CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VIII (2) ContEurVIII2 | Page 98

CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VIII (2)
Lowi argues that the most crucial reason for the establishment of
Israeli settlements mainly in the West Bank is conditioned by the
relatively abundant water resources, particularly the groundwater
resources of the territory. 49 Looking at the map of the distribution of the
settlements, it can be seen that these settlements are located directly near
the aquifers, seizing the most arable and fertile lands from the local
Palestinian residents. Besides having immediate access to the
groundwater resources, they are able to easily change the flow of water,
thereby forcing the dependence of the Palestinians. Thus, these arguments
justify the uneven allocation of aquifer water resources between the
Israelis and Palestinians.
In the Gaza Strip, the only fresh water source is the Coastal
Aquifer. The annual sustainable yield of the aquifer is only 55-60
MCM/y in Gaza, while it is about 450 MCM/y in Israel. By 2017, the
utilization of the Coastal Aquifer by Palestinians was estimated to be 185
MCM/y, 50 which is almost four times more than the annual recharge rate.
This is mainly due to the growing demand of the local population. 51
Well Abstraction
Generally, there are 383 wells in the West Bank belonging to all
three aquifers. However, 119 out of these wells are not subject to
pumping, and there is a necessity of rehabilitation for future pumping.The
annual well abstraction rate is about 65.6 MCM/y, of which 33.5 MCM/y
is for domestic use and 32 MCM/y for agricultural purposes. The number
of Israeli wells in the West Bank is 39, and the annual abstraction rate of
these wells is about 54 MCM/y. Israel has 500 wells belonging to the
Western Aquifer in its territory, as a result of which the abstraction rate
of the aquifer is more than its annual recharge rate (sustainable yield).
Therefore, there is a water level decline, which greatly affects the
Palestinians. 52
In the Gaza Strip, the annual abstraction volume is 92.8 MCM/y
for domestic use, and 86 MCM/y for agricultural purposes. Thus, the total
volume of abstraction is 178.8 MCM/y, which means that this is three

49
Lowi, Water and Power.
The Palestinian Water Authority, 2018. Gaza Water Status Report 2017,
https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/gaza_water_resources_status_report
_2017.pdf (accessed May 3. 2019).
51 Fanack Water, 2017. Water Resources, https://water.fanack.com/palestine/water-
resources/ (accessed May 4, 2019).
52 PWA, 2013. Status Report of Water Resources in the Occupied State of Palestine.
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