Palestinians in West Bank village face crisis as settlers cut off water
SUSIYA, West Bank: Palestinians in the village of Susiya in the Zionist-occupied West Bank thought life could not get worse as Jewish settlers were attacking them repeatedly and ripping apart their precious olive groves. Then settlers armed with knives set upon their water sources, villagers said.
'They want us to live without water, and here they also cut the electrical wires,' said Mousa Mughnem, 67, who lives with his 60-year-old wife Najah in the village near the town of Hebron. Palestinians in the West Bank have reported growing Zionist settler violence since war erupted between Zionist entity and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza on October 7, 2023.
Palestinian authorities who exercise limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank say the settlers are trying to force Palestinians off their lands in order to seize them. Emboldened by some far-right Zionist government ministers who seek to annex the West Bank, settlers have assaulted Palestinian farmers, cut down trees and set fire to precious olive groves. Jihad Al-Nawajaa, the head of the Susiya village council, said the water shortages have become unbearable. 'If we do not have water here, we will not survive. They make us thirsty in order to expel us, and their aim is to expel people,' he said.
RAFAH/GAZA: A truck carrying parts for water line installation drives past people in the Palestinian side of Rafah on July 28, 2025. (Right) A man and woman ride in a donkey-drawn cart carrying a water cistern in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.-- AFP photos
Residents of Susiya accuse Zionist settlers of severing water pipes and electricity wires, chopping down their olive trees and preventing them from herding their sheep. In response to a Reuters request for a comment on settler attacks in Susiya, the Zionist military said soldiers have been dispatched to deal with any troubles and have removed Zionist citizens involved.
'As for the most recent incident that occurred on Monday (July 28), same protocol was used, and no injuries were reported,' the army said.
Palestinians have cultivated olive trees for generations and regard them as an enduring symbol of their national identity. Some villagers, like Najah Mughnem, are defiant and say they will remain attached to their land and their olives no matter what the settlers do. 'Even if they burn down or cut down the trees or inflict damage, we will not leave,' she said. B'Tselem, a Zionist human rights organization, has reported around 54 settler attacks on the village since October 7, 2023. 'We are afraid... We spend the days and nights nervous, we hardly sleep,' said Fawziyeh Al-Nawajaa, 58, a Susiya villager.
Zionist entity could threaten to annex parts of Gaza to increase pressure on Hamas, a Zionist minister said on Wednesday, an idea that would deal a blow to Palestinian hopes of statehood on land Zionist entity now occupies. The comment by security cabinet member Zeev Elkin came a day after Britain said it would recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Zionist entity takes steps to relieve suffering in Gaza and agrees to a ceasefire in the war with Hamas.
France, which said last week it would recognize a Palestinian state in September, and Saudi Arabia issued a declaration on Tuesday, backed by Egypt, Qatar and the Arab League, outlining steps toward implementing a two-state solution. As part of an end to the Gaza war, they said Hamas 'must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority'.
Zionist entity has denounced moves to recognize a Palestinian state as rewarding Hamas for its October 2023 attack that precipitated the war. — Reuters
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