Official: Israeli forces destroy pipelines in Hebron village

Ma’an – 19/05/2010

Hebron – Israeli army bulldozers reportedly destroyed several water pipes as they attempted to block the main road from the Adh-Dhahiriya village to Hebron on Wednesday, effectively cutting off the village’s water supply, an official said.

A representative from the Palestinian Authority Water Authority, Nabil Abu Aqel, said the bulldozers were in the process installing a road block near the adjacent Otni’el settlement, destroying a number of essential water pipelines in the process.

However, a spokesman for Israel’s Civil Administration said a pipe had burst in the area and that it was currently being repaired.

Two weeks prior, Israeli forces piled earth at the northern entrance of Adh-Dhahiriya, closing off the main road to Hebron in what town residents said at the time was an attempt to restrict access to roads near settlements.

In the process of digging, forces destroyed pipes to the town, again cutting off its water supply, Adh-Dhahiriya Mayor Sami Estanyur said at the time.

The Hebron-Dhahiriya road bypasses the Otni’el settlement was established on 150 dunums of private Palestinian land in 1983, and Eshtanyur said the road overlays the water network of the town.

At the time, Israel’s army said it was not familiar with the incident.