Israel on Sunday announced plans to build more residences for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, drawing immediate condemnation from Palestinians, peace activists and neighbouring Jordan.

The announcement from the housing and construction ministry in right-wing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's government said tenders had been published for 1,355 homes in the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War.

Those new homes add to the more than 2,000 residences which defence sources have said in August would be authorised for West Bank settlers.

Final approval is expected from the defence ministry this week for those homes.

Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting, called on world nations, and especially the United States, to "confront" Israel over the "aggression" that settlement construction poses for the Palestinian people.

The Palestinian Authority will be keenly watching for a response from US President Joe Biden's administration, which has said it opposes unilateral Israeli settlement construction as an obstacle to the two-state solution to the conflict.

About 475,000 Israeli Jews live in settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law, on land Palestinians claim as part of their future state.

'Wake up'

Jordan, a key Israeli security partner with whom Bennett has sought to improve ties since taking office in June, condemned the announcement as "a violation of international law."

Jordanian foreign ministry spokesman Haitham Abu Al-Ful blasted settlement construction and general "confiscation" of Palestinian land as "illegitimate."

Anti-occupation group Peace Now said Sunday's announcement proved that Bennett's ideologically diverse coalition, which ousted ex-premier Benjamin Netanyahu's pro-settlement government in June, was not "a government of change."

"This government clearly continues Netanyahu's policy of de facto annexation," Peace Now said, calling on Bennett's left-wing governing partners, the Labor and Meretz parties, to "wake up and demand the wild building in settlements cease immediately."

Bennett, the former head of a settler lobby group, opposes Palestinian statehood.

He has ruled out formal peace talks with the Palestinian Authority during his tenure, saying he prefers to focus on economic improvements.

The tenders come after Israel last week gave approval for 4,000 Palestinians to register as residents of the West Bank, the first such move in the Israeli-occupied territory in 12 years.

The new Jewish homes are to be built in seven settlements, according to the statement from the Housing and Construction Ministry.

Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem has continued under every Israeli government since 1967.

However, construction accelerated in the last few years under Netanyahu, with a significant boom during former president Donald Trump's US administration, accused of egregious pro-Israel bias by Palestinians.&nbsp;

Israel on Sunday announced plans to build more residences for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, drawing immediate condemnation from Palestinians, peace activists and neighbouring Jordan.

Israel on Sunday announced plans to build more residences for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, drawing immediate condemnation from Palestinians, peace activists and neighbouring Jordan. The announcement from the housing and construction ministry in right-wing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's government said tenders had been published for 1,355 homes in the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War. Those new homes add to the more than 2,000 residences which defence sources have said in August would be authorised for West Bank settlers. Final approval is expected from the defence ministry this week for those homes. Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting, called on world nations, and especially the United States, to "confront" Israel over the "aggression" that settlement construction poses for the Palestinian people. The Palestinian Authority will be keenly watching for a response from US President Joe Biden's administration, which has said it opposes unilateral Israeli settlement construction as an obstacle to the two-state solution to the conflict. About 475,000 Israeli Jews live in settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law, on land Palestinians claim as part of their future state. 'Wake up' Jordan, a key Israeli security partner with whom Bennett has sought to improve ties since taking office in June, condemned the announcement as "a violation of international law." Jordanian foreign ministry spokesman Haitham Abu Al-Ful blasted settlement construction and general "confiscation" of Palestinian land as "illegitimate." Anti-occupation group Peace Now said Sunday's announcement proved that Bennett's ideologically diverse coalition, which ousted ex-premier Benjamin Netanyahu's pro-settlement government in June, was not "a government of change." "This government clearly continues Netanyahu's policy of de facto annexation," Peace Now said, calling on Bennett's left-wing governing partners, the Labor and Meretz parties, to "wake up and demand the wild building in settlements cease immediately." Bennett, the former head of a settler lobby group, opposes Palestinian statehood. He has ruled out formal peace talks with the Palestinian Authority during his tenure, saying he prefers to focus on economic improvements. The tenders come after Israel last week gave approval for 4,000 Palestinians to register as residents of the West Bank, the first such move in the Israeli-occupied territory in 12 years. The new Jewish homes are to be built in seven settlements, according to the statement from the Housing and Construction Ministry. Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem has continued under every Israeli government since 1967. However, construction accelerated in the last few years under Netanyahu, with a significant boom during former president Donald Trump's US administration, accused of egregious pro-Israel bias by Palestinians.

