Hamas calls prayers for rain to ease Gaza water crisis
Gaza Strip is served by a single aquifer that does not meet the needs of its population.
By Reuters Tags: Hamas Gaza Israel newsThe Islamist group Hamas held prayers in the Gaza Strip on Thursday to ask God for rain, calling for divine help to ease a water crisis that is compounding the woes of Palestinians in the coastal enclave.
"We usually plant grain, olives and almonds. This year there is nothing. What can we do?" said Palestinian Fatima Abu Tair, lamenting the unusually dry winter that has left her land parched and trees bare. "We are awaiting God's mercy."
The Hamas-run Ministry of Religious Affairs led dozens of worshippers in prayer in a large playground in Gaza City.
"We have learned from the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, that when rain is blocked and the land is dry, we should resort to God and hold prayers seeking rain," Hamas ministry official Abdallah Abu Jarboa said.
The Gaza Strip is served by a single aquifer that does not meet the needs of its population of 1.5 million Palestinians.
The aquifer has been depleted and contaminated by over-extraction, sewage and seawater and 90-95 percent of its water is unfit for human consumption, Amnesty International said in a report last year.
Many Palestinians in Gaza have dug their own wells to reach better drinking water, placing additional strain on the aquifer.
Plans to build a desalination plant for Gaza have been frozen since Hamas won a legislative election in 2006 and ascended to power, defeating the long-time dominant Fatah movement of Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas.
The group seized complete control of Gaza in 2007. "Since the Palestinian elections were held, most of the institutions of donor countries retreated from their pledges," Munther Shoblaq, director general of the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility, said.
Farmer Narziq Abu Tair said his 15-member family depends on what he grows on his land. "Winter is ending and summer is coming and there was no rain and there is no alternative to water our lands," the 68-year old said.
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It would seem that their prayers, if anything, are too successful.
Before the Israeli settlers moved out in 2005 they ran many wells and water systems dry with their over consumption and then the IAF damaged Gaza 's only Aquifer in an airstrike soon afterwards further complicating and putting a strain on Gaza's water supply. So the root source of this crisis can be traced back to Israel. That's not to say Gaza's population is a contributing factor. But it seems to me now -Israel has an added responsibility to help Gazans dur- ing this drought. Dutch
Your claim that Israel is legally obliged to supply water to Gaza is not based on anything except your fantasy that Israel is the "legal occupying authority". It is certainly true that Israel has the legal right to occupy Gaza, since Gaza has waged and is still waging war against Israel. The plain fact of the matter, though, is that Hamas is the occupying power in Gaza and Hamas does not take orders from Israel. Israel does not control Gaza's economic policy or water policy! Israel was once the legal occupying authority in Gaza and may one day be again. That has no bearing on the situation now which is that Gaza is not part of Israel and Israel has no legal obligation to supply anything to Gaza.
... not with silver iodide for precipitation purposes unfortunately but with a caustic cocktail of corruption, callousness, and a sadistic hatred of their neighbor Israel that burns holes in and undermines any attempt to progress towards building a much needed State. The ghosts of the once productive Gaza greenhouses left by Israel as a goodwill gesture still haunts the former thriving Israeli settlement there and in its Hamas-controlled terror wake remains only an unproductive whistling wind of Katyusha rockets launching towards Israeli cities and civilians.
SHAME ON ISRAEL Why, as the article states Gaza has 1 aquifer ( not Israels fault we can't multiply that by 100 ) over-extraction, sewage and seawater. Israel isn't running Gaza Hamas is and all these problems take years to develop its a fact that for years the Gaza sewage system has been overloaded, over extraction simply means to many people wanting to little water and supplies are running low. Thats not Israels fault. israel supplies the palestinians with MORE than the amount that it was obligated to do under the water agreements made as part of oslo. Israel is giving up to much of its water to others already, why on earth did we agree to let Jordan take water from the Kineret as part of oslo? They were not getting Kineret water before 1967 so why are we giving it away now.
"Israel is STILL supplying water to Gaza! Why?" - Out of Touch With Reality Because Israel is the Legal Occupying Authority in Gaza and wishes to maintain that right. If Israel commits indisputable violations of the 4th Geneva Convention the UN could declare Israel in clear violation and revoke Israel's status and prerogatives as the legal occupying power in the territories occupied in 1967. At that time the Palestinians could declare themselves an independent nation and appeal for recognition and help. This would be the end of the dream of Greater Israel and an end to the fun of tormenting Gaza. Sorry you cannot comprehend the FACT that Israel maintains it's status as the Legal Occupying Authority and would abrogate that if it cut off the succor it is required by the 4th Geneva convention to provide the civilians of an occupied territory. Perhaps, someday, you will start living the life of a realist and coping with reality instead of residing in fantasy.
You are realist? well i have to ask on which planet do you live? Israel is accused of violating the rights Palestinian to water. Israel controls all water sources shared with the occupied palestinians territories and gives them only 20% of available reserves. (Amnesty International Report. Donatella Rovera.) Today, Palestinians are entitled, every day, to about 70 liters of water per person.Israeli daily consumption is about 300 liters per person. About 200 000 inhabitants of the occupied territories have no access to running water. By conparaison, the daily water consumption per person recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) is 100 liters.
"many of the ancestors of todays self-identified Palestinians to migrate to pre-state Israel, seeking to benefit from the economic and agricultural boom sparked by the early Zionists" Except for, you know, the fact that today's self-identified Palestinians had been living on the land for centuries, and are themselves descendants of ancient Semitic peoples of the land (genetic studies demonstrate a possible link even to the Ancient Hebrews) - long before a single Zionist ever stepped forth from Central Europe.
Israel is also suffering from a water shortage and yet is still supplying water to Gaza as well as to Jordan. Maybe if Israel took care of its own people first Gaza would be forced to built desalination plants instead of missiles to fire at Israel.
What is the alternative? Fatah is Israel light and corrupt. Egypt? Nah. Peace? It's going to be a long time before these people are holding hands and kissing each others babies. Hopeless people have nothing to lose.
There have always been droughts and famines in the Middle East throughout history. In fact, it was drought and famine in Syria in 1910 that caused many of the ancestors of todays self-identified Palestinians to migrate to pre-state Israel, seeking to benefit from the economic and agricultural boom sparked by the early Zionists.
Why is Hamas still strong? Well... Can you imagine Netanyahu leading a prayer session at the Kotel for rain? Or even praying at all one time in his proud life?
... your cry!