In recent years, Israel has used its military power to drill wells into the main aquifer beneath the West Bank. At the same time, it has severely restricted Palestinian access to both this aquifer and to the surface waters of the Jordan River—reserving the majority of these resources for itself. According to a 2009 World Bank report, Israel significantly obstructed Palestinian water systems. The same year, Amnesty International published an independent study that confirmed these findings. Two years later, a French National Assembly report on its mission to the Palestinian territories concluded that Israel was practicing “water apartheid.” Several other studies have reached similar conclusions. Beyond the West Bank, Israel has also been accused of diverting water from Lebanon, Syria (the Golan Heights), and from its share of the Jordan River. In short, Israel’s approach to water diplomacy has relied on domination, discrimination, and pressure on its neighbors. Now, Israel even proposes supplying water to Iran—despite the fact that Iran has one of the highest rates of urban water coverage in the region. Iran’s water challenges are largely related to poor demand management, requiring internal policies to improve the water allocation and water use rather than foreign assistance. Real improvements will depend on technology, better governance, and sustainable policies in the coming years, God willing.

Mahdi Zarghami, Faculty Member of Tehran University