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SHOGHIK TADEVOSYAN
Palestinians, which is the main Israeli governing body in the West Bank
and subordinate to the Israeli military. It is established that the
Palestinians should pay for the full cost of water, and Israeli settlers are
entitled to the subsidized water prices of the World Zionist Organization
(WZO). 28
Fourth, a number of researchers have also discussed the water issue
in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in terms of the violation of some
international laws (International Water Law; the Hague Regulations of
1907; the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949; the United Nations
Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions 446, 465; the United Nations
General Assembly (UNGA) Resolutions 1803 (XVII), 3171 (XXVIII), etc).
The review of the literature shows that the severe consequences of
Israel’s discriminatory agricultural policies are enormous. According to
Selby, any step or initiative in the field of agricultural production,
irrigation, or specific crop cultivation requires the permission of the
Israeli authorities through licenses or quotas. 29 Since agriculture is the
cornerstone of the Palestinian economy, it has a significant impact on the
livelihood of the population. Overall, a limited amount of water, along
with land confiscation and the Israeli government’s restrictions in the
agricultural sector greatly hinder Palestinian agricultural production.
Continuous land confiscation by Israeli settlers contributes to the
deteriorating situation of water. Israel’s unilateral policies and the
exclusive opportunities given to the settlers lead to numerous
encroachments on the Palestinian population’s rights. Schiff and Ya’Ari
argue that Israel’s actions are nothing more than pure ‘theft’ of water
from the residents. 30 The reason behind these actions of Israel underlined
in the literature is sometimes linked to a larger project aimed at the
‘collective punishment’ of Palestinians, 31 by driving them out and
ultimately ethnically cleansing the region. 32
Almost the same problems related to water can be found in the
Gaza Strip. It can even be said that the situation is even worse, which is
mainly due to the arid climate, lack of water resources in general, the
Israeli blockade on all sides and its deliberate actions against the
population, as well as the unprecedented population growth in the Gaza
Strip.

28
Ibid.
29 Selby,
“The Geopolitics of Water in the Middle East,” 121-138.
Schiff and Ehud Ya’Ari, Intifada: The Palestinian Uprising – Israel’s Third Front
(New York, 1990).
31 Salmi, “Water, the Red Line,” 15-65.
32 Al-Shalalfeh, Napier and Scandrett, “Water Nakba in Palestine,” 117-124.
30 Zeev
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