Uri Shani - Head of the Israel Water Authority

Israel Water Authority
Hamisgar Street 14
PO Box 20365
Tel Aviv
Israel 61203

Dear Sir,

I am writing you as a supporter of Amnesty International out of concern for the desperate situation with regards to access to water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Israeli policies and practices in the West Bank prevent the Palestinians from accessing the water they need. In particular, the restrictive permit system for water and sanitation projects, and the destruction of water cisterns and pipes and the confiscation of water tankers deny the Palestinians their human rights.

I urge you to work with your partners and the relevant Ministries to change these policies. In order to meet the needs of the people under Israeli control, water filling points should be immediately opened for communities like al-‘Aqaba, Humsa and Hadidiya in the north of the West Bank, and Susya and Tuwani in the south, which are not connected to the water network.

In the Gaza Strip where over 90 per cent of the water is unfit for human consumption, urgent construction and maintenance of water and sanitation projects are needed to prevent a large-scale health hazard. However, the materials for these projects cannot be imported because of the blockade that Israel imposes. For instance, the Beit Lahia sewage treatment project is delayed because of lack of materials.

I call on you to use your influential position to work towards a change in these policies so that the Palestinians’ human right to water is fulfilled. I am sure you share with me the concern for the fulfilment of the right to water and a future where all in the region have sufficient access to water.

Sincerely,

________________________________