A/HRC/25/38 25. In addition, many cases have been documented of settlers forcibly taking over Palestinian water resources, through violence, threats and intimidation. Settlers also erect physical obstacles, such as fences, preventing Palestinians from accessing wells.80 In the case of 40 out of 56 water springs surveyed by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the course of 2011, Israeli settlers had even begun to develop the surrounding areas as a “tourist attraction”, installing signs, picnic tables and other recreational infrastructure. Many of those initiatives are promoted and funded by Israeli governmental or semi-governmental institutions.81 Right to an adequate standard of living 26. Besides being a vital element of Palestinian culture, olive farming is a mainstay of the Palestinian economy. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, olive production accounts for as much as 25 per cent of the total value of agricultural income in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, with approximately 100,000 families dependent to some extent on olive farming for their livelihoods.82 The majority of olive trees in the West Bank are rain-fed, making olive farmers vulnerable to drought. Irrigation techniques could improve the situation significantly; however, as described above, Palestinians lack meaningful access to most water resources and must purchase water from the drinking water supply for irrigation purposes. Only 6.8 per cent of the cultivated land in the West Bank is irrigated.83 27. Israeli settlements, on the other hand, are supplied with ample water and many engage in cultivation of crops that require large amounts of water, such as bananas. Palestinian producers are unable to compete in these conditions, which results in settlement products dominating Palestinian markets.84 28. Settlers often attack Palestinian agricultural lands and destroy olive trees. During the reporting period, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recorded 270 incidents in the context of settler-related violence leading to the injury of 103 Palestinians and damage to around 6,660 trees owned by Palestinians. During the same period in 2012, 249 incidents affecting Palestinians were documented, resulting in injury to 97 Palestinians and damage to 6,150 trees.85 A damaged 50-year-old olive tree requires five years to bear fruit again, and 20 years to reach a significant level of production. For each damaged 50year-old tree, there are associated average costs of US$ 750.86 Settler violence is also often directed at the herds of herding communities (see para. 42 below). 29. The situations described above affect the right to work of those Palestinians whose way of life is based on agriculture. In addition they hinder their access to means of livelihood, affecting several of their human rights (see paras. 15-20 above). 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 12 The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “How dispossession happens: the humanitarian impact of the takeover of Palestinian water springs by Israeli settlers” (March 2012). Ibid. FAO, “Overview of the Olive Sector in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip” (October 2013). Emergency Water Sanitation and Hygiene in the occupied Palestinian territory (EWASH), Fact Sheet 14: “Water for agriculture in the West Bank” (March 2013). Ibid. Information provided by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. FAO Food Security Unit 2013, cited in Protection Cluster Working Group, “Update on settler violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem” (October 2013).