Mekorot

Mekorot, whose name means “sources” in Hebrew, is Israel’s national water company and the country’s leading water-management agency. Established in 1937 during the Mandate period, it developed from an infrastructure organization focused on water access into a national utility responsible for production, treatment, conveyance, storage, quality control, and selected international water-technology activities. Its founders included Levi Eshkol, who later became Israel’s prime minister, water engineer Simcha Blass, and Pinchas Sapir, later a senior Israeli finance minister. The company is best known for operating the National Water Carrier, the backbone of Israel’s interconnected water network. The carrier historically moved water from the Sea of Galilee toward central and southern Israel, including the Negev. It has subsequently been adapted into a more flexible national system that integrates aquifers, wells, reservoirs, wastewater reuse, seawater desalination, brackish-water treatment, and water captured from other sources. Mekorot’s infrastructure includes thousands of kilometres of pipelines, production and supply facilities, wells, reservoirs, treatment plants, laboratories, and desalination installations. Mekorot supplies approximately 80% of Israel’s drinking water and about 65% of the country’s overall water supply, serving households, agriculture, industry, and public institutions. It also supplies water and technical services under political and commercial arrangements involving the Palestinian Authority and Jordan. Water tariffs in Israel are set by the national Water Authority rather than solely by Mekorot, with rates varying by customer category and being periodically adjusted according to regulated economic indices and utility costs. Water quality and resource diversification are central to the company’s operations. Mekorot operates filtration and laboratory facilities associated with the Sea of Galilee supply system, manages wells reaching deep aquifers, supports desalination facilities, and operates wastewater-treatment and reuse installations. Reclaimed water is particularly important for agriculture, allowing potable supplies to be reserved for higher-priority uses. The company also applies digital monitoring, operational technology, cybersecurity controls, modelling, and automated infrastructure management to a water system exposed to drought, climate variability, rising demand, and security risks. Through its WaTech innovation centre, founded in 2004, Mekorot works with start-ups, universities, investors, and established technology companies. The programme has used Mekorot facilities as testing and demonstration environments for technologies involving treatment, monitoring, efficiency, resource recovery, and network management. These activities support both domestic modernization and the company’s export ambitions. Mekorot’s international profile expanded through consulting, engineering, technology cooperation, and infrastructure-development agreements. Following the Abraham Accords, the company entered new relationships in the Gulf, including a 2021 development contract in Bahrain. It has also participated in projects and memoranda involving Jordan, Azerbaijan, France, Singapore, Morocco, Argentina, Chile, and Italy. In Israel, major infrastructure programmes have included the modernization of the National Water Carrier, a large filtration plant at Eshkol, additional supply capacity for Jerusalem, and projects enabling desalinated water to be moved northward to replenish the Sea of Galilee and strengthen regional supply. The company is also politically and legally controversial. Human-rights organizations and international bodies have criticized Mekorot’s role in water allocation and infrastructure management in the West Bank and Gaza, arguing that Israeli settlements receive more reliable or preferential access than Palestinian communities. Mekorot and Israel operate within a system shaped by military control, Israeli regulation, and the Oslo-era water arrangements, making the company part of wider disputes over sovereignty, permits, infrastructure, pricing, and equitable access. During the Gaza war, reports that supply lines serving Gaza were periodically shut down intensified scrutiny of Mekorot’s role and the humanitarian consequences of interruptions. These claims concern public policy and the conduct of a state-linked utility rather than a conventional corporate product scandal.

