85 percent of water resources under Israeli control: Palestinian PM

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said Thursday that Israel controls 85 percent of Palestinian water resources.

He accused Israel of violating all international treating by besieging and controlling Palestinian water resources.

Hamdallah said in a press statement that Israel prohibits Palestinians to enjoy the water and execute any water or sanitation projects, especially the "area C" which makes up 64 percent of the West Bank.

According to the interim Oslo Accords signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel in 1993, the West Bank was divided into three zones, with the area A under Palestinian control, B under Palestinian administrative and Israeli security controls and C under full Israeli control.

The Prime Minister underscored that the Israel's water consumption is seven times more than that of the Palestinians which remains below the average level set by the World Health Organization.

He warned that the water situation in Gaza is at risk of a humanitarian crisis due to the consumption of underground water and the shortage of drinking water caused by serious pollution.

Hamdallah attributed the problem to the latest Israeli offensive on Gaza Strip in 2014 and the destruction of the facilities of water and sanitation.

He stressed that the Israeli blockade on Gaza impedes the reconstruction process.

A report by the UN issued last year said that the Gaza Strip, which is home to 1.9 million people, would be inhabitable by 2020, if the status quo remains unchanged. Endit