News / Interviews

Israel cutting West Bank water out of spite: Commentator

Wednesday, 15 June 2016 7:32 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 15 June 2016 7:32 AM ]

Palestinian children fill plastic bottles and water containers with drinking water from a public tap. (File photo)

Press TV has interviewed Richard Silverstein, a journalist and political commentator, about Israel cutting water supplies to major areas in the north of the occupied West Bank amid high temperatures in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Read a rough transcription of the interview appears below.

Press TV: How does Israel basically get away with this major human rights violation without it basically being noticed?

Silverstein: Well, this is an issue of Israel’s pure naked power grab and it does this with resources like water, it does it with resources like land and it does it through naked strength of military force in order to get its way and promote its own interest and as you mentioned the settlers are the ones who are the primary beneficiaries of these series of thefts by Israel and this is something that is routine that happens every day and we saw after the terror attack in Tel Aviv that Israel basically shut down the West Bank and hundred thousand Palestinians who had work permits were not permitted to enter Israel.

This is just really done on a whim and it is done out of spite. You mentioned that it is Ramadan and of course this is a symbolic act by Israel, it is sticking its thumb into the eye of Palestinians and unfortunately this is what the definition of occupation is.

Press TV: What is it going to take to change this status quo? Obviously we have seen so-called international organizations not doing their responsibility, not putting the pressure on Tel Aviv, what is going to change then this current situation?

Silverstein: I as I have said a number of times on your program, I am not very hopeful that that is possible right now. I think it is going to require the situation to become much worse unfortunately, more blood to flow both of Palestinians and the Israelis unfortunately, and I think that eventually it is going to take the international community stepping in, in some fashion and it may require some kind of a crazy, insane attack like what happened in Orlando here in the United States before the world sits up and takes notice.

It may require more mayhem before the world steps in and does the right thing.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk