Water Wars in Bardala, Jordan Valley

 An interview with Rashid, 2026  

Water is the most essential resource for our village. It is the foundation of daily life and agriculture, which is the main source of income here. Bardala, located in the northern Jordan Valley, has historically been an important agricultural center, producing a wide range of crops and serving as a major food basket.

In 1965, my family initiated a project to develop our own water system. We dug private water wells to a depth of about 70 meters to reach the aquifer. These wells produced approximately 240 cubic meters of water per hour. At that time, the village population was around 300 Palestinians, and this supply was sufficient for household use, agriculture, and livestock. We even had surplus water, which we shared with neighboring communities. The system worked well, and our agriculture thrived.

After the 1967 war, when Israel occupied the West Bank, an Israeli water company—Mekorot—was established in the area. The company drilled several deep wells around Bardala, reaching depths of 200 to 300 meters. Each of these wells extracted about 1,000 cubic meters of water per hour, which is an enormous amount.

In 1973, Mekorot reached an agreement with the village leadership to close our original wells. They promised to supply us with the same amount of water we had previously accessed from our own wells. The village agreed, mainly because at that time we lacked reliable electricity and the technical capacity to operate the wells independently. The Israeli system appeared cheaper and easier to manage, and this is how the village was persuaded.

Initially, the agreement provided us with 240 cubic meters of water per hour. However, over the years, the amount was gradually reduced. Eventually, the supply dropped to only 80 cubic meters per hour, even as the village population continued to grow.

Today, in 2026, Bardala has approximately 2,500 residents. It remains an agricultural village, producing many types of vegetables and raising cows, sheep, and goats. Water is the central resource for our agricultural economy. Without water, agriculture is impossible, and without agriculture, the village cannot survive.

To continue living and farming, villagers have repeatedly tried to reclaim access to water by installing informal pipelines from the Israeli water system. These pipelines supply water to farms and homes, but they are often discovered and destroyed by Israeli authorities. The pipes are confiscated, forcing farmers to collect money, purchase new materials, and attempt to reconnect. Even when we manage to secure some water, we share it with nearby communities in the northern Jordan Valley, particularly those that lack any reliable drinking water.

Many Palestinian communities, especially those located in Area C, are not permitted to access potable water at all. As a result, water must be transported by private tanker trucks from Areas A or B. This water is extremely expensive, costing between 25 and 30 shekels per cubic meter. For families who need water for daily use and for livestock, this cost is unsustainable. These water trucks are also frequently targeted and confiscated.

In some communities, Israeli water pipelines run directly through Palestinian villages—sometimes under homes or along roads—yet residents are forbidden from accessing the water. As a result, agriculture has largely collapsed in these areas. People cannot grow vegetables or sustain farming projects due to the lack of water.

Before the late 1960s, the Jordan Valley was one of Palestine’s main agricultural regions and a major food-producing area. A significant portion of agricultural products was exported to neighboring countries such as Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. This declined sharply after land, water, and movement were restricted.

Across the Jordan Valley, Israeli authorities have constructed more than 22 deep wells to control aquifer water, from north to south. At the same time, access to the Jordan River has been blocked by declaring surrounding areas as closed military zones. Palestinians are therefore cut off from both surface water and groundwater sources.

The aquifer is now under severe pressure. In some areas, water levels are dropping rapidly, particularly where large-scale Israeli agricultural projects—such as date plantations—consume water year-round. Date palms require substantial irrigation, especially in summer, and they are often grown in salty soil that needs constant flushing with water. The Israeli farmers produce 35,000 to 43,000 tons of dates annually, with 75% of it exported to Europe. They have access to very cheap labor, water and land, and sell the product at a very high price. And this is how they make a lot of money from our land.

Traditionally, Palestinian farmers cultivated crops seasonally, using water mainly from September to May and allowing the land and aquifer to recover during the summer. This sustainable practice has been replaced by intensive year-round extraction.

Natural springs across the Jordan Valley are also drying up. Springs such as Ras al-Auja have become unreliable, especially during years of low rainfall. Climate change has worsened the situation. In recent years, rainfall has dropped to less than 20% of what is needed. As a result, crops such as wheat and chickpeas fail, and many farmers lose their entire harvest.

When crops fail, farmers lose both food and income. Livestock feed becomes scarce, and families are pushed further into poverty. Meanwhile, remaining natural springs are increasingly controlled by settlers, fenced off, and guarded. Palestinians are denied access even for watering animals, while settlers use these areas for recreation.

The contrast is stark: Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley are green, with swimming pools and well-maintained farms, while nearby Palestinian villages struggle to secure drinking water.

This system of water control directly determines who can live, farm, and remain on the land. By controlling water, land, and access to resources, Palestinian life in the Jordan Valley is steadily being undermined. Today, especially in summer, access to water is a constant struggle, and it defines our daily existence.