Editing Israeli–Palestinian conflict (section)

=== Water resources ===
{{Further|Water supply and sanitation in the Palestinian territories|Water politics in the Jordan River basin|Structural abuse}}

In the Middle East, [[water resources]] are of great political concern. Since Israel receives much of its water from two large underground [[aquifer]]s which continue under the [[Green Line (Israel)|Green Line]], the use of this water has been contentious in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Israel withdraws most water from these areas, but it also supplies the West Bank with approximately 40{{nbs}}million cubic metres annually, contributing to 77% of Palestinians' water supply in the West Bank, which is to be shared for a population of about 2.6 million.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.532703 |title=How many Palestinians actually live in the West Bank? |date=30 June 2013 |newspaper=[[Haaretz]] |access-date=18 October 2014 |last1=Hasson |first1=Nir |archive-date=1 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101200545/http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.532703 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Water supply in West Bank and Gaza February 2014 5water photoblog.jpg|thumb|right|Palestinian villagers purchase water from water trucks in Khirbet A-Duqaiqah in the [[Hebron Hills]].]]
[[File:Ma'ale adumim 02.JPG|thumb|right|A swimming pool in the Israeli settlement of [[Ma'ale Adumim]], West Bank]]

While Israel's consumption of this water has decreased since it began its occupation of the West Bank, it still consumes the majority of it: in the 1950s, Israel consumed 95% of the water output of the Western Aquifer, and 82% of that produced by the Northeastern Aquifer. Although this water was drawn entirely on Israel's own side of the pre-1967 border, the sources of the water are nevertheless from the shared groundwater basins located under both West Bank and Israel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.juragentium.unifi.it/en/surveys/palestin/water.pdf |title=Till the Last Drop: The Palestinian Water Crisis in the West Bank, Hydrogeology and Hydropolitics of a Regional Conflict |access-date=29 November 2008 |last=Messerschmid |first=Clemens |year=2002 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217111417/http://www.juragentium.unifi.it/en/surveys/palestin/water.pdf |archive-date=17 December 2008}}</ref>

In the [[Oslo II Accord]], both sides agreed to maintain "existing quantities of utilization from the resources." In so doing, the Palestinian Authority established the legality of Israeli water production in the West Bank, subject to a [[Israeli–Palestinian Joint Water Committee|Joint Water Committee]] (JWC). Moreover, Israel obligated itself in this agreement to provide water to supplement Palestinian production, and further agreed to allow additional Palestinian drilling in the Eastern Aquifer, also subject to the Joint Water Committee.<ref name=Oslo2_Annex3>{{Cite web |url=https://www.knesset.gov.il/process/docs/heskemb4_eng.htm |access-date=5 March 2022 |via=www.knesset.gov.il |title=Annex III: Protocol Concerning Civil Affairs |work=Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip |archive-date=25 November 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021125081409/https://www.knesset.gov.il/process/docs/heskemb4_eng.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.orsam.org.tr/en/oslo-21-and-water-problems-in-palestine-a-story-of-failure/ |title=Oslo+21 and Water Problems in Palestine: A Story of Failure |access-date=25 November 2023 |archive-date=25 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125130918/https://www.orsam.org.tr/en/oslo-21-and-water-problems-in-palestine-a-story-of-failure/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The water that Israel receives comes mainly from the Jordan River system, the Sea of Galilee and two underground sources. According to a 2003 BBC article the Palestinians lack access to the Jordan River system.<ref name=bbc20030616>{{cite news |title=Water war leaves Palestinians thirsty |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2982730.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |date=16 June 2003 |access-date=2 January 2012 |archive-date=5 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105211813/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2982730.stm |url-status=live}}</ref>

According to a report of 2008 by the [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] of the United Nations, water resources were confiscated for the benefit of the Israeli settlements in the Ghor. Palestinian irrigation pumps on the Jordan River were destroyed or confiscated after the 1967 war and Palestinians were not allowed to use water from the Jordan River system. Furthermore, the authorities did not allow any new irrigation wells to be drilled by Palestinian farmers, while it provided fresh water and allowed drilling wells for irrigation purposes at the Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/countries_regions/israel/index.stm |title=Israel |year=2008 |work=Aquastat |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |access-date=25 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116204210/http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/countries_regions/israel/index.stm |archive-date=16 January 2013}}</ref>

A report was released by the UN in August 2012 and [[Max Gaylard]], the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the occupied Palestinian territory, explained at the launch of the publication: "Gaza will have half a million more people by 2020 while its economy will grow only slowly. In consequence, the people of Gaza will have an even harder time getting enough drinking water and electricity, or sending their children to school". Gaylard present alongside Jean Gough, of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), and Robert Turner, of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The report projects that Gaza's population will increase from 1.6 million people to 2.1 million people in 2020, leading to a density of more than 5,800 people per square kilometre.<ref name="UN Publications">{{cite web |title=Lack of sufficient services in Gaza could get worse without urgent action, UN warns |url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42751#.UP35DaF4YZc |publisher=UN News Centre |access-date=22 January 2013 |date=27 August 2012 |archive-date=4 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104221705/http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42751#.UP35DaF4YZc |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Future and financing ====
Numerous foreign nations and international organizations have established bilateral agreements with the Palestinian and Israeli water authorities. It was estimated that a future investment of about US$1.1bn for the West Bank and $0.8bn for the Gaza Strip Southern Governorates was needed for the planning period from 2003 to 2015.<ref name="HBS">{{citation |first1=Karen |last1=Assaf |first2=Bayoumi |last2= Attia |first3=Ali |last3=Darwish |first4=Batir |last4=Wardam |first5=Simone |last5=Klawitter |publisher=Heinrich-Böll-Foundation |title=Water as a human right: The understanding of water in the Arab countries of the Middle East – A four country analysis |year=2004 |url=http://www.emwis.org/countries/fol749974/country045975/countries/PDF/waterbook |access-date=23 April 2014 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304194258/http://www.emwis.org/countries/fol749974/country045975/countries/PDF/waterbook |url-status=live |page=229}}</ref>

In late 2012, a donation of $21.6 million was announced by the Government of the Netherlands—the Dutch government stated that the funds would be provided to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), for the specific benefit of Palestinian children. An article, published by the UN News website, stated that: "Of the $21.6 million, $5.7 will be allocated to UNRWA's 2012 Emergency Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory, which will support programmes in the West Bank and Gaza aiming to mitigate the effects on refugees of the deteriorating situation they face."<ref name="UN Publications"/>