Israel to Double Supply of Water to Thirsty Gaza Strip

[oberliner]

Israel will build a pipeline that doubles the amount of water sold to the Palestinian Authority for Gaza Strip residents, a Defense Ministry spokesman said.

The new pipeline will increase supplies to the Gaza Strip to 10 million cubic meters, spokesman Guy Inbar said today in a phone interview. The West Bank water allotment will rise by 4 million cubic meters to 57 million.

Boosting water supplies and building materials are among the steps that create a “more positive atmosphere,” said former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, representing Western powers supporting efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel increased construction materials allowed into Gaza as well and will provide more permits for West Bank Palestinians to work in Israel, Inbar said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-17/israel-to-double-supply-of-water-to-thirsty-gaza-strip.html

[PDJane]

1. Nice of them to sell the Palestinians back their own water...

[Niceguy1]

2. how is it their own water

If it originates andnis pumped by Israel? ?????

[PDJane]

3. The reason for that wall that encompasses more land than Israel was entitled to

Is that it encircles the water table, making that Palestinian water, stolen and sold back to them. How like Israel.

[sabbat hunter]

4. the water is for

the gaza strip.
Israel has pulled out fully from Gaza and does not control one inch of that land.

Care to try again?

[PDJane]

5. Deliberate misunderstanding. The water doesn't come from the gaza strip.

[oberliner]

7. You don't know where it comes from either

That much is clear.

[azurnoir]

8. care to tell us? or don't you know either

just casting a clloud-again?

the fact that it's being sold to the PA would indicate that most likely it comes from thee West Bank, and th West Bank was recognized as Palestine by the UN on 11/29/2012

[oberliner]

9. This link may help answer your questions

Israel’s Water Supply System

http://www.mekorot.co.il/Eng/Mekorot/Pages/IsraelsWaterSupplySystem.aspx

[azurnoir]

13. really ? so what does this have to do with water that Israel is selling the PA?

are you claiming that Israel is importing water to Palestine, rather than simply selling the water it takes from the Palestine back to the Palestinians? One wonders what type of transportation mark up that would entail.

[sabbat hunter]

14. According to the article

the water is being sold for use in the gaza strip, which does nto have a useable aquifer of its own (the aquifer there is either polluted or brakish)
So the water being sold to the PA for use in Gaza is NOT water that is coming from the west bank and being sold for use in to the West bank.

But instead it is water from Israeli sources (sea of galilee, aquifer near coast and desalinization plants) for use in Gaza.

[azurnoir]

18. only water from Israel is being sold to the PA in the West Bank where water is far more plentiful?

why ever would that be, are the settlements sucking up so much of the West Banks water there is none to spare?

and yes as the title says the water is for Gaza, however it's being sold to the Palestinian Authority who rule the West Bank, not Hamas who rules Gaza

If memory serves the last time Israel attempted to 'sell' water to Gaza prior to the Hamas take over, they could not buy it because the price was too high

[sabbat hunter]

20. sold to the PA

but delivered to Gaza. Hamas does not recognize the right of Israel to exist, so how can you negotiate with them? Not to mention they are a terror group.
the PA is definitely not a prize either, but at least they are willing to recognize Israels right to exist and negotiate with it.

[sabbat hunter]

10. no but

Water goes INTO the gaza strip.

The article was talking about increasing the amount of water to go INTO the Gaza Strip.

[Scootaloo]

11. I think you need to look up what "control" means

Why is Gaza "thirsty"?

Because of the blockade Israel maintains that prevents materials and chemicals necessary for water sanitation and processing from entering Gaza.

Israel doesn't control Gaza, you say?

What do you think happens if a group of Palestinian men in Gaza walk within a hundred yards of Israel's fence?

But Israel doesn't control Gaza.

I don't think PDJane needs to try again, but I do think you should quit before this game bankrupts you.

[sabbat hunter]

16. GAza is thirsty

because their own aquifer is contaminated and unusable.

Israel does not control Gaza, but it controls its own borders, is the right for every country. They are trying to get close to the border and are warned off. If they ignore the warnings, they are usually shot at (and hit). They WANT Israel to shoot at them. They are provoking Israeli soldiers by trying to approach a fence for a border with a country where a state of war exists. Why are they approaching the border?

Furthermore the blockade that Israel has is perfectly legal under international law, as an effective state of war exists between Hamas and Israel. Which is also another reason why no one is allowed near the border fence.

Additionally, Israel does not control the southern border of Gaza, Hamas if they so chose, could bring in equipment to clean the water thru there, or thru the tunnel system that exists.

Look at Saudia Arabia as an example. A country rich in money, and yet water is only available once every 2.5 days in Riyadh.

Shouldn't Israel be complimented for trying to alleviate a water shortage condition in Gaza rather than condemned for doing it?

Hamas has show little to no interest in building up needed infrastructure like water plants, distributing water purification pills.

[Scootaloo]

19. Not following my advice, huh?

because their own aquifer is contaminated and unusable.

Yes, when the water treatment plants are bombed by Israel, and the material needed for repair is blocked by the blockade (can't have cement, for one, much less chemicals needed for sewage treatment!) the resulting mixture of seawater and sewage will enter the aquifer. It's preventable, but the methods needed to prevent it are under Israel's control.