Mekorot was created on 15 February 1937 under the Hebrew name Hevrat ha-Mayim, meaning “Water Company.” Its founders were Levi Eshkol, Simcha Blass, and Pinchas Sapir. The organization emerged from the need to develop dependable water infrastructure for a growing population, agricultural settlement, and industrial activity in a territory where water resources were unevenly distributed and seasonal scarcity was a persistent constraint. Over subsequent decades, Mekorot became a central institution in the development of Israel’s water system. Its work included drilling wells, developing regional supply systems, constructing reservoirs, and linking disparate sources and local networks. The National Water Carrier became the company’s defining infrastructure project. Running broadly from the Sea of Galilee toward central and southern Israel, the carrier enabled water to be moved between regions and supported settlement, agriculture, and urban growth. The Yarkon-Negev system and other regional works were incorporated into the broader national network. Mekorot’s responsibilities expanded from water conveyance to the management of a mixed and increasingly sophisticated portfolio of sources. These include the Sea of Galilee, groundwater aquifers, boreholes, surface water, desalinated seawater, brackish water, and treated wastewater. This diversification became especially important as drought, population growth, agricultural demand, and climate pressure reduced the reliability of relying on any single source. The company developed treatment facilities, reservoirs, laboratories, pumping stations, and monitoring systems to regulate quality and continuity. In 1982, water infrastructure in the West Bank that had been controlled by the Israeli military was transferred to Mekorot. The company subsequently operated wells and distribution infrastructure in the West Bank, particularly in and around the Jordan Valley, while Palestinian access remained governed by Israeli authorities and the water arrangements created by the Oslo process. The company’s role has been repeatedly challenged by Palestinian representatives, human-rights organizations, and international observers. Critics argue that the system gives Israeli settlements more secure access to water and places Palestinian supply under restrictive permits and purchasing arrangements. These allegations form part of the broader political dispute over the status of the occupied territories and are not resolved by Mekorot’s identity as a utility operator. A major modernization phase, often described as the New National Water Carrier, took place from 2004 to 2015. The system was redesigned to move water in multiple directions and to integrate coastal desalination plants with the older northern-to-southern model. In 2004, Mekorot also established WaTech, an innovation centre intended to connect the company with start-ups, academic researchers, investors, and technology suppliers. WaTech allowed new technologies to be tested in operational settings and helped turn Mekorot’s infrastructure into a demonstration platform for water innovation. Mekorot strengthened its quality-control infrastructure during the 2000s. A principal filtration plant at Eshkol was developed to improve water entering the National Water Carrier from the Sea of Galilee, while a national laboratory supported testing and monitoring. The company has also expanded desalination and water reuse. Its wastewater facilities provide a major source of agricultural water, and its well network supports production from aquifers across Israel. Digital transformation has increasingly covered both information technology and operational technology, including remote monitoring, cybersecurity, automation, and data-driven management. The company’s international activity grew alongside Israel’s reputation in desalination, reuse, irrigation, and water-system management. In 2021, following the Abraham Accords, Mekorot signed a development contract with Bahrain and completed work associated with increased supply to Jordan. In 2022 it signed an agreement concerning Azerbaijan’s water economy. It has since reported cooperation or agreements involving additional countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. These activities range from engineering and advisory work to technology collaboration and development support. Domestic infrastructure milestones continued with the inauguration of a fifth water-supply system for Jerusalem in 2022. In 2023, a flow-reversal project for the National Water Carrier enabled surplus desalinated water to be sent northward, supporting northern communities, replenishing the Sea of Galilee, and helping meet water commitments involving Jordan. Mekorot remains a state-owned national utility whose importance extends beyond commercial branding: it is a central component of Israel’s water security, agricultural economy, public health infrastructure, and international water diplomacy.

• 2023

  National Carrier flow-reversal project launches

  [1]Mekoroten.wikipedia.org

  The project enables surplus desalinated water to move toward northern Israel, including the Sea of Galilee, while supporting regional commitments.

• 2022

  Fifth Jerusalem water-supply system opens

  [1]Mekoroten.wikipedia.org

  A fifth system is inaugurated to increase supply to Jerusalem and nearby communities and accommodate future demand.

• 2021

  Bahrain development contract

  [1]Mekoroten.wikipedia.org

  Mekorot signs a water-development contract in Bahrain, expanding its post-Abraham Accords international activity.

• 2019

  Mekorot issues tradable bonds

  [1]Mekoroten.wikipedia.org

  The company raises capital through its first issuance of tradable bonds on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange while retaining its state-owned utility status.

• 2015

  New National Water Carrier programme reaches completion

  [1]Mekoroten.wikipedia.org

  The major modernization phase for integrating desalination and national conveyance infrastructure is completed.

• 2007

  Eshkol national filtration plant is launched

  [1]Mekoroten.wikipedia.org

  Mekorot launches a major filtration facility to improve water from the Sea of Galilee before it enters the national carrier system.

• 2004

  WaTech innovation centre is founded

  [1]Mekoroten.wikipedia.org

  Mekorot establishes WaTech to develop partnerships with technology companies, researchers, investors, and entrepreneurs.

• 2004

  New National Water Carrier programme begins

  [1]Mekoroten.wikipedia.org

  A modernization programme begins to create a more flexible national network capable of moving desalinated water in multiple directions.

