The Silent Cry of Water in the West Bank and Gaza: A Struggle for Survival

In a land marked by centuries of conflict and pain, there is an invisible battle that claims victims every day: access to water. In the West Bank and Gaza, this vital resource has become a luxury that millions of Palestinians cannot afford. Amidst the war, occupation, and disputed borders, water has transformed into a tool of control, a silent cry from those who fight not only for their freedom but for their survival.

West Bank: A Desert in the Promised Land

The West Bank, a region rich in history and spirituality, faces a drought that is not natural but caused by power dynamics. While Israeli settlements flourish with green gardens and swimming pools, Palestinian communities watch as their wells dry up and their fields wither under the sun. This is not just an issue of infrastructure or management; it is an open wound in the heart of a people who feel that water, the symbol of life and dignity, has been taken from them.

Broken Promises

The Oslo Accords, signed in the 1990s, were initially seen as a step toward resolving the conflict between Israel and Palestine. These agreements included, among other things, the shared management of water resources, a crucial issue in a region where water is both scarce and vital. One of the key promises was that Israel and the Palestinian Authority would work together to ensure equitable access to water, utilizing underground aquifers and other available sources, such as the Jordan River. Cooperation in this area was supposed to serve as a model for building trust between the two peoples, paving the way for a future of peace and stability.

However, in practice, these promises have faded over time. The distribution of water has been profoundly unequal. While Israel controls most of the water resources, Palestinians in the West Bank are forced to rely on the limited allocations they are allowed to extract from shared aquifers. The water from these sources, such as the Mountain Aquifer, is essential for both Israeli settlements and Palestinian communities. However, most of the access and exploitation of these resources is in Israel’s hands, which has led to significant tensions.

As a result of this disparity, Palestinians, especially in rural areas, depend on water trucks for their supply. These trucks deliver water at much higher prices than in urban areas or Israeli settlements, where the supply is constant. For many Palestinians, the cost of this water is disproportionately high, turning an essential resource into an inaccessible commodity for those who need it most. Meanwhile, Israeli settlements enjoy green gardens, irrigated fields, and a constant supply, further highlighting the inequality.

This unequal system of water distribution and control has turned the hopes of Oslo into a mirage. What was once presented as a path to peace and cooperation has become a constant reminder of the power imbalance between the two sides and the difficulty of ensuring something as fundamental as equitable access to water.

Gaza: A Cage Without Water

If the struggle for water in the West Bank is difficult, in Gaza it is a desperate tragedy. This small strip of land, suffocated by an implacable blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt, faces a humanitarian crisis that offers no respite. An astounding 97% of the water available in Gaza is not fit for human consumption. Imagine a place where what you drink is contaminated, where salty and toxic water flows from the taps, and every drop you consume could be the line between life and illness. Gaza is enclosed, yes, but what’s more cruel is that behind those invisible walls, water—the very symbol of life—has become inaccessible and another tool of suffering for millions of people.

Water control in Gaza is a colossal challenge due to this blockade, which restricts not only the movement of goods and people but also access to essential resources like water. Gaza’s main water source is the coastal aquifer, an underground reserve that has been overexploited for years. The demand for water far exceeds the aquifer’s ability to replenish, leading to seawater intrusion from the Mediterranean, contaminating the water supply. The situation is further worsened by the lack of capacity to adequately treat wastewater, leading to further contamination of this vital resource.

Despite efforts to implement desalination plants that would turn seawater into potable water, Gaza’s energy limitations—due to constant power outages and fuel shortages—have hampered the large-scale operation of these facilities. Even when these plants are operational, they cannot produce enough water to meet the needs of Gaza’s more than two million inhabitants.

Israel controls much of the access and distribution of water to Gaza, and restrictions on supply are a critical part of the blockade. Gaza partly relies on imported water from Israel, but this amount is insufficient to meet demand. This forces the population to rely on temporary solutions, such as purchasing water at inflated prices or consuming non-potable water, exacerbating public health issues in the region.

Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure has been repeatedly destroyed during conflicts, and the blockade has prevented repairs or the construction of new facilities, leaving the region in a state of perpetual crisis. Untreated wastewater flows into the sea, further polluting the environment and nearby water sources, making the situation even more dire.

In this context, access to clean water has become a daily struggle. Despite international efforts to provide humanitarian assistance, the real solution to this crisis lies in a fundamental change in political dynamics and an end to the restrictions that stifle both access to water and the potential for sustainable development in the region.

Gaza remains a cage where water, which should be a source of life, has become yet another reflection of the suffering and hardship of its people.

Water as a Weapon of War

This is not just a technical or environmental issue. Water in the West Bank and Gaza is a weapon of war, a tool of control and domination. While leaders discuss borders, security, and sovereignty, millions of Palestinians face a daily battle for their right to live with dignity. At the heart of this conflict is water, and each drop lost deepens the wound in a conflict that has left entire generations without hope.

Water, a resource many of us take for granted, has become a bargaining chip in one of the world’s longest and most complex conflicts. For Palestinians, water is not just a matter of survival; it is a matter of justice, freedom, and life.

A Call to Action

What can we do in the face of this heartbreaking reality? How is it possible that, in the 21st century, there are human beings who cannot access clean water? The answer lies in us—in not forgetting that behind every statistic, there are human stories of suffering and resistance. Peace will not be possible unless we address this silent crisis and ensure that every Palestinian, every child, can turn on a tap and drink water without fear.

Water is life, and it’s time for the world to wake up to this reality. We cannot allow it to continue being used as a weapon of control. We cannot remain passive spectators to the suffering of a people who are crying out for their most basic right: to live.

For those who wish to explore this crisis further and understand the true roots of the conflict, I invite you to delve into my book Middle East: The Truth, where I discuss how resources, power, and injustice have shaped this region and its endless struggles. The truth is painful, but it is necessary to move toward a future where water returns to being what it always should have been: a source of life, not suffering.