Water Shortage in Palestinian Areas of the West Bank Since the Beginning of Ramadan

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Tuesday, June 1, that the Israeli Water Authority has significantly reduced water flow in Palestinian areas of the West Bank, causing many Palestinian homes to run dry. Four and a half million Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza are entirely dependent on Israel for their water and electricity supply. According to Haaretz, the deliberate reduction in the amount of water needed by Palestinians has intensified since the first week of June and the start of Ramadan, during which nearly all Muslim Palestinians fast. The situation is worse in the large city of Nablus and other areas in the western West Bank, where 'water has dried up in the pipes.' Many Palestinian families have been forced to turn to qanat water, but at the same time, many Palestinian workshops have had to shut down due to the lack of water. The report states that while temperatures have recently averaged 35 degrees Celsius, green spaces and greenhouses have dried up, and many animals and birds have died in Palestinian areas. The head of the Israeli government's coordination office in the West Bank acknowledged the decrease in water, stating that 'high water consumption in summer' requires less water flow 'so that everyone can benefit.' Meanwhile, Israel has accused the Palestinian Authority of 'misusing' water. Palestinian water company officials told Haaretz that the Israeli water company has verbally informed them that this situation will continue throughout the summer. However, Haaretz reported that Palestinian sources interviewed by the newspaper said that Israel restricts water to Palestinian areas so that Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian territories do not suffer from water shortages in the summer. Water only reaches the pipes in Palestinian areas after ensuring supply to the settlements. Greenhouses, pools, and green spaces in the settlements are in normal condition this summer. The Israeli water company, Mekorot, charges the Palestinian Authority 'full price' for water. In the past, Israel has disrupted electricity supply to the West Bank and Gaza due to the Palestinian Authority's failure to pay electricity debts on time; Qatar and Turkey have been involved in projects to supply electricity to Gaza, but these projects have not severed Palestinian dependence on Israel. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) recently completed a new water pipeline project for Palestinians in Hebron, Bethlehem, and other areas, but the pipes are either dry or have very low water flow. The new water crisis for Palestinians in the West Bank comes as violence continues in the lives of Israelis and Palestinians, with another Palestinian killed early Tuesday, June 1. Palestinian media reported that the deceased was a fifteen-year-old boy. The Israeli army stated that this Palestinian was among those throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at moving cars on the road from Jerusalem to the city of Modi'in. According to Israeli media reports, two foreign tourists and one Israeli were lightly injured in these stone-throwing incidents. Israel has recently increased the punishment for Palestinian stone throwers to five years in prison and labels them as 'terrorists.' At the same time, the Israeli army destroyed the home of a Palestinian who participated in a knife attack against an American and several Israelis on the Tel Aviv coast three months ago; the perpetrator of that attack had been killed. In this context, Israel's anger over a letter from European foreign ministers calling for a boycott of settlement goods, the UN's strong protest against 'further land seizures' by Israel, and Netanyahu's condemnation of the decision to label settlement products are noteworthy.