Israel to build over new 1,300 W.Bank settler homes

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Tuesday to build 3,500 new settler homes in a super-sensitive area of the occupied West Bank, just a week before a tight general election.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Tuesday to build 3,500 new settler homes in a super-sensitive area of the occupied West Bank, just a week before a tight general election. "I gave immediate instructions for a permit to deposit (plans) for the construction of 3,500 units in E1," Netanyahu said. Also Read: Netanyahu withdraws bid for immunity from corruption prosecution The international community has warned repeatedly that Jewish settlement construction in the E1 corridor would cut the West Bank in two and compromise the contiguity of a future Palestinian state. "We are building Jerusalem and Jerusalem's outskirts," Netanyahu said at a conference in remarks relayed by a spokesman. In 2013, Netanyahu had vetoed construction in the E1 corridor in the face of UN, EU and US pressure. Watch: Today Tonight: Donald Trump welcomes Benjamin Netanyahu | WION News | World News The move to advance new homes, which would constitute a new neighbourhood of Maale Adumim, a nearby settlement town, was praised by the Yesha Council, a settler lobby group, which noted that plans for homes there have existed since 2004. "Advancing the issue will enable broad and strategic construction between Maale Adumim and Jerusalem," Yesha Council head David Elhayani said in a statement. On Thursday, Netanyahu announced plans for thousands of new homes for Israelis in annexed east Jerusalem, with critics calling the move a last-minute gift to nationalist supporters ahead of a March 2 general election.

Netanyahu pledges new settler homes in West Bank corridor

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scrambled for far-right voter support two days before an election, convening his cabinet in the occupied West Bank and having it approve legal status for an unauthorised outpost. Watch this video to know more.

Netanyahu sharpens focus on settlements, two days before ballot

Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups are to petition the Supreme Court on Wednesday asking it to strike down a new law allowing expropriation of private Palestinian land for Jewish settlers.

Israeli group Adalah said that it and the east Jerusalem-based Legal Aid and Human Rights Center would file the request on Wednesday afternoon to overturn the &quot;dangerous&quot; law, which was approved by the Israeli parliament late on Monday.

It legalises dozens of wildcat outposts and thousands of settler homes in the occupied West Bank&nbsp;and prompted a Palestinian call for the international community to punish Israel.

The United Nations, the European Union and the Arab League strongly criticised the legislation on Tuesday, although the new administration of US President Donald Trump remained silent.

&quot;This sweeping and dangerous law permits the expropriation of vast tracts of private Palestinian land,&quot; Adalah`s lawyer Suhad Bishara said in a statement.

&quot;It violates the property rights both of resident and refugee Palestinians.&quot;

Israel`s attorney general has said the law is unconstitutional and could open the country up to prosecution at the International Criminal Court, based in The Hague.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution in December stating that settlements have &quot;no legal validity&quot; and demanding that Israel stop building in the West Bank, including annexed east Jerusalem.

Bishara said the new law flouted that resolution.

&quot;The transfer of the occupying power`s civilian population into occupied territory is a war crime,&quot; she said.

(AFP)&nbsp;

Israeli group Adalah said that it and the east Jerusalem-based Legal Aid and Human Rights Center would file the request on Wednesday

Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups are to petition the Supreme Court on Wednesday asking it to strike down a new law allowing expropriation of private Palestinian land for Jewish settlers. Israeli group Adalah said that it and the east Jerusalem-based Legal Aid and Human Rights Center would file the request on Wednesday afternoon to overturn the "dangerous" law, which was approved by the Israeli parliament late on Monday. It legalises dozens of wildcat outposts and thousands of settler homes in the occupied West Bank and prompted a Palestinian call for the international community to punish Israel. The United Nations, the European Union and the Arab League strongly criticised the legislation on Tuesday, although the new administration of US President Donald Trump remained silent. "This sweeping and dangerous law permits the expropriation of vast tracts of private Palestinian land," Adalah`s lawyer Suhad Bishara said in a statement. "It violates the property rights both of resident and refugee Palestinians." Israel`s attorney general has said the law is unconstitutional and could open the country up to prosecution at the International Criminal Court, based in The Hague. The UN Security Council passed a resolution in December stating that settlements have "no legal validity" and demanding that Israel stop building in the West Bank, including annexed east Jerusalem. Bishara said the new law flouted that resolution. "The transfer of the occupying power`s civilian population into occupied territory is a war crime," she said. (AFP)

Israeli, Palestinian human rights groups to file petition against law allowing settlement

Israel&#39;s parliament has finalised a controversial law that will legalise Jewish houses built on West Bank, a tract of land belonging to Palestine, a move that endangers possibility of peace in the area.

The bill, if approved by the supreme court, will legalise more than 3,800 homes that are already built there.

Far-right Jewish Home&#39;s&nbsp;Bezalel Smotrich, who was frontlining the need for the legislation of Jewish outposts on Palestinian land, thanked the United States and the Donald Trump administration for putting their weight behind their cause.

Unlike previous US governments, the current administration had said new settlements would not hinder the peace process in the region.

Emboldened by Trump&#39;s victory last year, Israel has announced more than 6,000 new homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, a development that has raised the hackles among the Palestinians.

On Monday, the new law was passed by 60 members of parliament to 52 against.

But there are detractors of the new legislation, with the opposition leader and Labour chief&nbsp;Isaac Herzog dubbing it as a &quot;despicable law&quot; and against &quot;Israel&#39;s interests&quot;.

The UN also weighed in on the subject, fearing that the new law would scythe any prospetcs of settling the decades-long conflagration&nbsp;in the region.

However, the bill could still be struck down by the country&#39;s top court. Israel&#39;s defence minister&nbsp;Avigdor Lieberman said the chance of it being scrapped by the country&#39;s supreme court was &quot;100 percent.&quot;

Its defenders argue the bill will allow settlers to live without fear of being driven from their homes -- many of which they have lived in for years.

Last week, the few hundred residents of the Amona outpost in the West Bank were evicted after the Supreme Court ruled their homes were built on private Palestinian land.

The lengthy Amona saga -- including the evictions broadcast live on Israeli television -- directly inspired the bill.

Demolitions and removal of the buildings there began on Monday.

The new law will allow Israel to legally seize Palestinian private land on which Israelis built without knowing it was private property or because the state allowed them to do so.

Palestinian owners will be compensated financially or with other land.

Palestinian reaction

The Palestine Liberation Organisation slammed the new legislation, saying: &quot;The Israeli government&rsquo;s will to destroy any chances for a political solution.&quot;

The PLO further said in a statement, stressing that the &quot;Israeli&nbsp;settlement&nbsp;enterprise negates peace and the possibility of the two-state solution.&quot;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The controversial law has split the country, with some calling it a victory while detractors dubbing it as 'despicable'

