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.