Israeli settlers accused of diverting West Bank spring water from Fasayil to tourist site

Israeli settlers are being accused of diverting water from a natural spring that feeds the Palestinian village of Fasayil in the occupied West Bank to a nearby ancient pool that has been turned into a tourist attraction. The incident is part of a wider pattern of efforts to take control of springs and heritage sites in the area, according to the supplied report. Palestinian residents say the diversion has affected local farming and water access in a region already facing long-running shortages.

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The report says the water was siphoned off over the summer without authorisation. COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for civil affairs in the West Bank, acknowledged that the diversion had taken place and said it would investigate. A Palestinian farmer from Fasayil, Saad Nemer, said the loss of water had devastated his fields.

The site has been linked to Herod, the Roman-appointed king of Judea, and other ruins nearby are said to date to the first century BCE. The case has drawn attention because water is a sensitive and limited resource in the West Bank, where Palestinian communities have faced restrictions and shortages since Israel took control in 1967. The report says settlers damaged, destroyed or seized about 160 water and sanitation structures in Palestinian communities in 2026, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

It also says attacks on shared water infrastructure have disrupted supply to all or large parts of several communities. That makes the Fasayil case part of a broader dispute over access, control and land use. The issue also has a political and legal dimension because the site is being presented as both a heritage location and a tourist destination.

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Israel's Heritage Minister, Amihai Eliyahu, said the pool is due to be drained in early October so archaeologists can complete a full survey. He also praised the person who diverted the water and said about $1 million could be allocated to rehabilitate the site. Rights group B'Tselem says the push to claim heritage sites is part of a broader effort to strengthen historical, cultural and religious ties to the West Bank.

The West Bank has been under Israeli control since 1967, and disputes over land, water and archaeology have long been intertwined there. In this case, the spring feeding Fasayil appears to have been redirected to support a site promoted as a new attraction, while Palestinian farmers say they have borne the cost. The report does not say who carried out the diversion, and it remains unclear how long the water was redirected before it was acknowledged.

What happens next will depend on the promised investigation, the planned drainage of the pool and any archaeological survey that follows. It is also unclear whether the water supply to Fasayil has been restored in full and whether any enforcement action will be taken. The case is likely to remain closely watched because it sits at the intersection of water access, settlement activity and heritage claims in the occupied West Bank.

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