Israel does not control Gaza, but it controls its own borders, is the right for every country. They are trying to get close to the border and are warned off. If they ignore the warnings, they are usually shot at (and hit). They WANT Israel to shoot at them. They are provoking Israeli soldiers by trying to approach a fence for a border with a country where a state of war exists. Why are they approaching the border?

By this logic Gazans are entitled to shoot at and kill any Israeli within one to three hundred yards of their border. Such Israelis are clearly provoking a response, and if they die - if their friends die, if their children die - well, it's their own fault. Why do they need to come to that border, anyway?

You see how this works? The border is at the border, not however far beyond that border a bullet can reach. If someone wants to grow a fucking pumpkin a foot away from either side, then by god that's their right. thats what controlling your border means, it doesn't mean you get to control the other person's as well... but as you just admitted yourself, Israel controls beyond that border and into Gaza.

Additionally, Israel does not control the southern border of Gaza, Hamas if they so chose, could bring in equipment to clean the water thru there, or thru the tunnel system that exists.

No, it does not control the southern border. But its friend and ally, the military government of al-Sisi does. And if you hadn't noticed, Israel DOES control Gaza on all three of the other borders - including the coast. So congratulations, Israel controls every border of Gaza but one, exerts control over that one through agreements with Egypt, but you know, they don't control it.

Additionally, Israel does not control the southern border of Gaza, Hamas if they so chose, could bring in equipment to clean the water thru there, or thru the tunnel system that exists.

Can't, actually - remember, Egypt is working with Israel on Israel's blockade. Even the legitimate government of Egypt did so, filling in those tunnels and beginning contruction of an underground wall (though unlike Israel, Egypt is building its wall on the Egyptian side of the border. Presumably Egyptian engineers and cartographers are far less stupid than their Israeli colleagues, and can follow a demarcated line.

And again, this still leaves the vast majority of Gaza's border under direct Israeli control. Am I speaking to Anthony "No occupation!" weiner? Can you post a selfie?

Also, dunno if you noticed, but even if Egypt were going to defy Israel's blockade, the equipment and materials are not cheap. Dunno if you noticed, but Gaza isn't exactly flowing with riches.

Look at Saudia Arabia as an example. A country rich in money, and yet water is only available once every 2.5 days in Riyadh.

And look at Uruguay which oh wait what the fuck does this have to do with Gaza?

Shouldn't Israel be complimented for trying to alleviate a water shortage condition in Gaza rather than condemned for doing it?

I'll get right on that right after I overlook the devastation wrought by the United States in Iraq, because - look! we built a school!

Again, the shortage is caused by the destruction of water treatment facilities by Israel's bombing campaigns against Gaza, paired with Israel's blockade against Gaza. No, they do not deserve compliments for applying a band-aid to a problem they caused in the first fucking place.

Hamas has show little to no interest in building up needed infrastructure like water plants, distributing water purification pills.

I struggle with the concept that a person could be smart enough to type this, yet dumb enough to think it's actually worth typing. While i'm not going to attribute any heroism to Hamas, this claim of yours is just such insubstantial nonsense that I'm frankly a little staggered. Build up infrastructure? WITH WHAT? There's all sorts of things Hamas could do to improvethe lot of Gazans, but this really isn't within their capability.

Maybe if Israel were to actually allow the materials and resources needed for such a project? But no, that relinquishment of control might shatter your nonsensical idea that Israel has no control over the situation - while you would demand praise and fellatio for Israel relinquishing it.

[sabbat hunter]

21. one last thing

there are other countries that have a DMZ in which neither side is allowed. That is what is probably needed between gaza and Israel.

Take North and South Korea for example. No one is allowed in to the DMZ, there are special circumstance exceptions, if you were to just go wandering up to it you would be shot.

[Scootaloo]

22. Actually you'll be blown up by a landmine before the bullet hits you

the Korean DMZ has the highest concentration of landmines, both antitank and antipersonnel, in the world. Details, I guess.

What is needed between Gaza and Israel is for Israel to stop its siege. I know that you find that idea repellent, as it would mean Israel gives up some of the control you maintain it does not have. But if you're even remotely interested in the conditions of the people of Gaza (and I will wager that you most certainly are not) that's the solution that works.

[sabbat hunter]

24. would you rather

that Israel plant mines along a DMZ? I personally would find that idea abhorrent

[Igel]

25. The first bit's not quite right.

There's only one reason for the seawater to infiltrate the aquifer: More water's coming out through the surface than is replenishing the aquifer.

It's being overpumped and surface water is being harvested in too high an amount to replenish the aquifer.


There are many reasons for the contamination of the aquifer with nitrates and phosphates. Some is sewage, which isn't exactly a new problem in the area. People have been crapping without modern sewage treatment plants for millennia. (Before that I don't know--perhaps they had modern sewage treatment plants, perhaps they simply didn't crap.) Of course, it's worse now because as the result of the genocide the population's gone from around 120k in 1950 to about 1 700k in 2013, while the surface area of Gaza hasn't markedly increased.

