Dr. Erakat on World Water Day

The Palestinian Authority is today marking World Water Day. The theme for World Water Day in 2009 is 'sharing water, sharing opportunities,’ a theme that has particular resonance for Palestinians Dr Erakat said.

“Water is a permanent status issue in Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, and it will be a central component of any regional peace in the Middle East. The 2009 World Water Day theme of water as a shared resource that crosses boundaries and links communities is a timely reminder of its importance, and of what could be in the Middle East,” Dr Erakat said.

“Since 1967, Israel has had full control over all Palestinian water resources. Its only policy since then has been to exploit those resources, and to discriminate between Israeli and Palestinian needs.”

Palestinians consume on average only 60 liters of water per person per day, well below the World Health Organization’s recommended minimum standard of 100 liters per person per day. In contrast, the domestic consumption of water per person among Israelis is more than four times that of Palestinians.

“Israel allocates water according to ethnicity rather than need. The disparity in domestic water consumption has nothing to do with lifestyle, and everything to do with access and allocation,” Dr Erakat said adding “When it comes to water, people’s basic needs are the same.”

Dr Erakat also said that the Jordan River basin in particular was key to any multilateral agreement between Israel and its neighbors.

“Israel refuses to recognize that both the Jordan River Basin, and the coastal aquifer that runs along the Mediterranean coastline and under the Gaza Strip, are shared or transboundary water resources.” Dr Erakat said.

“Throughout negotiations, Palestinians have held firm to the need for Israel to adhere to international water law and to allocate shared water resources according to the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization.”

“The reallocation of the transboundary water resources is essential to a viable two-state solution and future political stability in the region.”

“At present, water is used by Israel as part of the fabric of occupation and control. It should transcend politics, not be muddied by it,”

Last week, President Abbas formally committed the Palestinian Authority to becoming a signatory to the 1997 UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses once a Palestinian state was established. Under the convention, a country that controls an aquifer or watershed that straddles an international boundary must ensure other parties have equitable use of the water. Jordan, Syria and Lebanon are also signatories to the convention. Israel is not.