VZCZCXRO7842
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHTV #3595/01 3551355
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211355Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4709
INFO RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 3350
RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 TEL AVIV 003595 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/RA, NEA/IPA, OES/ENV, and OES/PCI 
AMMAN FOR ESTH - BHALLA 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV PREL EAGR EINV EAID IS KWBG
SUBJ:  Israeli-Palestinian Water Issues - Preparing for Bilateral 
Water Negotiations and the Trilateral Water Working Group Meets 
 
Ref:  Tel Aviv 2323 
 
This message is SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  Please handle 
accordingly. 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) During his December 4-7 visit to Israel, NEA Senior S&T 
Advisor Charles Lawson discussed a range of water and environment 
issues with senior Israeli and Palestinian water/environment 
officials. Regarding upcoming Israeli-Palestinian bilateral water 
negotiations, both Palestinian Water Authority Director Fadel 
Ka'awash and Israeli National Water and Sewage Authority Director 
Uri Shani in separate meetings told Lawson that they still are 
waiting for the go ahead from their respective leaderships to form 
water negotiating teams.  While there is real potential for 
relatively quick progress in water negotiations, both Ka'awash and 
Shani expressed great concern that no progress will be made if the 
Negotiation Support Unit has the lead on water for the PA.  End 
Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Lawson chaired a meeting of the U.S.-Israel-Palestinian 
Trilateral Water Working Group (TWWG) in Tel Aviv on December 5 
(Memorandum of this meeting repeated in para 6 below).  Shani and 
Ka'awash noted a growing shortage of natural water resources due to 
both increasing demand and climatic factors.  Shani and the Israeli 
team stressed the linkage between water supply and the collection, 
treatment, and reuse of wastewater. Both sides agreed that the 
Hebron Wastewater Project, which the USG stopped when the Hamas 
government assumed power, should be re-started as quickly as 
possible, and they urged the USG to fund the project again.  The 
Palestinian delegation stressed the need for greater supplies from 
Israeli sources, and asked the Israeli delegation if the Gaza 
connector project to supply five million cubic meters of water from 
Israel to Gaza could be restarted.  Progress on implementing the 
priority water projects identified at the July 19 TWWG meeting (Ref 
A) was noted, and the access of materials and spare parts for such 
projects has improved, parties agreed. End Summary. 
 
Bilateral Water Negotiations - Great Potential for Progress, but Its 
Not a Given 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
¶3. (SBU) In separate meetings on December 4, Lawson discussed 
upcoming bilateral water negotiations with Palestinian Water 
Authority (PWA) Director Fadel Ka'wash and Israeli National Water 
and Sewage Authority (INWSA) Director Uri Shani.  When queried, both 
Ka'awash and Shani said that they had not yet been given a mandate 
by their political leaders to form water negotiating teams. 
Ka'awash expressed concern about the possibility that the 
Negotiation Support Unit (NSU) will be given the lead on water 
negotiations.  The NSU's approach to water, he said, emphasizes 
legal rights and entitlements under international law for riparian 
states.  Ka'awash noted that if he and the PWA lead the water 
negotiations for the PA, he will emphasize practical solutions to 
the water problems, rather than take "the more academic and 
legalistic NSU approach."  He noted that the PWA's responsibility 
managing Palestinian water resources and its long, productive 
working relationship with Uri Shani and the INWSA, should facilitate 
the negotiations.  In a separate meeting with Lawson, Shaddad 
Attili, NSU water attorney/advisor, stressed the need for 
reallocating resources Israel presently uses, chiefly the mountain 
aquifer and the Jordan River.  Attili expects any bilateral 
negotiation to tackle the reallocation issue first, and only then 
pursue the matter of new resources and access to desalination 
facilities. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Shani told Lawson that even though the GOI has not yet 
named him to lead the Israeli water negotiating team, he expects to 
receive that mandate and is already making preparations for the 
negotiations.  (Note: Former Israeli head water negotiator Noah 
Kinnarti told Lawson that Shani asked Kinnarti to be an advisor on 
the Israeli negotiating team. End note.)  Shani expressed concern 
about whether or not Ka'awash will be given the lead of the 
Palestinian water negotiating team and, if he is given the lead, how 
much real authority he will have.  Shani, like Ka'awash, expressed 
concern about the possibility that the NSU could play a major role 
in the negotiations. 
 
