Research Report: The Occupation Has Issued 86 Orders Since 2019 to Control the West Bank’s Water

A Palestinian non-governmental research institution revealed on Thursday that Israel has issued 86 military orders since 2019 to control water in the West Bank.

The Applied Research Institute (ARIJ) stated in a report published on its website that “military orders are the main tool of the Israeli occupation to control Palestinian water in the occupied West Bank,” noting that “86 military orders targeted the water sector during the period between 2019 and June 2024.”

The report explained that these orders "targeted the water sector in the occupied Palestinian territories, and in particular the infrastructure and the extension of water and wastewater lines in the occupied Palestinian territories for the benefit of settlement facilities."

The report added that "the measures of the Israeli occupation authorities prevented the Palestinians from developing the water sector, and constituted a real obstacle to the ability of the Palestinians to manage and use their water resources due to its settlement policies," accusing Israel of "imposing strict restrictions on the use of water resources and preventing the Palestinians from digging wells."

He also referred to "the attacks by Israeli settlers living in settlements and outposts, which have become a daily nightmare for Palestinians, as they target civilians, property, water resources, agricultural lands and other Palestinian property," and stressed that since the occupation of Palestinian territories in 1967, "the Israeli occupation authorities have issued dozens of military orders to control water resources in the occupied West Bank."

The institute published a list of orders since 2019, saying they come under the umbrella of a military group issued when the West Bank was occupied in 1967, and among what it stipulates: “Putting all wells, springs and water projects under the direct authority of the Israeli military governor,” and explained that Israel today exploits “about 85% of Palestinian groundwater resources in the occupied Palestinian territories, while at the same time depriving Palestinians of exploiting water sources.”

The report stated that the average share of water per capita for Palestinians living in the West Bank is 89 liters per day, which is “much less than the standards required for water supplies recommended per capita per day by the World Health Organization, which ranges between 100-150 liters per day per capita.”

In contrast, the report refers to data published by the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem in 2023, which states that the average Israeli consumption of water is 247 liters per day, and ranges between 400 and 700 liters per day for a settler in the West Bank.

Recently, the Palestinian Authority announced that the Israeli Water Company had reduced the water share in a number of Palestinian governorates, including Hebron and Bethlehem, by about 35%.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the amount of water purchased from the Israeli company for domestic use amounted to 98.8 million cubic meters in 2022, representing 22% of the amount of available water, which amounted to 445.7 million cubic meters.