Amnesty: Israel Denies Water to Palestinians

The human rights group Amnesty International has issued a critical report charging that Israel prevents Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip from receiving adequate water supplies.

The report, issued Tuesday, says Israel is pumping more than its share of water from an aquifer it controls in the West Bank.

According to Amnesty, on a per-capita basis, Israelis use four times as much water as Palestinians, whose water supply is far below the minimum recommended by the World Health Organization.

Israeli officials say the Amnesty report is biased and incorrect. They contend water shortages result from the Palestinians' failure to develop their own water infrastructure.

The scarcity of water in Israel and the Palestinian territories has led to steep price increases for all residents.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.