 
Report of the Trilateral Water Working Group Meeting of December 5, 
2007 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Begin text of TWWG Meeting Report 
 
Memorandum 
 
TEL AVIV 00003595  002 OF 004 
 
 
 
The U.S.-Palestinian-Israeli Trilateral Water Working Group (TWWG) 
met at the offices of USAID in Tel Aviv on December 5, 2007.  A copy 
of the agenda and participant list is attached to this memorandum. 
 
Welcome & U.S. Presentation 
 
The U.S. Delegation, led by NEA Senior S&T Advisor Charles Lawson, 
welcomed the participants and underscored the USG's continued 
commitment to helping the two parties on water issues.  The recently 
completed Annapolis Summit saw Israeli and Palestinian leadership 
agree to reopen Final Status talks, which will presumably include a 
negotiating group on water issues.  Progress on water issues could 
therefore make a key contribution to progress in the overall 
Annapolis process, Lawson noted, making the TWWG's work even more 
important.  The Israeli and Palestinian delegations both recognized 
the value of the TWWG and its work in facilitating progress on water 
issues.  The JWC has met several times since the July TWWG to 
address specific issues. 
 
Status of Water Resources 
 
Israeli National Water and Sewage Authority Director Uri Shani 
reviewed the status of the region's water resources, observing that 
low rainfall in the previous several years has left Eastern and 
Western aquifers and Lake Tiberias all at historically low levels. 
These low levels translate to a shortage over the last several years 
of approximately 200 million cubic meters (MCM) out of a shared 
natural water storage capacity of about 500 million cubic meters 
(MCM).  Lake Tiberias is only 50 cm above the lowest level at which 
Mekorot's pumping station intake can operate.  This is one reason 
the Israeli government has decided on investments to increase 
desalination capacity from 130 MCM per year to 500 MCM per year. 
 
Head of the Palestinian Water Authority Fadel Ka'wash agreed that 
the water situation was worsening, noting a big drop in wells in 
Hebron and lower per capita availability throughout Palestinian 
areas.  Ka'wash stressed the importance of Israeli cooperation on 
outstanding water projects in the West Bank and Gaza, as over 12 
percent of the West Bank's population still lack direct access to 
water.  Gaza water resources are in a particularly bad situation, he 
noted, as the Gaza residents extract between 155 and 165 MCM/year 
(the sustainable recharge is only approximately 55-60 MCM/year). 
Ka'wash noted that there are over 4,000 illegal wells are in use in 
Gaza.  This can be expected to lead to higher salinity in the ground 
water in future years.  Ka'awash urged that a planned connection to 
Gaza from the Israeli National Water Carrier be revived, as this 
would provide an additional 5 MCM annually. 
 
The Israeli delegation confirmed that Mekorot presently supplies 
some water to the Palestinian Water Authority and encouraged better 
water management.  They noted it was the political situation in 
Gaza, not technical problems, that had stopped progress on the Gaza 
connector.  Ka'awash asked Shani if he would check to see if the GOI 
leadership would be willing to re-start the Gaza project.  Shani 
also outlined the risk to the shared aquifers by Palestinian 
overpumping and lack of West Bank wastewater treatment capacity. 
Israel currently receives and treats effluent originating in the 
Hebron region - most of which comes from Israeli settler areas.  The 
Israeli delegation suggested that any new freshwater supply project 
for the PWA be linked to a counterpart waste water treatment 
project.  This would both protect the shared resources and address 
the supply needs by encouraging treated water reuse. 
 
USAID Deputy Director David Harden informed the meeting that the 
funds originally planned for the Hebron Wastewater Treatment project 
had been reprogrammed for humanitarian need projects during the 
Hamas government period.  It is unlikely that funding for this 
Hebron project will be available in 2008 or 2009.  Harden noted that 
the priorities for USG assistance had been decided in consultation 
with the Palestinian leadership.  Both Israeli and Palestinian 
delegations expressed disappointment upon hearing this news and 
requested that the United States consider the Hebron wastewater 
treatment project a priority for USG funding in the coming year. 
 
Priority Projects Moving Forward 
 
The Palestinian Delegation observed that a number of the immediate 
need, small water projects detailed by the August 14, 2007, Joint 
Working Committee has moved forward and some have been completed. 
Coverage of West Bank water needs varies greatly by region.  Tulkarm 
and Jenin in the north are poorly served, while Bethlehem and Hebron 
in the south are better served.  The Ramallah region population is 
growing rapidly, the PWA head noted, moving from 100,000 to 250,000 
in recent years, with current supply from Israel being approximately 
32,000 m3 daily while the needs have increased to approximately 
42,000 m3. 
 
