Israeli and Palestinian Leadership Collaborate on Water Supply to Palestinian Territories

The water supply and sanitation in Palestine are highly influenced by the Israeli occupation. The water resources of Palestine are partially controlled by Israel due to historical and geographical complexities, with Israel granting partial autonomy in 2017. The division of groundwater is subject to provisions in the Oslo II Accord, agreed upon by both Israeli and Palestinian leadership. Israel provides the Palestinian territories water from its own water supply and desalinated water supplies, in 2012 supplying 52 MCM. Generally, the water quality is considerably worse in the Gaza Strip when compared to the West Bank. About a third to half of the delivered water in the Palestinian territories is lost in the distribution network. The lasting blockade of the Gaza Strip and the Gaza War have caused severe damage to the infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. Concerning wastewater, the existing treatment plants do not have the capacity to treat all of the produced wastewater, causing severe water pollution. The development of the sector highly depends on external financing.