Far-right settlers divert West Bank spring water as Israel backs heritage site takeovers. PETZAEL, West Bank: The natural springs and ancient pools of the occupied West Bank have long provided a respite from the oppressive summer heat. They also have been a lifeline for Palestinian communities, which rely on them for tourism and irrigation for their farmland. But for the 2.8 million Palestinians who live in the territory, those springs and the stone reservoirs they.