National Mobilization Called to Reject Water Agreement Between Chihuahua and Israel

ByJesús Estrada

This article by Jesús Estrada originally appeared in the July 16, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

Chihuahua, Chih. Civil organizations and feminist, environmentalist, and Palestine-solidarity collectives from at least 14 states of the country called for a national march next August 1 to protest against the water cooperation agreement signed between the Central Water and Sanitation Board (JCAS) of Chihuahua and Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The mobilization, named the “peaceful anti-Israel march” or “march in defense of water,” will take place simultaneously in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico City, Tijuana, Hermosillo, Tampico, Durango, Aguascalientes, Querétaro, Pachuca, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Tlaxcala, and Mérida.

In the city of Chihuahua, the Feminist Assembly of the State of Chihuahua called on people to gather at the Pancho Villa traffic circle to demand an end to the Israeli offensive in Gaza and the West Bank, the cancellation of the water cooperation agreement, and rejection of an eventual privatization of water.

In Ciudad Juárez, collectives such as Espacio Cultural Fronterizo, 8M Marcha Incluyente, and Defensa del Río Bravo called for a demonstration in the plaza of the Benito Juárez monument.

In the calls circulated by the organizations, it is stated that the agreement benefits private Israeli companies, and they demand transparency, the cancellation of the agreement, and sanctions for the officials involved.

The Cooperation Plan between Mashav-Agency for International Cooperation and Development of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel and the JCAS of Chihuahua was signed on February 23, 2023, and is in effect until 2027.

According to members of the collective Salvemos los Cerros, the agreement was not registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) nor with the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (Amexcid), which, they assert, violates the Law on the Conclusion of Treaties.

For its part, the Chihuahua government, headed by Governor María Eugenia Campos Galván, maintains that the agreement seeks to exchange knowledge and technologies for the design, construction, and maintenance of water systems in crisis situations.

The director of the JCAS, Mario Mata Carrasco, stated that the agreement is legal and clarified that it is a mechanism of technical cooperation to share experiences, without granting rights, concessions, or control over the state’s water. He also assured that the plan does not create legally binding obligations or benefits for the parties involved.