Settlers diverted water from a spring serving Fasayil to fill a nearby ancient pool; farmer Saad Nemer said the cutoff devastated his fields. Israel’s heritage minister praised those behind it and said about $1 million was earmarked for the site; COGAT called the diversion unaut…
COGAT said it would investigate the diversion. Research by Dror Etkes, who runs settlement watchdog Kerem Navot, found the land was privately owned. Agreements from the 1990s place the pool in Area C, under full Israeli military control. Nemer said his family has documents proving ownership. Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said the pool would be drained in early October, after the Jewish holidays, for a survey by Israeli Civil Administration archaeologists. The site has never been studied, so its construction date is unclear.
Eliyahu said at least $166 million is allocated for excavations and infrastructure at more than 100 West Bank sites he says are connected to Jewish heritage. A July U.N. humanitarian report said settlers had damaged, destroyed or seized about 160 water and sanitation structures in Palestinian communities in 2026, and that attacks on shared infrastructure had disrupted supplies to several communities.
