Locals said the removal of the pumps would threaten thousands of dunums of fields of crops, and farmers estimated that each of the pumps cost 25,000 shekels (6,750 US dollars).
The pumps were seized from the farms of Ali Az-Zuhdi, Fayeq Sbeih, and Taleb Radi.
Tubas Governor Marwan Tubasi denounced the Israeli acts following a tour of the affected farms and residences, while Coordinator of the campaign to save the Jordan Valley Fathi Ikhdeirat, said the day's events were part of "a series of attacks that carried out against the residents aiming at expelling them from their land."
On Sunday, Israeli authorities closed off the main water source used for agriculture in a Jordan Valley village, committee members and lawyers said, only four days after military officials threatened to "turn off the taps" if Palestinians did not start treating more of their wastewater.
At the time, Ikhdeirait said Israeli water company Mokorot built three wells to area aquifers since the 1970s, dispensing 5,000 cubic meters of water per hour, largely benefiting the nearby settlements as "Bardalah only gets 65 cubic meters of water per hour before they stopped pumping water. The last aquifer was built two years ago underneath the village.
"We hear the sound of water passing through the pipes in the middle of the village, but we can't drink from it or use it. The water pipelines extended by the Israeli water company is separating the village into two sections," he added.
Dozens of farmers protested against Israeli procedure in the Jordan Valley, and demanded that a swift resolution be found before they sustain considerable loses in their crops and yield, which they depend on for their income and livelihood..........
B'Tselem's study found, however, that "During more than 40 years of occupation, Israel has not built advanced regional wastewatertreatment plants in the settlements to match those inside Israel."....... Full story
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