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Home Posts Special for Shavuot: Why is Israel no longer dehydrated?

Special for Shavuot: Why is Israel no longer dehydrated?
Oded Eran
2 June, 2022
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The water holiday, or in its familiar name "Shavuot" [the Feast of Weeks / Pentecost], is celebrated today around the world and in Israel – more than half of which is an arid desert. Although according to global statistics Israel ranks 149th in annual rainfall and experts predict global warming and increased water consumption, the nearly ten million Israelis do not feel anxiety, a need to amass water resources, or guilt about washing their cars with more than one bucket of water.

But Israelis did not always feel that way, and what changed our lives was the national water carrier of Israel, which began to channel water from the Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee) to many areas of the country, especially to population centers along the coast. In recent years, and due to the growing concern that Israel is drying up, the agriculture sector and 46 percent of industry and household consumers rely on seawater desalination, or desalination and water recycling after purification for industry and agriculture, thanks to the lightened load from one single water source and avoiding the use of central piping that might be blocked or leak.

Let me tell you a secret – our neighbor, Jordan, suffers from a severe water shortage, and in addition, loses about half of the amount of water it has only due to leaks, theft, and evaporation. Hence the inclusion of the water clause before the Jerusalem clause in the peace agreement with Jordan.

Desalination of seawater and water recycling after purification actually prevents the use of groundwater, which has become a kind of emergency reservoir since its salinity percentage is significantly lower. In Israel, groundwater is generally avoided as much as possible, especially in areas close to the beach, since pumping causes the introduction of saline water into the groundwater, as happened to the residents of the Gaza Strip, who exploited the groundwater and led to salinity in wells until they became unfit for drinking.

In fact, not only has Israel become the sole supplier of its water needs; it has also become an exporter of water to two of its neighbors – the Palestinian Authority and Jordan. These water agreements stabilize the shaky reality of the region, and despite the lack of trust, the political tensions, and the lack of international involvement, necessary regional collaboration has been formed to address the water issue.
Here’s to water saturation, and a happy Shavuot holiday.

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  • Research

    • Topics
      • Israel and the Global Powers
      • Israel-United States Relations
      • Glazer Israel-China Policy Center
      • Russia
      • Europe
      • Iran and the Shi'ite Axis
      • Iran
      • The Israel–Iran War
      • Lebanon and Hezbollah
      • Syria
      • Yemen and the Houthi Movement
      • Iraq and the Iraqi Shiite Militias
      • Conflict to Agreements
      • Israeli-Palestinian Relations
      • Hamas and the Gaza Strip
      • Peace Agreements and Normalization in the Middle East
      • Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States
      • Turkey
      • Egypt
      • Jordan
      • Israel’s National Security Policy
      • Military and Strategic Affairs
      • Societal Resilience and the Israeli Society
      • Jewish-Arab Relations in Israel
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      • Terrorism and Low Intensity Conflict
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