Call to take part in the Thirsting for Justice Campaign Summer Challenge

The Thirsting for Justice Campaign calls on supporters worldwide to sign-up to its summer challenge by living on 24 liters of water for 24 hours, a reality faced by many Palestinians in the West Bank today, particularly during the summer, when Israeli national water company Mekorot reduces water supplies.

This amount of water has to be enough for drinking, cooking, washing and hygiene.

Follow these 3 simple steps:

Sign-up on info@thirstingforjustice.org – we will post you a resource pack that will help you educate those around you about why you’re taking this challenge

Tell us about your experiences with the summer challenge. Be creative! Write us a small article, take a photo or send us a video blog.

Makean action in support of Palestinian rights. Write to your MP about Israeli violations of Palestinian rights to water and sanitation, share one of these Thirsting for Justice videos on your facebook wall or twitter, distribute our leaflets to your family and friends.

The action call will run between the 1^st of July 2012 to 15^th of September 2012, so you can sign-up at anytime within this period.

Why I am taking part in this challenge

There is enough water to go around in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, but discriminatory laws mean that many Palestinians are left with a trickle.

• As an Occupying Power, the Israeli government is responsible under International Humanitarian Law for the well-being of Palestinians, including ensuring that they have adequate water supply. Even though it controls all sources of fresh water in the West Bank the Israeli government has neglected this obligation.

• Some Palestinian communities live with as little as 20 liters of water per person a day. This is barely enough water for their basic needs.

• Taps often run dry for several weeks during the summer in Palestinian cities like Bethlehem. Residents are forced to buy expensive water from private vendors.

• Communities depending on tankered water pay up to 4 times more for every litre than those connected to the network, adding strain to their income.

• Some communities depend on rainwater collection cisterns, often paid for with international aid, for their water. In 2011, the Israeli army destroyed on average almost three cisterns a month, and since then the rate of these demolitions has been increasing.

In contrast:

• About half a million Israelis live in illegal settlements located beside thirsty Palestinian communities. They have unrestricted access to water, well-watered lawns and swimming pools.

• Israeli settlers in settlements like Ro’i in the West Bank’s Jordan Valley use 20 times as much water as the most water-deprived Palestinians.

Visit the palsummerchallenge.org live blog where we will post your testimonies