California is in the midst of one of the worst droughts in the state\u2019s history, prompting Governor Jerry Brown to declare a water \u201cstate of emergency.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ordinary Californians are bearing the brunt of this disaster. While the governor has imposed restrictions to reduce residential water consumption, businesses in the fields of agriculture and hydraulic fracturing have been largely exempt. Brown\u2019s unwillingness to take on these gargantuan corporate water-wasters lends a sharp political element to an otherwise natural disaster.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s another region in the world, however, where access to water isn\u2019t just decided on the whims of politicians dealing with natural disasters. In fact, the very existence of water crises is official state policy for one country: Israel.<\/p>\n
Dying of Thirst<\/strong><\/p>\n Despite its location in a region thought to be perennially dry, the Holy Land actually has ample natural freshwater resources \u2013 namely in the form of underwater aquifers and the Jordan River. Palestinians in the West Bank and Israeli settlers live in roughly equal proximity to these resources, which theoretically would allow for equal consumption.<\/p>\n Israeli water policy, however, has made this prospect virtually impossible. In fact, there\u2019s a shocking disparity.<\/p>\n