JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israelis have access to four times as much water as the average Palestinian, and the water the Palestinians have is mismanaged, according to a World Bank report.
The report, issued Monday, recommends a change in the current water-distribution arrangement, which was arrived at as part of the Oslo II accords.
It also charged that Israel is taking 50 percent more water from the three aquifers it shares with the Palestinians than it was authorized under the arrangement.
The unequal division of water and the P.A.’s lack of resources have affected the area’s daily supply of water as well as the development of water resources, water uses and wastewater management, according to the report.
Sharing water is likely to become more difficult as the already dire regional water crisis worsens.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
