Water

On Thursday 23rd of October we travelled to Nablus to meet a prisoner Said Lataba who had spent 31 years in prison, the longest time any Palestinian had spent imprisoned to date. He was released just last month at the beginning of his 32nd year in prison. He welcomed us into his home as he prepared for his wedding celebrations to take place the following day. He told us that his wife to be is also an ex prisoner.

As you cross Al Hamra checkpoint heading for the Jordan Valley you come to a barren area of land with a few demolished buildings and homes made of wood, tin and plastic. Harrab, Suileman, their families, and all the other families of Hamra are surviving under extreme pressure from the Israeli administration that wants to annex the land and ethnically cleanse the area of Palestinians. The first building we came to was a water well and pump that had been destroyed in 1982.

Day One It takes a while to fully process what is going on. The past few weeks have been a blur of preparation, meetings, Arabic lessons, lies to parents (sorry mum, I’m afraid this isn’t Turkey), 30+ hour coach journeys, Lonely Planet guides, and border crossings. As such, it is only when we are actually in the taxi with Fathe that it finally hits me that we’re in the Jordan Valley, West Bank, Palestine. Fathe is a rich vein of information, and is truly passionate about the situation the Palestinians of this region have been forced into.

Until 15 years ago the people of Bardala used to collect water from the river. Since then a pumping station has been installed, paid for by the Palestinians but controlled by the Israelis. Palestinians are allowed to use the water from the pump 3 days a week for 3 hours a day. Meanwhile the settlers have unrestricted access to water from their own pumps. On the top of Bardala village there is a large water storage tank that used to be used for the whole village. Since Israel restricted their water use, the tank has fallen into disuse for lack of water.