But the soil has been worked intensively for many generations and one response to diminishing soil nutrient levels (and not having quite as extensive export market for Gazan-produced bullshit as before) is that they manure their fields rather intensely. What rain and irrigation doesn't evaporate or get assimilated into plants and animals seeps into the aquifer. With the water goes lots of nitrates and phosphates.

I rather imagine the pollution problem would be greater if the aquifer replenishment rate were high enough to prevent saltwater infiltration. I rather think that the aquifer salinity problem would be greater if the aquifer replenishment rate were higher.

[pelsar]

27. this is for those who cant see racism.....

a few simple facts for clarification:

it does not control the southern border. But its friend and ally, the military government of al-Sisi does. And if you hadn't noticed, Israel DOES control Gaza on all three of the other borders - including the coast. So congratulations, Israel controls every border of Gaza but one, exerts control over that one

basically this is the new version of the Israel controls Egyptian foreign policy. True, history has shown otherwise, and its probably safe to assume that Egypt might object to such a description, but clealy some westerners seem to know better than the egyptians themselves.

By this logic Gazans are entitled to shoot at and kill any Israeli within one to three hundred yards of their

Here 'logic" is used, when one has to ignore history: When israel pulled out, the gazans were farming up to the border fence, as the "farmers" started to shoot at the israeli across the border, plant bombs etc the gazans were told to move back....consequences for their actions. this security zone was gradually enlarged to a point where israeli were safe.

just a bit of history for those who are interested.

[oberliner]

6. Really amazing that people think this way

Have you ever heard of the Sea of Galilee?

[Scootaloo]

12. You mean this one:

Oh my, look, we found another illegal annexation! But nevermind, it's okay because it's Israel, and Israel is always good.

By the by, isn't the Sea of Galilee the source of the Jordan River? The one Israel wants to retain sole control over for the next 40 years?

Of course, there's those aquifers...


But Israel needs those too, as each Israeli, including the settlers, uses on average more than three hundred times as much water as a Palestinian per day. Of course this may have something to do with the fact no new wells have been permitted to be dug by Palestinians in the West bank since 1967. Of course, since the Israelis have self-appointed themsleves the water wardens of the West Bank and regulate how much Palestinians are allowed to access annually...

But of course, since Israel is always good, who can fault them?

[oberliner]

15. Israel is always good?

Where do you get this nonsense from?

You act like the fun house mirror version of the people who sarcastically ascribe "Israel is always evil" to anyone who criticizes Israeli policy.

[Scootaloo]

17. Isn't it?

Isn't it just a harmless, angelic state peopled exclusively by 3/5 of its population, who are always victims of the global - like literally, all seven billion-odd humans on the planet - conspiracy to eradicate them? GOSH! And who would begrudge them absolute control of their region's access to fresh water? It's just a little place, after all, a land without a people, except for the people who count, because they were the chosen elect, the sacred population blessed with control of that land by no less an authority than... uh... the British empire, actually... But how dare anyone criticize!

Fun house mirror? I have no idea what you're talking about!

[delrem]

23. Yes, this is how I understand the situation.

Thanks for posting it.

[Igel]

26. A few points.

First, the aquifer doesn't stop at the Israeli border. That nice red arrow showing water flow crossing the border doesn't stop there, nor does it indicate above-ground water flow. The aquifer just keeps on going. Even under Jerusalem. It's not always easy to find a map that actually shows that the aquifer isn't a political creation subservient to current politics but instead geological and ancient.

In other words, it's a shared aquifer. Settlements may have their own wells, but most of the "Palestinian" water is pumped through surface that is behind-the-green-line Israeli.

Permits for new pumping stations in the West Bank have been issued since 1967. Not many. As a matter of honor, permits aren't usually sought. Disentangling what's a valid reason for denial of permits and what's just "we don't like you" isn't always easy--especially when pro-Palestinian groups can't even get the established geology disentangled from their advocacy programs.

A bigger problem is having old wells dry up as the water tables drop ... because of both Israeli and Palestinian pumping. Israel's had a lot of water conservation measures put in place; Palestinians still use traditional kinds of irrigation and older infrastructure that they haven't maintained. Israeli aquifer use has decreased over the decades even as population's increased; they know it's unsustainable water use.


The Sea of Galilee isn't Syrian. There was a small buffer zone around it that was Israeli and denied Syria access to it. Syria agreed to this. But Syria wanted access to it and decided to ignore or annex that buffer zone. Illegally. Not that anybody much cared. But the violation of the armistice line produced skirmishes and exacerbated an already existing problem. Then Syria was pushed back from the Galilee. Problem solved.

Another problem is that Jordan, Syria, and Israel have Jordan-River water rights. A 1955 plan ignored the Palestinians (Jordan was their hegemon at the time) but was generally agreed to informally. When Lebanon and Syria were going to reduce the flow to the Galilee, nobody cared until Israel managed to use force to stop it. When Syria and Jordan wanted to reduce the flow to the Jordan, nobody much cared about Israel's water rights--they were more concerned when the flow to Israel was reduced and so Israel reduced the water supplied to Jordan, although they were more concerned about Jordan.