Israel's water balance shows a current deficit of about 41 Mm(3), increasing to 526 Mm(3) in the year 2040. The cost economical means to close the gap is desalination of seawater. Such a program would involve the erection of three large desalination plants - each with a capacity of 100-150 Mm(3) -in the north, center and south of the country. Taking into account demand in Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, the gap would thus be reduced to about 2 Mm(3) by 2040.