--- title: Water Crisis in the West Bank | TIME description: Unsustainable agriculture, overconsumption and a battle over water rights between Israel and the Palestinian territories are depleting the Sea of Galilee, the region's main water source, and its tributary, the biblical Jordan River. canonical: https://time.com/video/MZhMjBNe/ og:title: Water Crisis in the West Bank og:description: Unsustainable agriculture, overconsumption and a battle over water rights between Israel and the Palestinian territories are depleting the Sea of Galilee, the region's main water source, and its tributary, the biblical Jordan River. og:url: https://time.com/video/MZhMjBNe/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/MZhMjBNe/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Water Crisis in the West Bank twitter:description: Unsustainable agriculture, overconsumption and a battle over water rights between Israel and the Palestinian territories are depleting the Sea of Galilee, the region's main water source, and its tributary, the biblical Jordan River. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/MZhMjBNe/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Water Crisis in the West Bank > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Water Crisis in the West Bank [Watch (HLS stream): Water Crisis in the West Bank](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MZhMjBNe.m3u8) (5:21)  _Published 2010-08-16. Unsustainable agriculture, overconsumption and a battle over water rights between Israel and the Palestinian territories are depleting the Sea of Galilee, the region's main water source, and its tributary, the biblical Jordan River._ --- Jul 27, 2023 2:24 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Deion Sanders Discusses the Water Crisis in Jackson, Mississippi](/video/NxXdE5Xp/) ### Deion Sanders Discusses the Water Crisis in Jackson, Mississippi [Should I Drink Seltzer Water?](/video/SSdTN2EQ/) ### Should I Drink Seltzer Water? [Ohio National Guard Helps in Toledo Water Crisis](/video/ayri8mDa/) ### Ohio National Guard Helps in Toledo Water Crisis --- ## Transcript >> For these pilgrims from Zambia being baptized in the Jordan River is the spiritual experience of a lifetime. Believers claimed that the waters of the Jordan can wash away sin. -[ unk ] water that the Lord Jesus Christ went through I'm also able to step in, I mean something that is glorious for my life. >> What these religious followers don't see is that downstream from here, these sacred waters turn into this toxic sewage canal. This weak polluted stream that was once the Jordan River is a potent symbol for the water system shared by Israel and the Palestinian territories. Mostly due to the needs and wants of mankind, it is on the verge of collapse while several years of drought certainly is the factor. This depleted water system is mainly the result of unsustainable water practices and the long standing battle over resources in the Middle East. >> You can see all the open shore that used to be part of the lake and now it's part of the shore or the coast. And that's not the end. >> The problem here starts at the Sea of Galilee. This sea is the source that flows into the lower Jordan River. It is recently been pumped to historically low levels. Another clue to these depleted water systems can be found in the bounty of Israel's fruit and vegetable markets. About 60 percent of the Sea of Galilee's water goes to Israeli Agricultural Companies. They received water at subsidized prices and then ship much of that water in the form or produce to European markets. >> So Europeans are buying, mangoes and avocados, tropical fruits that have no place to be grown in the midst of the desert. So the water that should be here, large quantities of it is actually in Europe, where of course water is not scarce at all. >> Israel has long romanticized agriculture. One of the central mantras of Zionism is to make the desert bloom. But, in fact, these agricultural companies only contribute about 2 percent to the country's gross domestic product. >> Agriculture of Israel is important. It is economically important but it has other important like nationality like the way you want to see this country do want to still be a green country. >> Yet, Israeli Agriculture is not the only culprit. In the region where several wars have been fought over water rights, Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan have all set up a series of dams locking waters that once reached the Jordan River. >> The Arab- Israeli conflict has led to every side trying to grab as much as they can first so that the other side won't have the resources. >> There is also the internal Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Israel controls not only the Sea of Galilee but another important water source called the West Bank Aquifer. A recent amnesty international report claimed that Israel uses the line share of this Aquifer restricting Palestinians to a mere 20 percent. >> Israelis enjoy much larger quantities of water than Palestinians on average four times more. Israel is using quantities of water typical of a developed country. But a developed country that is in Northern Europe. >> In response to the dwindling water supply, Israel appears to be taking action. -[ Foreign Language ] >> It is launched this nationwide ad campaign instructing people to conserve water. It is recently raised the price of water for private consumers. Israeli Agriculture is now using 50 percent recycled water and the more efficient drip irrigation system. But the grand solution in the eyes of Israeli government is to build expensive water desalination plants on the Mediterranean Sea. There are already two such plants in production and another one plant for 2012. >> In few years, we're gonna get more and more desalination water into the water system of Israel so we will be able to pump less water from the lake. -[ Foreign Language ] >> There were grown population means that there will be an even greater burden on the water supply in years to come and it may already be too late to save much of the Jordan River even with the plant, it remains will be seen if any equilibrium can be struck between the water needs of man and nature. Without this balance, this once glorious river may soon be just a Biblical legend. 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