Panel-discussion "What is the real price of water?"

The situation in the Palestinian Territories is challenging: Water remains to be a big issue in the life of the Palestinians. Even though large parts of the West Bank are considered to be rich in water resources, people consistently have to deal with water shortages. In the Gaza Strip, the situation is even worse. There is a lack of a working sewage system and fresh potable water. On the contrary, Israel`s water consumption is amongst the highest in the world.
What gives rise to this paradoxical situation? What obstacles need to be overcome to pave the way for an equitable supply of water? In order to discuss these questions, FES and the Willy-Brandt-Center Jerusalem (WBC) organized the panel-discussion "What is the Real Price of Water?".
Several experts attended the discussion: The hydrologist Clemens Messerschmid, Mark Buttle from Oxfam and the graphic artist Amon Zamir of the Watercare-program, presented their work and experiences. The discussants talked about the difficult but entirely different circumstances in the Westbank and the Gaza Strip, the impact of the deteriorating situation on the peace process and Israel’s involvement in the water conflict.
In the end the participants pointed out that water in the Middle East is to a lesser extent a technical issue than primarily a political one.