• 1982

  West Bank infrastructure is transferred to Mekorot

  [1]Mekoroten.wikipedia.org

  Water infrastructure in the West Bank previously controlled by the Israeli military is transferred to Mekorot.

• 1937

  Mekorot is established

  [1]Mekoroten.wikipedia.org

  Mekorot is founded on 15 February as Hevrat ha-Mayim by Levi Eshkol, Simcha Blass, and Pinchas Sapir.

A state-linked national water utility positioned around integrated water-resource management, infrastructure resilience, advanced treatment, desalination, reuse, and exportable Israeli water expertise.

• Water transmission infrastructure

  National Water Carrier

  Mekorot’s principal national conveyance system links northern, central, and southern parts of Israel. Originally associated with moving Sea of Galilee water toward the Negev, it has been expanded and reconfigured to integrate coastal desalination, bidirectional transfers, reservoirs, and regional supply systems. It is a strategic infrastructure platform rather than a consumer-facing product.

• Water treatment · 2007

  Water treatment and filtration

  Mekorot operates filtration, laboratory, and quality-control facilities designed to treat raw water before distribution. The Eshkol filtration plant is particularly associated with improving water from the Sea of Galilee. Treatment operations support drinking-water standards, reduce reliance on chemical disinfection where possible, and help manage changing source-water conditions.

• Desalination

  Desalination services

  The company operates and supports desalination infrastructure using seawater and brackish water. Desalinated supplies are integrated with conventional sources and can be transferred through the national network. This portfolio helps Israel respond to drought and demand growth while allowing stored freshwater sources such as the Sea of Galilee and aquifers to be managed more strategically.

• Water recycling

  Wastewater reuse

  Mekorot operates wastewater-treatment and reuse facilities that produce water for agriculture and other non-potable applications. Reuse reduces pressure on drinking-water resources and forms an important part of Israel’s integrated water model. The company combines treatment, distribution, monitoring, and resource planning to match reclaimed water with suitable end uses.

• Water technology innovation · 2004

  WaTech

  WaTech is Mekorot’s technology entrepreneurship and collaboration platform. It works with start-ups, mature technology companies, academia, investors, and public-sector partners. Mekorot can serve as an alpha, beta, or demonstration site, allowing technologies to be tested against operational water-system requirements before wider deployment or export.

• Allegations of unequal water access in the West Bank

  Human-rights organizations and international bodies have criticized Mekorot’s role in West Bank water infrastructure, alleging that Israeli settlements receive preferential access while Palestinian communities face restrictions, permit requirements, shortages, and dependence on purchased water. The issue is embedded in the wider legal and political dispute over occupation, the Oslo water arrangements, and control of natural resources.

  Source

• Water-supply interruptions affecting Gaza

  During the Gaza war, reports that Mekorot lines supplying a substantial share of Gaza’s drinking water were periodically shut down generated criticism over the humanitarian consequences of interruptions to essential infrastructure. The allegations concern the company’s position within Israel’s state-controlled water system and the broader conduct of the conflict.

  Source

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• 2023

  Reverse National Carrier flowsGeneration change

  Background

  Expanded desalination capacity created the possibility of sending surplus treated water northward rather than relying only on the historic north-to-south pattern.

  Action taken

  Mekorot launched a flow-reversal project to deliver desalinated water to northern communities and the Sea of Galilee.

  Aftermath

  The project increased flexibility in national water allocation and supported regional supply and replenishment objectives.

  Source

• 2004

  Create the WaTech innovation centreStrategy

  Background

  Water scarcity, infrastructure complexity, and the emergence of Israeli water technology created a need for structured collaboration with innovators outside the traditional utility.

  Action taken

  Mekorot established WaTech to work with start-ups, universities, investors, and established companies and to test technologies in operational environments.

  Aftermath

  The programme became a channel for water-technology experimentation, commercialization, and international cooperation.

  Source

• 2004

  Modernize the National Water CarrierGeneration change

  Background

  Israel needed a national system capable of combining traditional freshwater sources with rapidly expanding coastal desalination capacity.

  Action taken

  Mekorot undertook the New National Water Carrier programme, including infrastructure that could move water in multiple directions.

  Aftermath

  The modernized network improved integration between desalination plants, northern reservoirs, and regional supply systems.

  Source

1. 1Mekoroten.wikipedia.org
2. 2Mekorot Internationalmekorot-int.com