The political economy of water and sanitation in Palestine’s Gaza Strip: A scoping review

Understanding the political economy of delivering basic services, including water and sanitation, is crucial to promoting sustainable services. The complexity of political economy is especially pronounced amid politically volatile crises, as in the case of the Gaza Strip, Palestine. This paper examines the impact of the political economy of the Gaza Strip on the delivery of water and sanitation services over the two decades leading to the current humanitarian crisis. We conducted a scoping literature review of peer-reviewed (17 publications) and grey literature (37 publications) from relevant local and international organisations operating in the Gaza Strip. The literature highlighted nine political economy challenges to water and sanitation services: Israel’s blockade and restrictions imposed on the Gaza Strip, political complications, fund allocation, institutional fragmentation, internal political divisions, inadequate planning, corruption, low transparency, and sustainability and long-term humanitarian crisis. We shed light on the complexity of the political economy of water and sanitation provision in politically challenging regions. We also reflect on the potential pathways for sustainability and resilience, particularly relevant to the ongoing situation in the Gaza Strip, as technical solutions will not suffice to rebuild the water and sanitation sector without addressing its political economy challenges.