Amnesty International - January 8, 2009 - Back to Resources Page

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INTRODUCTION

Lack of access to adequate, safe, and clean water has been a longstanding problem for the
Palestinian population of the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).2 Though exacerbated in
recent years by the impact of drought-induced water scarcity, the problem arises principally
because of Israeli water policies and practices which discriminate against the Palestinian
population of the OPT. This discrimination has resulted in widespread violations of the right
to an adequate standard of living, which includes the human rights to water, to adequate
food and housing, and the right to work and to health of the Palestinian population.

The inequality in access to water between Israelis and Palestinians is striking. Palestinian
consumption in the OPT is about 70 litres a day per person – well below the 100 litres per
capita daily recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) – whereas Israeli daily
per capita consumption, at about 300 litres, is about four times as much. In some rural
communities Palestinians survive on far less than even the average 70 litres, in some cases
barely 20 litres per day, the minimum amount recommended by the WHO for emergency
situations response.3

Access to water resources by Palestinians in the OPT is controlled by Israel and the amount
of water available to Palestinians is restricted to a level which does not meet their needs and
does not constitute a fair and equitable share of the shared water resources. Israel uses more
than 80 per cent of the water from the Mountain Aquifer, the only source of underground
water in the OPT, as well as all of the surface water available from the Jordan River of which
Palestinians are denied any share.

The stark reality of this inequitable system is that, today, more than 40 years after Israel
occupied the West Bank, some 180,000 – 200,000 Palestinians living in rural communities
there have no access to running water and even in towns and villages which are connected to
the water network, the taps often run dry. Water rationing is common, especially but not only
in the summer months, with residents of different neighbourhoods and villages receiving
piped water only one day every week or every few weeks. Consequently, many Palestinians
have no choice but to purchase additional supplies from mobile water tankers which deliver
water at a much higher price and of often dubious quality. As unemployment and poverty
have increased in recent years and disposable income has fallen, Palestinian families in the
OPT must spend an increasingly high percentage of their income – as much as a quarter or
more in some cases – on water.

In the Gaza Strip, the only water resource, the southern end of the Coastal Aquifer, is
insufficient for the needs of the population but Israel does not allow the transfer of water
from the West Bank to Gaza. The aquifer has been depleted and contaminated by over-
extraction and by sewage and seawater infiltration, and 90-95 per cent of its water is
contaminated and unfit for human consumption. Waterborne diseases are common.

Stringent restrictions imposed in recent years by Israel on the entry into Gaza of material and
equipment necessary for the development and repair of infrastructure have caused further
deterioration of the water and sanitation situation in Gaza, which has reached crisis point.

Water shortages and poor sanitation services in the OPT affect all sectors of the Palestinian
population and especially the poorest and most vulnerable communities, those living in
isolated rural areas and in overcrowded refugee camps.

While Palestinians throughout the OPT are being denied access to an equitable share of the
shared water resources and are increasingly affected by the lack of adequate water supplies,
Israeli settlers face no such challenges - as indicated by their intensive-irrigation farms, lush
gardens and swimming pools.4 The 450,000 Israeli settlers, who live in the West Bank in
violation of international law, use as much or more water than the Palestinian population of
some 2.3 million.5

The restrictions imposed by Israel on Palestinians’ access to water supplies in the OPT are
manifested in multiple ways: control of water resources and land, and restrictions on the
movement of people and goods make it excessively difficult for Palestinians to access their
water resources and to develop and maintain the water and sanitation infrastructure.
Furthermore, a complex system of permits which the Palestinians must obtain from the
Israeli army and other authorities in order to carry out water-related projects in the OPT has
delayed and rendered more costly, and in many cases prevented, the implementation of
much needed water and sanitation projects.

During more than four decades of occupation of the Palestinian territories Israel has overexploited
Palestinian water resources, neglected the water and sanitation infrastructure in the
OPT, and used the OPT as a dumping ground for its waste – causing damage to the
groundwater resources and the environment. Urgent measures are now needed to ensure that
adequate water supplies are made available today and in the future, and to prevent further
damage to the water resources and the environment.

Israeli policies and practices in the OPT, notably the unlawful destruction and appropriation
of property, and the imposition of restrictions and other measures which deny the
Palestinians the right to water in the OPT, violate Israel’s obligations under both human
rights and humanitarian law.

Due to Israel’s failure to fulfil its obligations, as the occupying power, the burden of dealing
with these challenges has fallen to international donors and, since its establishment in the
mid 1990s, to the Palestinian Authority (PA), the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA),6 and
other local service providers, all of whom depend on international donors for funds. Yet, the
Israeli authorities continue to obstruct Palestinian and international efforts to improve access
to water in the OPT.

In the face of water shortages and amid deepening poverty in recent years some Palestinians
have resorted to drilling unlicensed wells, while others have connected to the water network
illegally, and many have stopped paying their water bills. These practices have further
compounded the problem by undermining the economic viability and the authority of the
PWA, which has proved to be unable or unwilling to stop such practices.

The restrictions imposed by Israel on access to and development of water resources for
Palestinians have been accompanied by other factors that have hindered the efficient delivery
of many urgently needed water and sanitation projects in the OPT. These include the PWA’s

near-total dependence on international donors for funds, donors’ choices and priorities, and
poor coordination among donors.7 Adding to this, the PA and PWA have been beset by
internal divisions compounded by weak and fragmented management structures, lack of
expertise and of political will, and allegations of mismanagement and corruption.

This report examines the main patterns and trends affecting access to water for Palestinians
in the OPT, and analyses how these are impacting severely on the population’s rights, as
protected under international human rights and humanitarian law, and which are necessary
for the Palestinians to live in dignity.

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Amnesty International - January 8, 2009 - Back to Resources Page