Of all the issues often raised with regards to the occupation's injustices and the attitude of authorities and settlers to the Palestinians, environmental issues are at the margins of the social-political agenda, even in the rare cases where environmental issues in Israel itself are brought up for debate.
However, during more than 40 years of Israeli control, the West Bank has become, either consciously or unconsciously, our garbage dump, and particularly that of the settlements and illegal outposts in the area.
Toxic sewage from plants and sewage systems pouring into Palestinian agricultural and pasture areas are a routine matter. Local authorities abandon and neglect the handling of their pollutants as long as the result surfaces a few kilometers away, outside their municipal area. On the other end, Palestinian residents are left to deal with the pollution and filth.
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The Water Commission pointed out that Arab villages in Yesha have no septic tanks, with most of their waste-water flowing into rivers. The commission added that PA-controlled cities do not treat sewage, whereas 85% of Jewish communities do so.
The Water Commission also claimed that the Palestinian Authority is uninterested in promoting sewage treatment; despite the willingness of donor nations to finance such projects, nothing was being done on the matter. At the donor nations conference in Rome two weeks ago the PA asked for $1.2 billion, of which only $60 million was allocated for sewers.
A recent study released by the Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem (ARIJ), an Arab run organization dedicated to promoting sustainable development in the PA-controlled areas, reports that the Palestinian Authority allows PA farmers to use 14 pesticide agents that have been internationally banned, among them many of most toxic pesticide, such as DDT and Paraquate. The study reported 53% of PA farmers disposing of their excess pesticide chemicals by dumping burying them. The dangerous chemicals continue to leach down into the mountain aquifer causing contamination.
It is noteworthy to mention that much of this sprayed produce is marketed in both pre and post-1967 Israel. Advocates of organic, pesticide-free produce have long advised against purchasing fruit and vegetables grown in the PA.
That's the problem when you quote someone like that with an agenda: You get lies.
On the other hand, that's exactly what you're comfortable with.
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