Water

Palestine Monitor factsheet

“All peoples may, for their own ends, freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources without prejudice to any obligations arising out of international economic co-operation, based on the principle of mutual benefit and international law. . .”

Article 1(2) of the 1966 United Nations Human Rights Covenants

Water: The Facts

 In 1967, immediately after its full scale occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel declared that all water resources in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were property of the Israeli state. Palestinians therefore had to obtain a license from the Israeli Military before developing any new water infrastructure on their own land.

 In 1982 control of all Palestinian water resources was handed over to the new Israeli Water Authority, Mekorot. Eleven years later, under the 1993 Oslo Peace Process accords, partial responsibility for West Bank and Gaza water resources was passed to the Palestinian Water Authority. However, Mekorot still controls 53% of domestic water supplies in the West Bank.

 Palestine has natural surface and ground water resources. Surface water flows in the form of permanent rivers, and wadis (riverbeds that remain dry for part of the year), or else is held in seasonal reservoirs. Ground water resources collect and store rainwater. The main source of fresh water across Palestine is ground water.

 There are eight ground water basins in Palestine and Israel.

 Four lie completely within Israel (Tiberias, Western Galilee, Carmel, and the Negev). The other four basins (the North Eastern, Eastern, Western and Coastal Aquifers) lie partly or wholly in the West Bank and Gaza.

Unequal Access & Deprivation

 Surface water comes primarily from the Jordan River Basin which is, in theory, a resource shared between Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Palestinians have been prohibited by Israel from using this source since 1967.

 The Western Aquifer is the single most important ground water resource in Palestine and Israel. It lies between the two states, with 68% of its recharge area within the West Bank.

 Palestinian wells pump around 22 million cubic meters a year from the Western Aquifer. Israeli wells distributed in settlements and along the 1967 Green Line pump 320 million cubic meters a year from the same aquifer.

 In the West Bank, Palestinians now control, and consume, approximately 20% (138 million m2) of the ground water resources. Israel controls approximately 80% (562 million m2) of the West Bank ground water resources, which are used for settlements built on occupied land in the West Bank and in Israel itself.

 Palestinians in Gaza consume around 100 million m2 of water a year.

 Overall, Palestinians control and consume 11% of their natural water resources. Israelis consume 89% of Palestine’s water.

 Per capita consumption of water in Palestine and Israel reflects this imbalance. In the West Bank and Gaza Strip per capita consumption is around 60 liters per day, while per capita consumption in Israel is approximately 280 liters per day.

 More than 215,000 Palestinians (10% of West Bank residents) are not connected to a running water network. They rely on collecting rainwater and access to natural springs. During mid summer water shortages they have to purchase water from private suppliers. Whilst piped water costs 3-5 shekels per cubic meter, private suppliers charge 15-30 shekels per cubic meter.

 The Palestinian Hydrology Group (PHG) has documented cases of Mekorot deliberately limiting domestic water supplies across the West Bank. Travel restrictions imposed across the West Bank and Gaza also severely affect Palestinians’ access to fresh water. The Wall continues to deny and restrict Palestinian access to natural springs, wells and agricultural land.

Settlements & Water

 Israeli settlers use up to 9 times the volume of water provided to Palestinians per capita.

 A number of settlements were constructed squarely over key water resources. For instance, the Ariel and Emmanuel settlements in the northern West Bank sit directly over the Western Aquifer Basin.

 There are 42 deep wells in the West Bank, dug by Israel after 1967 which are located primarily in the Eastern Basin. While 80% of the water they provide is supplied to Israeli settlements, only 20% goes to Palestinian communities.

 The drilling of these deep wells by Israel has a direct efffect on other Palestinian water sources. For instance, in the northern Jordan Valley, 8 wells and 11 springs were completely dried up as a result of Israeli drilling in the area.

The Wall & Water

 The route of the Wall confiscates key water resources.

 70% of the recharge area of the Western Aquifer will be isolated between the Wall and the Green Line and fall under Israeli control.

 In the northern part of the West Bank, the Wall acts as a concrete dam that essentially traps water and prevents it from flowing west, causing floodings in the nearby areas. Qalqiliya suffered serious flooding during the winter 2005 for this reason.

 Settlements located over water resources will be annexed to Israel once the Wall is completed.

Water & International Law

 The current division of water between Israel and Palestine violates Palestinian rights, and contravenes international water law: Palestinians should have an equitable and reasonable allocation of shared freshwater resources, including those in the four main aquifers and the Jordan River.

 The main international law principle for division of shared water between states is the Principle of Equitable and Reasonable Use.

 Article 6 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses lists seven key components of this principle, including social and economic need for water resources, conservation, protection and development of resources, and the availability of alternatives to planned or existing use of water.

 Article 43 of the 1907 Hague Regulations prohibits an occupying state from changing legislation that was in effect prior to occupation. Military orders used by Israel with regard to access to, and supply of, Palestinian water resources has significantly changed the legal and institutional structure of the Palestinian water sector. Water resources in the Occupied Territories have been integrated into Israel’s legal system, severely limiting Palestinian development of its water resources.

Contamination & Environmental Devastation

 The PHG has documented cases of Israeli settlers deliberately contaminating Palestinian water sources in Qalqiliya and Nablus Governorates.

 In May 2005 Israeli settlers living in the Tel Rumeida quarter of Hebron destroyed local water meters and cut off water supplies to hundreds of local Palestinians.

 The northern West Bank town of Jenin is facing a sewage crisis. 40,000 m2 of solid waste has accumulated in its wastewater treatment plant because the Israeli military has prohibited the Jenin municipality from accessing the solid waste processing plant in nearby Qabatiya since 2000.

 The PHG explains that Gaza is facing a chronic water crisis. Over-extraction of water from the Gaza aquifer has led to the aquifer being gradually contaminated by sea water.

 Sewage water is leaking and contaminating drinking water. For instance, in March 2007 the Beit Lahia sewage treatment plant in northern Gaza overflowed, killing five people. The PHG describes the treatment plant as “inadequate” and says the continued closure of the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza has prevented delivery of critical equipment for the sewage plant.