Israel-Palestine: For Human Values in the Absence of a Just Peace | Page 28

Israel-Palestine: For Human Values in the Absence of a Just Peace

An average of 10% of pregnant Palestinian women were delayed at checkpoints every
year from 2000 to 2007, while travelling to give birth in hospital. These delays resulted in
69 births at the checkpoints, leading to 35 infant and five maternal deaths.lxii
As Americans witness the debates on the immigration issue in the United States,
we should remember that the Palestinians are not immigrants. They and their ancestors
have lived on that land for centuries and generations, except when Israeli measures forced
them to move. Since the 1967 war and change of the borders, however, the Israeli
authorities have reduced and sometimes eliminated Palestinians’ legal status, even though
they did not move across any border, illegally or otherwise. On the other hand, priority
status and financial incentives have gone to Israeli settlers, who are illegal immigrants
according to international law.
Water
Israel controls almost all water resources, above and below ground, and allocates
it to favor its own citizens and to the detriment of Palestinians in the West Bank and
Gaza. The separation barrier acts as a “water wall”, which Israel moved east of the Green
Line to seize important water sources in the West Bank, where Israel now controls 85
percent of aquifers.lxiii The significant disparity in water access and allocation between
Palestinians and Israelis has corresponding impact on public health and economic
development. As the responsible power under the Fourth Geneva Conventions of 1949,lxiv
the Israeli military is supposed to ensure water access for all people under its control.
Almost all Israeli settlers have uninterrupted access to water, which is used for swimmin