Assessing KfW support for public water and sanitation services in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

This paper argues that the German KfW exemplifies the importance of public development banks actively supporting public water and sanitation services (WSSs) in development and conflict situations. This is substantiated by the literature on public development banks and infrastructure support, and by the WSS activities of KfW in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, notably in the communities of Tulkarem, Jenin and Tulkarem, Al-Bireh and Hebron. In ways that are impossible for private investors, the KfW is uniquely able to support the public WSS infrastructures of local municipalities through long-term financing, technical assistance and an ability to sustain financial support and aid through political volatility and conflict. While the future of the KfW in Palestinian WSS is uncertain given the intensification of the weaponization of water by Israel since its October 2023 invasion/intensified occupation, the research adds a unique dimension to our understanding of public banks’ capacity to fund public WSS.