Water Crisis

Water Problem
Ein Arik, West Bank, 15 October, 1998: This is a village with Moslems and Christians living together sharing their suffering due to limited water availability and no goverment water supply systems, as in many towns and villages in Palestine.
 


“Water and Palestinian-Israeli Peace Negotiations,”
by Jad Isaac

Overview:

19 August 1999—The maldistribution of water in Israel and the Palestinian territories reflects an unequal balance of power rather than internationally formulated agreements or international law. Although water has been a major issue in the Oslo peace negotiations—starting with the Declaration of Principles signed by Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in September 1993—little progress has been made on the bilateral or multilateral negotiating tracks. While Israel recognized Palestinian water rights in the September 1995 Taba Agreement (Oslo II), that agreement reserves water as one of the issues to be addressed in the so-called “final status” negotiations. Thus far, however, those negotiations, which were to begin in May 1996 and conclude by 4 May 1999, have yet to start. Meanwhile, in this year of record drought, Israelis consume more than four times as much water as Palestinians do, including 80 percent of Palestinian ground water.

Oslo II included arrangements for delivering an additional 28.6 million cubic meters (mcm) of water to the Palestinians. This supply was intended to satisfy their immediate domestic water needs during the interim period before the final status negotiations were to have ended. Regrettably, Israel has released only 7 mcm of additional water so far—not nearly enough to meet the growing needs of a population experiencing severe water shortages. In brief, the “peace process” has not translated into continuous water supply or additional water in the taps—nor into much else of substance, for that matter—to the average Palestinian. While the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) is working to rehabilitate the water infrastructure, it is being impeded by Israeli interference. Read more...http://www.palestinecenter.org/cpap/pubs/19990819pb.html


International Conference
Water : Values & Rights
May 2 – 4, 2005
Ramallah, Palestine


Excerpt:

In his speech, on the 22nd March 2005 addressing World Water Day, which marked the beginning of the UN Water Decade, the United Nations Secretary General described Water as “a source for life” confirming that the world needs to respond much better in making water not a resource of conflict but instead forging it as a catalyst for cooperation. This speech comes while people in many countries around the world are facing serious problems ranging from shortage of the potable water to the inadequate distribution and monopoly of water resources that certainly have adverse consequences on all aspects of life, including in Palestine. It was stressed during the conference that despite all efforts and investments during the last ten years, the per capita consumption of the Palestinian consumer community has not increased in some areas and has actually dropped.

What we need in our region is to develop a new water mentality by which water use is prioritized as vested human rights and is managed in an economical and ecological sustainable manner instead of being handled as solely a political issue and commercial commodity.
http://www.palestineacademy.org/wconf/


Head of PNA Water Department: Israel Exploits Palestinian Water


RAMALLAH, Palestine, May03, 2005 (IPC+WAFA)-- Head of the Palestinian National Authority's (PNA) Water Department, Fadel K'aoush, said on Monday that water in the region is one of the most significant issues of the Palestinain-Israeli conflict, a matter that is Israel is exploiting for political purposes, Palestine News Agency (WAFA) reported.
K'aoush's remarks came during an international conference "Water, Rights and Values", under the supervision of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), until May04, 2005 in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Mr. K'aoush pointed out that no body can deny that what Israel has taken over-out of its domination over the Palestinian water resources - 850 million cubic meters of the Jordan river and about 650 millions cubic meters others of the Palestinian ground water, constituting %65 of water consumed by the Palestinian population annually.

The overall amount of Palestinian exclusive rights to the above-mentioned water resources is 250 millions cubic meters, yet, what the Palestinians actually enjoy is only 120 millions cubic meters, so the PNA is obliged to purchase 35 cubic meters from Israel approximately, Mr. K'aoush added. Read more...
http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/print.asp?name=4356


Water Proves Weapon in Palestinian–Israeli Conflict

Thursday March 23, 2006

In the West Bank, 40 per cent of the population has barely 40 litres of water per day each. In Gaza, much of the population survives on 80 litres a day.

JERUSALEM - Even at the height of tensions, Israelis and Palestinians maintained contacts over their sparse water resources but without peace both sides risk being left high and dry, the World Water Forum was told.

Shimon Tal, the Israeli Government's Water Commissioner, underscored that without the precious resource, neither side in the long and bloody Middle East conflict will survive.

But water itself could become a weapon in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians over sharing and dividing land.

Under 1995 peace accords signed by the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority, the two must share water from the River Jordan and its underground sources and must not hinder the other side's efforts to build infrastructure.

Tal called the accord "pragmatic" because the regional water shortage is "severe." The official described how a joint committee regularly meets and how the two sides maintain their equipment, even when it can also help the other side.

Read More...http://www.palestinechronicle.com/story.php?sid=032306225106