The office of Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced today, Thursday, the launch of a European initiative valued at 200 million euros to support the management of Palestinian water resources in the West Bank and Gaza Strip over three years. According to the statement from the office, "The initiative aims to sustainably improve water management through comprehensive wastewater treatment and the reuse of high-quality water (for agriculture and recharging the aquifer)."
In the statement, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh emphasized, "Water in Palestine is not just a technical issue, despite the importance of technical solutions, but the basis is water rights, especially at a time when Israel is stealing our water and obstructing our projects to treat wastewater and our response to climate change."
EU representative to the Palestinian Authority, Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, stated, "While we continue to work towards this political goal, Israel, as the occupying power, bears the responsibility to ensure that every Palestinian has access to water, and to allow Palestinian and international partners to work towards this goal."
Palestinians need Israeli approval to implement projects related to wastewater treatment plants or extending pipelines, as these are usually located in Area C, which is under Israeli control according to the temporary peace agreement between Palestinians and Israel.
