Aug. 22, 2023
Dear Editor, (LA Times)
The following is quoted from the October 01 2021 edition of the NGO Monitor's Analysis of Palestinian Water Issues and Israel's Role. The information tottally contradicts the AP report accusing Israel of deliberately causing water shortages in Palestinian towns and farms.
"The allocation of water resources between Israel and the Palestinians was agreed upon in the 1993-4 Oslo Accords and is the center of regular coordination between the respective authorities.
At the same time, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) often assert claims regarding water allocation in their political campaigns against Israel, often using language such as "water apartheid" or "domination" calibrated to invoke the International Criminal Court's Rome Statute. The use of such terminology is part of a concerted effort on the part of human rights NGOs to insert the term "apartheid" into the discourse surrounding Israel. This rhetoric in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been repeatedly shown to be both fundamentally inconsistent with reality and lacking in any definitive legal basis.
In contrast to NGO campaigns, Israel goes beyond its obligations to supply water and assist in developing Palestinian water and waste infrastructure. The record, which is usually omitted in NGO campaigns, clearly demonstrates that individuals, communities, as well as the Palestinian Authority have obstructed progress on such initiatives."
Those wishing further information should read the entire report found at: https://www.ngo-monitor.org/reports/analysis-of-palestinian-water-issues-and-israels-role/
Sincerely yours,
Larry Shapiro, Calgary