The Occupation of Water

Report by Amnesty International | 2017

Amnesty International highlights the severe restrictions on Palestinians' access to clean and safe water, primarily due to Israel's discriminatory policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). Palestinians face significant challenges in accessing adequate water supplies, while Israeli settlers enjoy far greater water access.

Key points include:

1. Water Disparities: Palestinian communities, particularly in rural areas of the West Bank, are denied access to running water. Around 180,000 to 200,000 Palestinians in the OPT have no connection to a water network and are forced to rely on expensive and unreliable water deliveries from tankers. In contrast, Israeli settlers, including those living illegally under international law, receive abundant water resources.
2. Impact on Agriculture: Water scarcity has devastated Palestinian agriculture. In villages like al-Auja, once prosperous farming areas are now barren due to lack of water, forcing farmers to shift from lucrative citrus farming to less water-intensive and less profitable crops like zucchini and squash.
3. Legal and Physical Barriers: Israel controls most water resources in the OPT and imposes a complex permit system that severely limits Palestinians' ability to develop water infrastructure. Many water-related projects, including cisterns, are demolished or blocked by Israeli authorities, preventing sustainable access to water for Palestinian communities.
4. Settlements vs. Palestinian Communities: Israeli settlements in the West Bank enjoy plentiful water supplies for agriculture, household use, and even leisure activities like swimming pools, while neighboring Palestinian communities often struggle to get enough water for basic survival.

We have not enough water and no control of it. The Israeli authorities’ tactic is to slowly decrease the water so we have to leave the land.
- Mustafa Al-Farawi, Al-Jiftlik

Overall, Amnesty International calls for an end to these discriminatory practices and urges the international community to ensure Palestinians have fair access to water, a fundamental human right. The water restrictions not only undermine Palestinians' living standards but also obstruct their social and economic development.

For more details, you can visit Amnesty International’s website directly.