Turkey agrees to sell water to Israel

The project involves a project to draw off water near to the mouth of the Manavgat River, at the Gulf of Antalya. Israel will be buying 50 million cubic metres of water a year from Turkey, which is approximately 2.5% of the country’s needs. It is reported that some observers believe this could help irrigate Israel’s parched lands and, indirectly, could one day help meet urgent Palestinian needs. For decades, Palestinians have accused Israel of denying them a fair share of water from aquifers in Arab-occupied territories.

Water is a highly contentious issue in the Middle East, with Iraq and Syria, staunch foes of Israel, largely reliant on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers – both of which originate in Turkey – for drinking water, irrigation and power generation. Last month Iraq is reported to have accused Turkey of blocking a tripartite water agreement with Syria. Both Damascus and Baghdad say the current flow of water from Turkey is not enough.