Some things are invisible until pointed out. Take the water tanks peppering the West Bank landscape; large black cylinders towering heavily on buildings and homes. ‘That’s how you tell between Palestinian villages and Israeli settlements,’ a friend points out from the bus.
‘The Palestinian homes need water tanks because of restricted water supply from Israel, whereas the settlements don’t.’Â I realise that in all my years living in Israel, travelling these roads, staring at the scenery, I had never noticed the water tanks.
On our next drive to Jerusalem I would point out the water tanks to my mum, who hadn’t noticed them either. Why should she? They don’t impact Israelis directly, and mean nothing for our daily lives. But to our Palestinian neighbours, the water tanks are integral for survival.
The situation highlights alarming discrimination. According to a 1995 interim water-sharing agreement, Israel is the sole provider of water to Palestine and sells it to them at full price. Palestinians are prevented from maintaining or developing their water infrastructure, including digging wells on their own land.
Read the full article by Na’ama Carlin at EurekaSreet.com.au.