TEL AVIV 00003595  003 OF 004 
 
 
 
Both parties believe access to spare parts and piping for water 
projects has improved.  However Ka'awash noted that the PWA 
submitted a list to the JWC of spare parts and equipment needed for 
some 133 wells in Gaza.  Currently, 8 wells of those wells are out 
of operation due to lack of parts, and the PWA expects that more and 
more wells will become inoperable unless the spare parts are 
available.  The Israeli delegation claimed that COGAT was approving 
materials rapidly when well documented.  The Israeli delegation 
agreed to offer a full report on implementation of the JWC projects 
at the next TWG. 
 
Status of Gaza Bank Wastewater Treatment 
 
All three parties were pleased that the final plans for the North 
Gaza Emergency Project of USAID had been approved by the IDF and 
COGAT on December 4.  If all equipment is, in fact, allowed to enter 
Gaza, the U.S. Delegation said the project should be completed in 
six weeks.  This project, along with a complementary World Bank 
project, will help avoid effluent reservoir failure during the rainy 
season that has just started.   COGAT had received and approved the 
lists of materials for access.  The U.S. noted that it is concerned 
for the safety of the contractors who will build the new 
infiltration pond, as there have been numerous fence line shooting 
incidents in recent months. 
 
Ka'awash said he remains concerned about delays in implementing the 
World Bank North Gaza Project.  Pipes for the WB project are 
procured in France, which causes delays in shipment and transfer to 
Gaza.  With up to four months to import and install the piping, he 
thought June 2008 is an optimistic date for the availability of the 
new World Bank emergency wastewater handling capacity.  His 
implication: the USAID interim project may be needed beyond the June 
2008 target date for when the USAID constructed pond would no longer 
be needed. 
 
Other Issues 
 
Ka'awash suggested trying to identify a neutral location with easier 
access for both Israelis and Palestinian to facilitate access for 
the two parties' regular meetings and future negotiations. 
Regarding the West Bank, Ka'awash wanted to see the $4 million North 
Nablus project funded, and see the eight wells now sitting idle due 
to lack of spare parts back on-line.  Organizing better training for 
PWA is a crucial need, Ka'awash said; a venue on the border, nearer 
to Ramallah, easier for PWA personnel to access would be very 
helpful. Better training and better information would bring the two 
sides together. 
 
Next Meeting 
 
The parties agreed that holding TWWG meetings on a quarterly basis 
would be useful.  Accordingly, the next Trilateral is expected in 
mid-March.  Israeli and Palestinian Delegations agreed to seek to 
establish more regularized schedules for the holding of Joint 
Technical Committee (JTC) and JWC meetings. 
 
End of text of TWWG Report. 
 
 
Other Issues 
------------ 
 
¶7. (SBU) In a December 6 meeting, GOI Director General of the 
Ministry of Environmental Protection (MOEP) Shai Avital told Lawson 
that there needs to be closer coordination between the MOEP and the 
PA.  The shared aquifers are just one circumstance of the 
interlinked policy reality.  Plans to clean up the Kidron River will 
only be possible with PA cooperation he said, as will be cleaning up 
the pollution reaching Israel from Hebron.  Avital urged the USG to 
fund the Hebron Wastewater Treatment project.  Responding to the 
GOI's request for the USG to fund the Hebron waste treatment 
facility as a priority, Lawson stressed to Avital that if this 
project is a high priority for the GOI, this message must conveyed 
by the GOI leadership.  Uri Shani, who attended the meeting with 
Avital, said he was thinking that the GOI could  address Palestinian 
sewage problems by building plants to treat their wastewater, with 
the PA then being charged for such services through the revenues 
that Israel now collects on behalf of the PA.  Shani emphasized 
again that all future Palestinian water supply projects must be 
linked with wastewater treatment projects to properly treat the 
additional supply. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Avital also observed that environmental issues were closely 
linked to territorial delineation; oversight and legal enforcement 
of environmental regulation depended on clear jurisdiction.  Shani 
profoundly stated that boundaries not well defined are well 
 
TEL AVIV 00003595  004 OF 004 
 
 
polluted.  In the absence of clear responsibility, pollution 
increases and enforcement is weak.  Lawson took note of this 
concern, and said environmental enforcement merits consideration as 
a possible topic for a future regional environmental training 
program. 
 
¶9.  (U) Consulate General Jerusalem cleared this message. 
 
Jones