On a scorching summer day, Israeli settlers gathered around a pool in the occupied West Bank that Palestinians say was created by diverting water from a spring that had long irrigated their crops.
The spring near the village of Fasayil in the fertile Jordan Valley had provided Palestinian farmers with water for generations, supporting agriculture, employment and household needs. But in June, settlers seized an irrigation pipeline belonging to farmer Saad Nemer and redirected the water toward an ancient pool at an archaeological site.
“Our water supply remains cut off to this day, depriving us of the water we depend on for our homes, our livelihoods, and our agricultural land,” Nemer said.
The settlers subsequently promoted the pool as an Israeli tourist attraction, while Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich pledged 3 million shekels ($1 million) for its restoration and development. Nemer said settlers were now working to develop a recreational park around the site.
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Settlers Restrict Access to Water
The incident at Fasayil is part of a wider pattern that Palestinians say is making life increasingly difficult across the West Bank.
United Nations data cited by Reuters shows that Israeli settlers have attacked at least 160 water and sanitation sites across the Palestinian territory this year. Nemer said his fields and greenhouses, which would normally produce eggplant, zucchini and watermelons, have been left unplanted because of the loss of water.
“The settlers cutting off our water has caused us losses and has meant that many families will lose their work and their livelihoods,” he said.
Nemer also said a worker had been beaten by settlers and that he had faced threats when attempting to approach the spring.
Israeli settler Yishai Shreiber, 21, who visited the pool, said Palestinians would now be afraid to approach because of the large number of Israelis using the site.
Shreiber said he believed the West Bank belonged to the Jewish people and that Palestinians who did not accept Jewish authority should leave.
Nemer showed Reuters a 2025 land ownership document from COGAT, the Israeli military agency responsible for civilian policy in the occupied territories. He also presented a map from a 1957 land registration showing that his property included the spring and pool.
COGAT and Smotrich did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Palestinians Describe a “Water War”
Palestinians say the struggle over water is increasingly connected to the broader expansion of Israeli settlements across the West Bank.
Israel’s far-right coalition government has overseen significant settlement construction, while Smotrich has said the expansion is intended to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. The United Nations and most governments consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, while Israel disputes the territory’s status and argues that it is not legally occupied.
Palestinian field researcher Fares Foqahaa estimated that settlers have taken control of 95% of springs in the northern Jordan Valley, contributing to the displacement of communities.
In the village of Qusra, settlers have also cut water and electricity supplies to three homes, according to Palestinians.
Adel Yassin, an official with the Palestinian Authority’s water authority, described the struggle over water as a deliberate effort to make Palestinian communities’ livelihoods unsustainable.
“I see this as a water war,” he said. “It is the silent bullet that kills Palestinians without a sound.”
Archaeology Becomes Part of the Dispute
The pool has also become part of a dispute over the archaeological history of the site.
Settler leader Eliav Libi posted a video in June showing the pool filling with water. Libi and other settlers say it belonged to the biblical-era Jewish king Herod.
But Israeli archaeologist Alon Arad of the rights group Emek Shaveh said the pool’s origins were unclear. He also argued that filling the archaeological site with water was causing damage.
Arad said archaeology was being used in some cases to reinforce the perception that the West Bank was exclusively Jewish.
A billboard outside the pool advertised the 3 million shekel investment from Smotrich for the restoration and development of what he called “Herod’s Pools.”
Israeli families were seen swimming and wading in the pool, while no Palestinians were present.
Water Access Under Growing Pressure
The dispute at Fasayil comes as Palestinians across the West Bank face increasing pressure over access to natural springs and water infrastructure.
At Wadi al-Badhan near Nablus, a spring area that had rarely experienced settler incursions until this year also saw hundreds of settlers arrive during the summer, according to Palestinian residents.
Nizam Fares, who owns a natural spring park there, said the atmosphere had changed dramatically.
“People have become scared and jumpy,” he said. “They come and ask if the settlers are coming or not?”
The growing disputes over springs and irrigation systems have turned access to water into another increasingly contentious issue in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, threatening both Palestinian agriculture and the ability of communities to remain on their land.
With information from Reuters.
