The Issue of Water Between Israel and the Palestinians

Israel Water Authority
March 2009

http://www.stonegateinstitute.org/894/the-issue-of-water-between-israel-and-the-palestinians

Principal Conclusions Regarding Implementation of the Water Agreement

a. Israel has met all its obligations according to the Water Agreement, in terms of the additional quantities of water to the Palestinians, and has, indeed, even exceeded the requirements.

b. The Palestinians are seriously defaulting on their obligations according to the Water Agreement primarily on two important items:

1) Drilling of Unauthorized "Pirate" Wells - the Palestinians drill water wells without the approval of the JWC(Joint Water Committee), principally in the northern West Bank; to date, more than 250 unapproved wells have been drilled.

2) Failure to treat wastewater - the Palestinians are not constructing wastewater treatment plants and discharge their wastewater to streams, contaminating the environment and the groundwater. Some of the wastewater flows into Israeli territory.

c. The Palestinians are not developing and using, quite deliberately, the groundwater resources in the eastern aquifer that were made available to them in the Water Agreement. (This resource has an additional useable quantity of at least 40 MCM/yr. The JWC approves every request for drilling of wells in the eastern aquifer.) As a result, Israel is compelled to supply more than 30 MCM/yr from its territory to the Palestinians.

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