen, west bank
The Israeli Government has just announced that it has approved the building of another 112 housing units at Beitar Illit. This is the illegal settlement that regularly releases its sewage on to farmers’ fields in Wadi Fuqeen.
AP/Ha’aretz:
Israel OKs new settlement work despite slowdown
Israel authorized the construction of 112 new apartments in the West Bank despite a pledge to slowdown settlement building, the government disclosed Monday — a decision that enraged the Palestinians a day after they reluctantly agreed to resume peace talks.
Word of the new construction in the Beitar Illit settlement came amid a flurry of activity by the U.S. to try to salvage peacemaking.
Vice President Joseph Biden is due to land later Monday on the highest-level visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories by an Obama administration official. Washington’s special envoy to the Mideast, George Mitchell, is also meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. – Read more…
BBC News reports:
US denies Israel settlement move violates moratorium
The US has said Israel’s authorisation of new building in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank does not violate a recently announced moratorium.
But a state department spokesman said it was “the kind of thing that both sides need to be cautious of”.
Israel has promised a 10-month pause in settlement building in the West Bank, though not in East Jerusalem.
It says the 112 new apartments in Beitar Illit settlement were approved ahead of the moratorium being declared.
Please read more about Wadi Fuqeen village in our previous update: “Wadi Fuqeen Village Under Curfew” and on their website…
URGENT! Wadi Fuqeen Village Under Curfew
February 23rd, 2010 • Action, Awareness, News
Tags: curfew, irrigation, settlement, sewage, village, wadi fuqeen, water
We urge all members to contact their MPs or MEPs about Wadi Fuqeen – use our directory for contact information…
“Curfew in Husan leaves Wadi Fuqeen without access to Bethlehem plus freshwater springs and 2,000 year old irrigation system under threat.”
Two evenings ago, villagers in Wadi Fuqeen were alarmed to hear the sounds of trouble with the Israelis in the nearby village of Husan, which lies slightly to the east. A curfew was immediately imposed upon it. This means that the Wadi Fuqeen will be isolated for few days as well because villagers can only gain access to Bethlehem if they go through Husan. This is the reality caused by the winding path of the separation barrier and many so called ‘security measures’ imposed by the Israelis.
In any case, Israeli jeeps have now begun to patrol the village of Wadi Fuqeen on a regular basis. ‘Flying’ checkpoints have also begun to appear at the entrance to the village – both during the day and overnight.
Two weeks ago three workers from the district of Hebron were beaten by the Israeli soldiers in an area to the northeast of the village while trying to sneak through into Israel in order to find work. They were later admitted to Beit Jala hospital.
The separation wall is not yet fully in place around Wadi Fuqeen. The route of the wall is subject to a legal challenge and this has somewhat delayed its building, although many of its footings are already in place. The village is therefore a favourite route for those impoverished Palestinians desperate to find illegal work in Israel. They try to slip through without being seen by the Israeli patrols.
Looking at longer term developments, Wadi Fuqeen is facing a worrying situation in relation to its water sources. Something is drastically affecting the water table. Local springs that held water just a couple of years ago are now dry, leaving the fields around them suddenly barren. The village’s 2,000 year old agricultural system of wells and terracing is now under threat.
For further in-depth information on this extremely worrying development, please visit the Wadi Fuqeen Village website… – In addition to the above update, there is lots of background information on the website that will help with letter-writing.
In particular, the problem with the water sources and the problem of the sewage spillages from the illegal settlement of Beitar Illit need highlighting. Read more: The Settlers Next Door: Notes from Wadi Fukin & watch this video:
