Posted on August 30, 2008 - by Frank

The Palestinian Water Situation

With the ongoing tensions and conflict between Israeli authorities and Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank that has continued since the establishment of the state of Israel, there are many factors of burden that never receive any sort of publicity. The tensions often noticed are militant in nature - direct acts and reactions of force. It’s not often we here about things such as water.

It may come as a surprise to many that the areas of Gaza and the West Bank do not have complete management of their own water supplies - ultimately the Palestinian water supplies are governed by Israeli authorities, thus in order to move forward with any supply projects such as drilling or laying pipes, the Palestinian Water Authority must approach the Israeli authorities and go through a complex process to see things through. This system has seen some projects stalled for over a decade.

The situation has seen organisations like the Red Cross, step in and supply needed water to regions that have not been able to move forward because of the lengthy processes required to undertake projects. There are an abundance of homes not connected to any form of water grid and the situation is being described by many as a crisis.

Any peace negotiations seeking the wellbeing, safety and protection of both Israelis and Palestinians must include the ability for Palestinian authorities to govern their own water supplies especially as the region copes with drought. Surely each people group has the right to govern it’s own ability to provide for its citizens.

To read comment from Shaddad Attili, the head of the Palestinian Water Authority, see the story at IRIN discussing this issue.

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Photo: Shabtai Gold/IRIN.