Palestinians fill bottles with water due to water shortage.
(Photo: Joe Catron)

A Ramadan during a hot summer month is complicated for Muslims anywhere in the world, but moreso in the occupied West Bank, as the Israeli state-owned water company has been cutting water supplies to major areas of Palestinian territory since before Ramadan, and are picking up the pace.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank now have no running water, and some are reporting that they haven’t had any running water for more than 40 days, and locals have had to rely on groundwater and the like to survive.

The growing cuts come even though Israeli officials claim to have “solved” their water problems a month ago, and have been bragging up their ability to export water abroad as a way to improve relations with neighbors. Deals for increased exports to Jordan were already made.

The state-owned Mekorot company has been under criticism for years for dominating the water supply not just in Israel, but in the occupied territories. The complains are only growing as the supplies decrease, with the city of Jenin complaining their water supplies had been halved for no apparent reason, and warning they hold Mekorot responsible.