Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank have seized a spring water supply near Fasayil that irrigated Palestinian crops, diverting it to fill an ancient pool at an archaeological site, according to affected farmers and reports. In June, settlers took Palestinian farmer Saad Nemer's irrigation pipeline and channelled the water to the pool, which some attribute to the biblical King Herod but whose provenance an Israeli archaeologist said remains unclear. Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich pledged 3 million shekels (about $1 million) to develop the site as a tourist attraction.
Nemer's land ownership documents, issued in 2025 by COGAT, show his property includes the spring. A Palestinian researcher estimated settlers control 95% of springs in the northern Jordan Valley. The Palestinian Authority's water authority described the situation as a "water war".
The United Nations says settlers have attacked at least 160 water and sanitation sites across Palestinian territory this year. In Qusra, settlers besieged three homes, cutting water and electricity, while the UN documented over 900 physical obstacles hampering humanitarian access across the West Bank.