UN: Israel, settlers blocking water to Palestinians

The UN's main human rights agency blamed Israel on Friday for not granting Palestinians in the occupied West Bank equal access to water resources and said Jewish settlements have also blocked water supplied to Palestinians.

A report presented on Friday at the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council said water was not sufficiently available in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.

"The report also finds that water is inequitably distributed between Palestinians and Israelis due to Israeli reluctance to agree to water projects proposed by Palestinians," Christian Salazar Volkmann, the Director of Field Operations and Technical Cooperation Division for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said during the session of the Council that saw him present the report.

"The quality of water in Gaza is of low standards, and 96% of households receive water that does not meet drinking water quality standards," Volkmann said.

Israel has often criticized the 47-member Human Rights Council of bias against the Jewish state.

The Israeli representative was not present in the hall while the report was being read.