Israel's parliament has finalised a controversial law that will legalise Jewish houses built on West Bank, a tract of land belonging to Palestine, a move that endangers possibility of peace in the area. The bill, if approved by the supreme court, will legalise more than 3,800 homes that are already built there. Far-right Jewish Home's Bezalel Smotrich, who was frontlining the need for the legislation of Jewish outposts on Palestinian land, thanked the United States and the Donald Trump administration for putting their weight behind their cause. Unlike previous US governments, the current administration had said new settlements would not hinder the peace process in the region. Emboldened by Trump's victory last year, Israel has announced more than 6,000 new homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, a development that has raised the hackles among the Palestinians. On Monday, the new law was passed by 60 members of parliament to 52 against. But there are detractors of the new legislation, with the opposition leader and Labour chief Isaac Herzog dubbing it as a "despicable law" and against "Israel's interests". The UN also weighed in on the subject, fearing that the new law would scythe any prospetcs of settling the decades-long conflagration in the region. However, the bill could still be struck down by the country's top court. Israel's defence minister Avigdor Lieberman said the chance of it being scrapped by the country's supreme court was "100 percent." Its defenders argue the bill will allow settlers to live without fear of being driven from their homes -- many of which they have lived in for years. Last week, the few hundred residents of the Amona outpost in the West Bank were evicted after the Supreme Court ruled their homes were built on private Palestinian land. The lengthy Amona saga -- including the evictions broadcast live on Israeli television -- directly inspired the bill. Demolitions and removal of the buildings there began on Monday. The new law will allow Israel to legally seize Palestinian private land on which Israelis built without knowing it was private property or because the state allowed them to do so. Palestinian owners will be compensated financially or with other land. Palestinian reaction The Palestine Liberation Organisation slammed the new legislation, saying: "The Israeli government’s will to destroy any chances for a political solution." The PLO further said in a statement, stressing that the "Israeli settlement enterprise negates peace and the possibility of the two-state solution." (WION with inputs from AFP)

Israel approves settler outposts on Palestinian land

The decades-old rivalry between the Israeli and Palestinian was visible on the floor of the UN General Assembly on Thursday as their leaders stood poles apart.&nbsp; 
 
Clashing over the Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas slammed the expansion as soon as he took the podium.&nbsp; 
 
Abbas told the UN that settlement growth is destroying the two-state solution.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;What the Israeli government is doing in pursuit of its expansionist settlement plans will destroy whatever possibility is left for the two-state solution along the 1967 borders,&quot; Abbas warned. 
 
Abbas said the settlements are illegal in all aspects and that the Palestinians were working to &quot;exert all efforts&quot; with Arab and other &quot;friendly countries&quot; to get the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution on settlements and the &quot;terror of the settlers.&quot; 
 
He urged the Assembly to recognise Palestine as a state. &quot;Those who believe in the two-state solution should recognise both states&nbsp;and not just one of them,&quot; Abbas said. 
 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly contradict Abbas. 
 
&quot;This conflict has never been about the settlements or about establishing a Palestinian state,&quot; said Netanyahu. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s always been about the existence of a Jewish state, a Jewish state in any boundary,&quot; he added. 
 
Netanyahu said that Haifa, Jaffa and Tel Aviv, all cities in Israel, were &quot;the real settlements they are after.&quot; 
 
Israel has accused Palestinian of inciting violence that has killed 230 Palestinians and 34 Israelis since last October and swept the&nbsp;region.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We extend our hands to those who want to build peace,&quot; said Abbas, albeit slamming Israeli attitudes. 
 
&quot;It is Israel&#39;s breach of the agreements it has signed and its failure to comply with the obligations that have led us to the deadlock and stalemate that we remain in now.&quot; 
 
Netanyahu strongly criticised the United Nations for showing anti-Israeli bias. But conceded that the issue of settlements in the West Bank was &quot;real,&quot; and it &quot;can and must be resolved in final negotiations.&quot; 
 
Last year the United Nations raised for the first time the Palestinian flag -- a symbolic gesture supported by the majority of UN members after the latest US peace initiative collapsed in 2014. 
 
Palestine is not a full UN member state, though it has observer status. 
 
Israel&#39;s announcement of constructing 463 homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank in August was a cause of concern internationally.&nbsp; 
 
A recent report by the diplomatic Quartet -- the European Union, Russia, the UN and the United States -- said construction of settlements on land earmarked to be part of a future Palestinian state is eroding the possibility of a two-state solution. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Netanyahu conceded West Bank issue can be resolved by negotiations but said the real conflict is over existence of a Jewish state

