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Photo: Farmer in Wadi Fukin looks toward settlement of Beitar Illit (image by Mother Jones)

by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

On Sunday afternoon, the Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit, west of Bethlehem, pumped thousands of gallons of sewage wastewater onto Palestinian farmland, destroying the crops and rendering the land unusable.

The area impacted is over one hundred acres of farmland in Wadi Fukin village.

The village council issued a statement calling on the Palestinian and Israeli authorities to act to do something about the constant harassment by the Israeli settlers in Beitar Illit settlement, and the periodic dumping of sewage onto village land.

The sewage wastewater dumping on Sunday affected the lands of around fifty local farmers, whose livelihoods depend on the farmland in question.

Israeli authorities have not responded to the request that they take action to stop the illegal dumping, and hold those responsible to account.

In the past, illegal dumping and seizure of the land of Wadi Fukin has been met by silence from the Israeli authorities.