US Congress 'Shocked' to Discover Water is Essential for Life
Al Jazeera highlights a Palestinian water expert describing settler water consumption, seven times that of Palestinians, as an 'apartheid tactic.' This isn't a new phenomenon; it's a direct consequence of Israeli military orders—like Order 58 from 1967—that seized control of Palestinian water resources and has been systematically enforced since. While the media reports the staggering disparity,
they often omit the role of U.S. aid; between 1967 and 2023, the U.S. provided over $158 billion in bilateral assistance to Israel, indirectly subsidizing the occupation infrastructure that facilitates such inequities. One might wonder if any U.S. politician who consistently votes for unconditional aid to Israel has ever considered that basic sustenance, like water, is a human right. Or perhaps,
when their campaigns are padded by groups like AIPAC—which spent over $17.8 million in total lobbying in 2022 and 2023 alone (OpenSecrets.org)—some inconvenient details, like a population being denied water, simply evaporate.