The future also depends on politics. Many attempts have been made to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict over the last 65 years. Whether and whenever this is achieved, a central component of the resolution will be the issue of shared water resources.

All water resources in Palestine are shared, mainly with Israel. Shared water usually needs to be governed through agreements on allocation and use between the different parties.

In response to the humanitarian water crisis in Gaza, the PWA initiated the Gaza Sustainable Water Supply Program (GSWSP), which takes a comprehensive approach to increasing water supply in Gaza …

Per capita water availability in Palestine will keep decreasing if no new water resources are developed. Since its creation in 1995, the PWA has dealt with water supplies by negotiating for a fair share of water resources with Israel. Unfortunately, the results of these efforts have not lead to any further increase in the Palestinian share from the Mountain Aquifer and the Jordan River in the West Bank or the Coastal Aquifer in Gaza. In fact, the situation has worsened over the years.

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has significantly damaged the water/waste water infrastructure in Gaza and the West Bank. This in turn has had a significant negative impact on the Palestinian people in both areas. The lack of access to a consistent, sufficient, safe and affordable water supply and the absence of an effective wastewater sanitation system not only adds to their daily suffering but also poses a health and safety risk.

The ‘Water Sector Strategy 2014-2032’ outlines different measures to cope with growing water scarcity in Palestine. It includes a financing strategy for the water sector, which identifies all potential resources to achieve a self-sufficient water sector.

In theory, Israel is responsible for addressing any challenges related to water resources in the West Bank, as it is the occupying power and controls the resources. However, Israel has failed to fulfil these obligations and the responsibility has fallen to international donors along with Palestinian authorities …

Water resource access and distribution in the West Bank is decentralized and fragmented. Prior to the Oslo Accords and the establishment of the PWA, water distribution and administration were under the control of the West Bank Water Department (WBWD). Its role was to mediate between the Palestinian population as end users and Mekorot as the water supplier in the West Bank. Currently, WBWD is one of many institutions that supply water in the West Bank.

Occupation of land, control of water resources and the political nature of decision-making processes make water management in Palestine highly complex.

Sanitation services and water infrastructure in Gaza are in a critical state. A 2009 World Bank report stated that Gaza has a well-designed master plan for water and sanitation services. The plan identifies the need to build three new treatment plants as well as significantly expand wastewater treatment capacity. However, the same report indicated that under current closure conditions and with a deteriorating political and security situation, less than 2% of the investment programme was being implemented.