This investigative report examines Israeli policies concerning control over water resources in the Palestinian Jordan Valley and how water has been transformed from an essential resource for life and development into a tool used to tighten restrictions on Palestinians, undermine their livelihoods, and push them toward forced displacement.
The investigation, prepared by journalist Israa Ghorani and published by the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA), documents through testimonies from farmers, local communities, and experts the impact of restrictions on access to water sources, discriminatory water distribution policies, and their repercussions on agriculture, food security, and population stability in the Jordan Valley.
The report also discusses the legal and humanitarian dimensions of these policies and reveals how control over natural resources is being used as a means of reshaping the demographic reality in the Palestinian Jordan Valley amid mounting economic and social pressures facing Palestinian communities.
This work highlights the importance of investigative and in-depth journalism in documenting policies targeting Palestinian natural resources and exposing their impact on human rights and sustainable development, thereby contributing to raising public awareness and presenting facts grounded in evidence and documentation.
This investigation is part of the outputs of the Strengthening Independent Journalism and Media Networking in Palestine initiative, launched by the Palestine Journalism Hub with support from the European Endowment for Democracy (EED). The initiative aims to empower journalists to produce high-quality professional content, strengthen cooperation with media institutions, expand publication opportunities and audience reach, and support co-publishing and the development of effective media networks that enhance the presence and effectiveness of independent journalism in Palestinian society.