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Israel Says Palestinians Responsible for West Bank Water Shortage
(Jerusalem Post) Michelle Malka Grossman and Tovah Lazaroff - The responsibility for the water shortage in the West Bank, which has captured global headlines lately, lies with the Palestinians, the Israeli Water Authority said. The infrastructure is inadequate to meet the increasing demand, but it is difficult to upgrade the infrastructure without convening the Israeli-Palestinian Joint Water Committee that was established under the 1993 Oslo Accords. The Palestinian refusal to sit down with Israelis means that the committee has not met for over five years. On top of that, broken water pipes and Palestinian water theft have made the situation worse. Adding to the problem is a 20-40% increase in demand compared to last year, mostly for agricultural purposes. Samaria Regional Council spokeswoman Esther Aloush said that there are water shortages throughout Israeli towns in the West Bank as well, particularly in the area from Shiloh to Ariel. Last Friday three Israeli communities in Samaria were without water and another five were asked to limit their water usage.