Israel land area is about 28 times as much as that of Singapore. If Singapore can sustain 5 million population then there is no reason for Israel land to sustain 3 times as much as Singapore population, which is 15 millions. The key is development and use the resources efficiently.
The settlement in west bank area C is more about political and security matters.
I am sorry Antonius but that is not a good example to use. Please allow me to elaborate so I can qualify my argument. Since you have used Singapore I will continue to use that country as an example for comparative purposes
1. Water security:
Singapore consumes on average 440million gallons of water per day, it has a sustainable means of using ground water sources to cope with demand which is expected to double by 2065[1]
Israel on the other hand uses on average 1800 metric cubic gallons of water per year[2]. Unlike Singapore which controls the ground water tables in its territory.About 80% of the water potential is in the north of the country
and only 20% in the south.
Conversely, In Gaza, some
90-95 per cent[3] of the ground water supply is contaminated and unfit for human consumption. In November 1967 the Israeli authorities issued Military Order 158, which stated that Palestinians could not construct any new water installation without first obtaining a permit from the Israeli army. As a result, some 180 Palestinian communities in rural areas in the occupied West Bank have no access to running water, according to OCHA. Even in towns and villages which are connected to the water network, the taps often run dry.
While restricting Palestinian access to water, Israel has effectively developed its own water infrastructure and water network in the West Bank for the use of its own citizens in Israel and in the settlements – that are illegal under international law.
The Israeli state-owned water company Mekorot has systematically sunk wells and tapped springs in the occupied West Bank to supply its population, including those living in illegal settlements with water for domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes.
[Image (c) WHO]
While Mekorot sells some water to Palestinian water utilities, the amount is determined by the Israeli authorities. As a result of continuous restrictions, many Palestinian communities in the West Bank have no choice but to purchase water brought in by trucks at a much high prices ranging from 4 to 10 USD per cubic metre. In some of the poorest communities, water expenses can, at times, make up half of a family’s monthly income.
Conversely the only other source of safe water available to Gazans is importation from outside the Gaza strip. Gaza currently imports 5-10 MCM [ Metric Cubic Gallons] of potable water from Israel, which is by no means enough (representing less 5% of Gaza’s water demand), nor is it a secure or
reliable supply, particularly during periods of conflicts when it is most needed.
Among the strategic interventions recommended was the construction of Seawater Desalination Plants (SDP); 3 relatively small capacity plants referred to as Short Term Low Volume (STLV) were identified to be implemented within a short period to provide urgent relief until the large scale desalination plant, referred to as the Gaza Central Desalination Plant (GCDP). [4]
Image (C) Unicef
2. Sovereignty: You have cited the example of Singapore, Singapore is a sovereign nation, Israeli occupied lands are subject to dispute.
The laws governing belligerent occupation establish a number of important principles, including the temporary or de facto nature of occupation enshrined in Article 42 of the Hague Regulations (1907), which finds that “[t]erritory is considered occupied when it is actually placed under the authority of the hostile army”.
As such, although governmental authority may be “temporarily disrupted or territoriality restricted” during a belligerent occupation, the “State remains the same international person”.
The occupying Power therefore does not acquire sovereignty over the occupied territory, but rather, is obliged to administer the territory weighing the best interests of the occupied population with those of military necessity, under the limitative conservationist principle.
Significantly, the present study highlights the positions of leading authorities on international law which consider that the practice of “prolonged occupation” has related to occupations of no more than four or five years in length, such as Germany’s four-year occupation of Belgium during World War I, or Germany’s five year occupation of Norway in World War II.
Former United Nations Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk observes that modern occupations compliant with the principles of occupation law “have not exceeded 10 years, including the American occupation of Japan, the Allied occupation of western Germany and the American-led occupation of Iraq”. [5]
3. Settler colonization driven by increased need for food security to meet Israel's growing domestic demand and export markets
Again using Singapore, as per the Hunger Report published by the government of Singapore, 10.4% resident households that had experienced food insecurity in the 12 months prior to the data collection period of July to December 2019. Comparatively as per the Leket Food Report: 20% of Israeli households suffer from food insecurity.
To meet their domestic demands Israeli state has allowed settlers free reign to occupy Palestinian Land in Zone (C) neag Jericho this selfish and unsustainable practice has put so much pressure on the Palestinian agricultural sector that according to a report published in Geo Link, the agricultural system in the West Bank is close to collapse:[6]
Israel is ranked 12 in the global food security index just below the UK but above Japan. Meanwhile Palestine ranks right at the bottom among the nations with the worst cases of chronic hunger and food insecurity[7]
References:
[1]
https://www.pub.gov.sg/public/waterloop/water-conservation
[2]
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/israel-s-chronic-water-problem?utm_content=cmp-true
[3]
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2017/11/the-occupation-of-water/
[4]
https://www.unicef.org/documents/increasing-water-security-gaza-through-seawater-desalination
[5]
https://reliefweb.int/report/occupi...alestinian-territory-including-east-jerusalem
[6] Abdelhamid, A. (2006).
Urban development and planning in the occupied Palestinian Territories: Impacts on urban form. Paper presented at the The Conference on Nordic and International Urban Morphology: Distinctive and Common Themes, Stockholm.
[7]
https://www.actionagainsthunger.org.uk/our-impact/stories/the-hungriest-countries-in-the-world
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