"Palestinians face dire water shortages because of both bad Palestinian management and Israeli restrictions, the World Bank said in a report on Monday. The report, the first of its kind, noted the 'complete dependence' of the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the blockaded Gaza Strip 'on scarce water resources shared and largely controlled by Israel.'... The report, entitled Assessment of Restrictions on Palestinian Water Sector Development, said that 'limited access to natural resources' impedes Palestinian economic development...." [Agence France Presse (4/20)/Factiva]

Reuters adds that "...Israelis have access to more than four times more water than do Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the World Bank said in a report....It said that a 1995 interim peace accord that governs the allocation of water has proven inadequate, as the Palestinian Authority has been fragmented by the last eight years of fighting while Israel has improved its own water facilities...." [Reuters (4/20)/Factiva]

Moj News Agency writes that "...the World Bank urged international donors to come up with a mechanism to help improve the Palestinian water infrastructure and allow for long-term planning on water distribution...." [Moj News Agency (Iran, 4/20)/Factiva]