National Mobilization Called to Reject Water Agreement Between Chihuahua and Israel

Civil organizations and various collectives from at least 14 Mexican states have called for a national march on August 1 to protest a water cooperation agreement between Chihuahua's Central Water and Sanitation Board (JCAS) and Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The mobilization, dubbed the “peaceful anti-Israel march” or “march in defense of water,” will occur simultaneously in multiple cities, including Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez, and Mexico City.

• Protesters demand the cancellation of the agreement, an end to the Israeli offensive in Gaza and the West Bank, and rejection of water privatization.
• The agreement, signed on February 23, 2023, and effective until 2027, is criticized for allegedly benefiting private Israeli companies and for not being registered with Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation, which some groups claim violates the Law on the Conclusion of Treaties.
• Chihuahua Governor María Eugenia Campos Galván's administration maintains the agreement aims to exchange knowledge and technologies for water system management in crisis situations.
• JCAS director Mario Mata Carrasco stated the agreement is legal, a technical cooperation mechanism to share experiences, and does not grant rights, concessions, or control over the state’s water, nor does it create legally binding obligations or benefits.