Permission for well-drilling must be obtained from the military authorities; permits have been granted for only 23 wells since 1967, only three of these being for agricultural use (The Water Commission 1993). Rigorous water quotas are imposed on Palestinians, supply is often restricted leaving communities without water for considerable periods, and excess pumping is punished by heavy fines.

In addition, Palestinians are forced to pay extortionate rates for their water supply. Whereas settlers pay $0.40 for domestic consumption and a highly subsidized rate of $0.16 for agricultural use, Palestinians pay a standard rate of $1.20 for their piped water (Zarour and Isaac 1991). And 26% of West Bank households have no connection to piped water (Isaac et al 1994). Estimates vary as to what proportion of the West Bank's aquifers are exploited by Israelis, as that was still not being exploited in 1967". This argument is, to say the least, rather spurious. The claim is invalidated by the illegality of the occupation. And it is simply false to say that "Israel has honored prior use rights of Palestinians": the military authorities have expropriated wells belonging to absentee owners, as well as those within the boundaries of confiscated Palestinian land. The sometimes-invoked argument that Israel merely inherited water resources that had been under British Mandate control, meanwhile, is simply untrue. Palestinians, as the indigenous inhabitants of the region, are the party with historical prior use rights.