Palestinians Thirsty for Justice
Monday, 30 May 2011 08:47
Francesc Cabré Sánchez for the Alternative Information Center (AIC)
Israel controls most of the water resources of the occupied Palestinian territory and seriously hampers the access of Palestinians to this vital liquid. The Thirst for Justice campaign aims to put the issue on the global agenda.
Water supply problems are caused by Israeli policy, which harms the Palestinians for the benefit of Jewish citizens and violates international law. Reports from organizations such as Amnesty International show that the distribution of water resources in the area, primarily under Israeli control, is anything but fair and that it is having serious consequences for the health of Palestinians and the environment.
With the aim of influencing European governments and citizens and to pressure Israel to change its practices in this area, the Emergency Water Sanitation and Hygiene group (EWASH), a group that brings together some 30 organizations including Oxfam, Save the Children and UNICEF, launched last March 22 the Thirst for Justice campaign. "The Palestinians have potentially enough water to meet their needs, but cannot access it because Israel does not comply with the law," said Ziyaad Lunati, spokesman for the campaign.
Without respecting the law
As the occupying power in the West Bank and Gaza Strip under international humanitarian law, Israel is responsible for the welfare of civilians in the Palestinian Occupied Territory and must guarantee the supply of essential items for survival, amongst them food, water, medical supplies and shelter. Moreover, according to the Geneva Conventions, the Palestinians have guaranteed access to drinking water, personal hygiene and sanitation. However, Israel is one of three states that have still not recognized the human right to water and sanitation, legally recognised by the Human Rights Council of the United Nations last September.
The Jewish state controls all freshwater sources and the Palestinian Authority controlled- West Bank, in compliance with the 1993 Oslo Accords, exploits only 20% of the Mountain Aquifer, the main water reservoir in the area. Palestinians are thus forced to buy much of their water from Israel, and do so at market prices, while the West Bank settlers have no limits on water consumption and purchase it at very low prices.
In Gaza, the situation is even more dramatic because between 90 and 95% of the coastal aquifer, the sole source of water for the Gaza Strip, is saline and polluted due to overfishing and the massive use of fertilizers, thus jeopardizing future water supplies. Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip and its denial of entry for numerous materials renders repair of water infrastructure in Gaza and the search for alternative sources exceedingly difficult.
A key element for a state
"Without getting an equal distribution of water resources, the Palestinian state cannot be viable," says Ziyaad Lunate who, however, recognizes that Israeli willingness to achieve a fairer deal on water allocation is unclear. "It is a question of putting the issue on the global agenda. The local population is very clear as to the importance of this topic, because it directly suffers water shortages," adds Lunate.
Some 200,000 Palestinians living in West Bank rural communities are not even connected to the piped water supply. In some cases, the Israeli army even prevented the collection of rain water and destroyed stored water basins, according to a report by Amnesty International published a year ago.
Beyond the economic problems, the development of competitive agriculture becomes almost a chimera, and Thirsting for Justice also emphasizes the environmental and health consequences generated by this situation. In the West Bank there is only one water waste treatment plant, which is connected to 31% of the population, while in Gaza there is no plant. This causes, amongst other things, that more than 60 million gallons of untreated wastewater are discharged daily into the Mediterranean Sea.
The construction of various infrastructures, such as water tanks, desalination plants or the other treatments, to optimize and increase the limited water available depends on the Israeli authorities. The Palestinians are forced to request a series of administrative permits that are rarely given, and they must often make do without the documentation required by the Israelis. Then soldiers of the Israeli army have the perfect excuse to destroy what has been built without permission. No water, no future and as an Israeli authority, Mekorot, control 53% of water supply for domestic use in the West Bank, it does not appear that Palestinians will have the water necessary for a viable state.
Translated to English by the Alternative Information Center (AIC).