On World Water Day 2022, we look at how the control of water in Palestine causes untold difficulties for ordinary people. From farmers to families, every Palestinian consumes less than the recommended daily amount and many face having their village wells and water tanks destroyed or seized.
The World Health Organisation recommends 100 litres of clean water per day, per person. In some areas of Palestine, people can access only 26 litres per day with the shortfall having to be bought from a private Israeli company, Mekorot, at a premium price. Israel, the occupying power, controls 85% of Palestinian water resources.
“Less than 3 per cent of the world’s water
resources is freshwater, and it is growing
increasingly scarce.
Decades of misuse, poor
management, over-extraction of groundwater
and contamination of freshwater supplies
have exacerbated water stress.”
Unicef.org “Water Security For All“
Palestinians rely heavily on groundwater, which makes up 80% of water use in Palestine according to the UNESCO 2022 water report. Groundwater reservoirs are used by villages and farmers to stay alive and nourish crops and livestock. Unfortunately, the areas of Palestine which are rich in natural resources are among those targeted for takeover by illegal Israeli settlers.
The Palestinian Central Statistics Bureau have said that as well as the exploitation of groundwater, Palestinians have been prevented by Israel from taking water from the Jordan river since the occupation began in 1967. As well as access issues, water infrastructure is frequently targetted and destroyed by occupation forces, as documented here by rights NGO B’Tselem:
The occupation of Palestine has been referred to as apartheid. Amnesty International outlined the inequalities faced by Palestinians when trying to access potable water and particularly mentioned Gaza, where salination levels make 98% of water undrinkable:
The blockade and Israel’s repeated military offensives have had a heavy toll on Gaza’s essential
infrastructure and further debilitated its health system and economy, leaving the area in a state of perpetual
humanitarian crisis. Indeed, Israel’s collective punishment of Gaza’s civilian population, the majority of whom
are children, has created conditions inimical to human life due to shortages of housing, potable water and
electricity, and lack of access to essential medicines and medical care, food, educational equipment and
building materials.
Amnesty International, “Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his speech marking World Water Day today said that Palestinians could no longer tolerate the looting of their natural resources.
With water becoming an increasingly scarce and precious commodity, the Palestinian’s right to self-determination and to access their own lands and resources must be upheld and protected by the international community.
