Palestine: Friends of the Earth call for 'failed' Joint Water Committee to be replaced

EcoPeace/Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) has called on the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority to replace the Joint Water Committee with a new joint water management structure.

A recent World Bank report claims that the JWC has failed the interests of both Palestinians and Israelis. FoEME has also called on the Quartet led by the new US Obama Administration to focus on the dire Palestinian water economy and help the parties replace the JWC with a new institution that empowers both sides as equal partners.

The World Bank report 'West Bank and Gaza: assessment of restrictions on Palestinian water sector development', shows how the present structure of the JWC, established under the Oslo agreements, gives virtual veto power to the Israeli side on all shared water issues. The report echoes claims in earlier FoEME reports that the JWC does not ensure that Palestinians' water needs are met and does not protect shared Israeli/Palestinian water resources from large scale pollution.

In 2008, FoEME released a Model Water Agreement that called for the Joint Water Committee to be replaced with a new body where equivalent powers and responsibilities would lie with both sides.

Related News: Palestine: World Bank reports assesses restrictions on water development, Source News, 28 Apr 2009; Palestine, Gaza: US$ 25 million needed to restore water and sanitation services, Source News, 06 Feb 2009

Web sites: World Bank report; FoEME Model Water Agreement

Source: FoME, 20 Apr 2009

Keywords

• Middle East & North Africa
• Governance
• Water resources management