The decades-old rivalry between the Israeli and Palestinian was visible on the floor of the UN General Assembly on Thursday as their leaders stood poles apart. Clashing over the Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas slammed the expansion as soon as he took the podium. Abbas told the UN that settlement growth is destroying the two-state solution. "What the Israeli government is doing in pursuit of its expansionist settlement plans will destroy whatever possibility is left for the two-state solution along the 1967 borders," Abbas warned. Abbas said the settlements are illegal in all aspects and that the Palestinians were working to "exert all efforts" with Arab and other "friendly countries" to get the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution on settlements and the "terror of the settlers." He urged the Assembly to recognise Palestine as a state. "Those who believe in the two-state solution should recognise both states and not just one of them," Abbas said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly contradict Abbas. "This conflict has never been about the settlements or about establishing a Palestinian state," said Netanyahu. "It's always been about the existence of a Jewish state, a Jewish state in any boundary," he added. Netanyahu said that Haifa, Jaffa and Tel Aviv, all cities in Israel, were "the real settlements they are after." Israel has accused Palestinian of inciting violence that has killed 230 Palestinians and 34 Israelis since last October and swept the region. "We extend our hands to those who want to build peace," said Abbas, albeit slamming Israeli attitudes. "It is Israel's breach of the agreements it has signed and its failure to comply with the obligations that have led us to the deadlock and stalemate that we remain in now." Netanyahu strongly criticised the United Nations for showing anti-Israeli bias. But conceded that the issue of settlements in the West Bank was "real," and it "can and must be resolved in final negotiations." Last year the United Nations raised for the first time the Palestinian flag -- a symbolic gesture supported by the majority of UN members after the latest US peace initiative collapsed in 2014. Palestine is not a full UN member state, though it has observer status. Israel's announcement of constructing 463 homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank in August was a cause of concern internationally. A recent report by the diplomatic Quartet -- the European Union, Russia, the UN and the United States -- said construction of settlements on land earmarked to be part of a future Palestinian state is eroding the possibility of a two-state solution. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Abbas warns Israel settlement growth destroying two-state solution

At the peak of a searing summer, Palestinians living in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank are suffering from severe water shortages, prompting a war of words between Palestinian and Israeli officials over who is responsible. 
 
The Palestinians say Israel is preventing them from accessing adequate water at an affordable price, and point out that nearby Israeli settlements have plentiful water supplies. Israel says the Palestinians have been allocated double the amount they were due under an interim 1995 agreement&nbsp;and have refused to discuss solutions to the current problem. 
 
For Palestinian Nidal Younis, the head of the Masafer Yatta village council near Hebron, in the south of the West Bank, getting hold of water has become prohibitively expensive. 
 
&quot;The cost of a cubic metre for residents is 12 times higher than the normal price,&quot; he said, shaking his head. &quot;When water is available, it normally costs four shekels (about $1) per cubic metre, but now it costs 50 shekels.&quot; 
 
Israeli settlements are scattered on hillsides all around Masafer Yatta, a low-stone village on dry, rocky land. The settlements, with gardens and greenery, receive water from the Israeli utility provider via dedicated pipelines. 
 
Younis said there was water in the ground near his village, home to around 1,600 people and many animals. But he said Israeli authorities prevented villagers from accessing the water by denying them permits to dig. Israel says unregulated digging of wells would do severe damage to the water table. 
 
The villagers have approached the Palestinian Water Authority, which said it had made appeals to the Israelis, but the requests were apparently unanswered. 
 
Israel&#39;s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, a branch of the military that administers Palestinian civil issues, said Israel provides 64 million cubic metres of water to the Palestinians annually, even though under the 1995 Oslo accords it is only obliged to provide 30 million. 
 
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said the Palestinians had consistently refused to meet to discuss water issues or work to resolve the long-standing problem. 
 
&quot;The Palestinian allegations... are simply a lie,&quot; he said. &quot;Under the Oslo accords, we agreed to establish together a joint working committee on water. Unfortunately, the Palestinian side has refused systematically to participate.&quot; 
 
He added that the water needs in the West Bank, which the Palestinians want for a state together with East Jerusalem and Gaza, are greater than the infrastructure can handle. 
 
Mazen Ghuneim, head of the Palestinian Water Authority, said the Palestinians had halted water negotiations with Israel five years ago because Israel had not frozen settlement building. 
 
The United Nations Children&#39;s Fund (UNICEF), which is working with the Palestinian Authority and Italian aid agency GVC to provide water to impoverished areas, has warned that up to 35,000 Palestinians are at risk because of the shortages. 
 
