Report says Israel is restricting Palestinian access to water resources

A report released today by Amnesty International accuses Israel of restricting Palestinian access to water resources in the Occupied Territories.

Researchers found that Palestinians living in the West Bank have access to only 20 percent of the water in the Mountain Aquifer, the area's primary groundwater source. Israel has also refused to direct water from the Mountain Aquifer to the Gaza Strip, despite the poor quality of the water that reaches Gaza.

Amnesty International researcher Donatella Rovera, speaking in a video released by the human rights organization:

"The aquifer both in the West Bank and Gaza is being polluted by the discharge of sewage. Today 90-95% of the water in Gaza is not fit for human consumption. Unfortunately though, the Palestinians have no alternative source of water in Gaza. The situation has been made far worse by the Israeli blockade on Gaza which prevents equipment which is necessary for the construction and the development of sewage treatment plant and other water infrastructure."

Amnesty International says Palestinians consume on average 4 times less water than Israelis and that the unequal distribution of water creates a disparity in access to adequate food, housing, health, and economic development.