Does Israel Steal Palestinian Water?

More often than not, Israel is accused of stealing from Palestinian “aquifers” or actively limiting Palestinian access to clean water. This is, of course, not true. 

 

Historically, Israel has used water from the Sea of Galilee and relied on various different aquifers in the country. Even in the 1950s, when Israel was a young state, the overwhelming majority of its water came from the Northeastern and Western aquifers. It also piped roughly 40 million cubic meters of water for Palestinian use in the West Bank. 

 

Thanks to the development of water recycling technology, Israel is able to recycle over 80% of its water to use in agriculture. Palestinians and even Jordan receive annually roughly 55 million cubic meters of water. Israel also shares its water with its neighbors.