Gregor von Medeazza, the head of UNICEF&#39;s water programme, said Israel had prevented villagers from building water-retention facilities and that 33 such structures had been demolished this year because they were built without permits. 
 
Palestinians living furthest from urban areas have been the hardest hit, he said, often having to pay large sums to get private companies to truck water to their villages. 
 
Some Israeli settlers have grown concerned about the lack of water available for Palestinians. 
 
&quot;Israel has not... made an effort to plan a long-term programme for the next 10, 20, 30 years that will take into consideration population growth,&quot; said Yochai Damari, head of the Mount Hebron Regional Council, a settlement body. 
 
&quot;Thank God Israel doesn&#39;t have a shortage of water, there is desalinated water, there is water that is located elsewhere that needs to be drilled and extracted using pipelines and infrastructure that will provide water to the Arab community, and of course to the Jewish community.&quot; 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

The Palestinians say Israel is preventing them from accessing adequate water at an affordable price

At the peak of a searing summer, Palestinians living in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank are suffering from severe water shortages, prompting a war of words between Palestinian and Israeli officials over who is responsible. The Palestinians say Israel is preventing them from accessing adequate water at an affordable price, and point out that nearby Israeli settlements have plentiful water supplies. Israel says the Palestinians have been allocated double the amount they were due under an interim 1995 agreement and have refused to discuss solutions to the current problem. For Palestinian Nidal Younis, the head of the Masafer Yatta village council near Hebron, in the south of the West Bank, getting hold of water has become prohibitively expensive. "The cost of a cubic metre for residents is 12 times higher than the normal price," he said, shaking his head. "When water is available, it normally costs four shekels (about $1) per cubic metre, but now it costs 50 shekels." Israeli settlements are scattered on hillsides all around Masafer Yatta, a low-stone village on dry, rocky land. The settlements, with gardens and greenery, receive water from the Israeli utility provider via dedicated pipelines. Younis said there was water in the ground near his village, home to around 1,600 people and many animals. But he said Israeli authorities prevented villagers from accessing the water by denying them permits to dig. Israel says unregulated digging of wells would do severe damage to the water table. The villagers have approached the Palestinian Water Authority, which said it had made appeals to the Israelis, but the requests were apparently unanswered. Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, a branch of the military that administers Palestinian civil issues, said Israel provides 64 million cubic metres of water to the Palestinians annually, even though under the 1995 Oslo accords it is only obliged to provide 30 million. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said the Palestinians had consistently refused to meet to discuss water issues or work to resolve the long-standing problem. "The Palestinian allegations... are simply a lie," he said. "Under the Oslo accords, we agreed to establish together a joint working committee on water. Unfortunately, the Palestinian side has refused systematically to participate." He added that the water needs in the West Bank, which the Palestinians want for a state together with East Jerusalem and Gaza, are greater than the infrastructure can handle. Mazen Ghuneim, head of the Palestinian Water Authority, said the Palestinians had halted water negotiations with Israel five years ago because Israel had not frozen settlement building. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which is working with the Palestinian Authority and Italian aid agency GVC to provide water to impoverished areas, has warned that up to 35,000 Palestinians are at risk because of the shortages. Gregor von Medeazza, the head of UNICEF's water programme, said Israel had prevented villagers from building water-retention facilities and that 33 such structures had been demolished this year because they were built without permits. Palestinians living furthest from urban areas have been the hardest hit, he said, often having to pay large sums to get private companies to truck water to their villages. Some Israeli settlers have grown concerned about the lack of water available for Palestinians. "Israel has not... made an effort to plan a long-term programme for the next 10, 20, 30 years that will take into consideration population growth," said Yochai Damari, head of the Mount Hebron Regional Council, a settlement body. "Thank God Israel doesn't have a shortage of water, there is desalinated water, there is water that is located elsewhere that needs to be drilled and extracted using pipelines and infrastructure that will provide water to the Arab community, and of course to the Jewish community." (Reuters)

Israel & Palestine fight, this time with words over water