The people in Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank and Gaza live in
a constant state of water scarcity. A widely used rule of thumb
is that a population is considered to be in a state of "water
stress" if the average annual per capita availability of water
is below 1,000 cubic meters. Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian
average annual per capita availabilities are all significantly
below that level. Israel, which has the most advanced water
infrastructure and water management capabilities in the region,
has an average annual availability of only some 250-300 cubic
meters per capita. Jordan, at some 170-200 cubic meters per
capita, and the Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza, at some
70-90 cubic meters per capita, are under even greater water
stress. By comparison, average annual water availability in the
United States is on the order of 7,000 cubic meters per capita.
Water in the Jordan River Basin