Seized drill
Seized drillCivil Administration

The supervision unit of the Civil Administration, accompanied by a representative of the District Coordination Office in Hevron, confiscated a pirate drilling machine and a compressor.

The tools were seized in Area C in Beit Omar during which the drill reached more than 100 meters deep into the ground, illegally.

Such illegal activity severely affects the Mountain Aquifer and Israel's water economy. Water is a strategic resource for Israel, even in an era of peace. Whoever controls Judea and Samaria controls the mountain aquifer, Israel’s principal source of high-grade drinking water.

This marks the second such seizing in the Hevron area in recent weeks.

"We're working diligently to enforce the law as regards such illegal activities," said Monitoring Unit Director Marco Ben Shabat. "We won't sit by and we'll continue to fight the phenomenon."