This paper looks at the role played by water in the context of the Palestinian Territories. In the course of the ongoing dispute between Palestinians and Israelis, negotiations over a political settlement focus at large on five main issues: refugees, Israeli settlers, defining the borders, the final status of Jerusalem, and water. While the first four issues have taken a relatively prominent role in the public debate, the fifth one has often been sidelined in favour of more emotional and ′obvious′ topics. This is however not to say that water would not play a crucial role in finding a peaceful political solution to the ongoing dispute.
In fact, as we will show, the regional water scarcity and related problems pose outwardly intractable problems going hand in hand with ideological and geographical disputes in a wider matrix of conflicting riparians of the Jordan River basin. We will further show that water has the ability to act both as an aggravator to conflict and as a solution to hostility and mistrust and can in fact be part for a first step towards a solution to the entire regional conflict.
However, while water clearly is a regional issue, we will, in order to keep this work concise, concentrate on the geographical region of Palestine, illustrating the interrelationship between ecology and security in the context of the ongoing conflict.
Table of Contents
Introduction
I. On the regional importance of water
II. On how water contributes to conflict
III. On how water can contribute to peace
Conclusion
Objectives and Core Topics
This paper examines the strategic role of water resources within the Palestinian Territories, specifically analyzing how water scarcity and control mechanisms impact the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its potential for resolution.
- The intersection of regional water scarcity and ecological security.
- Historical and military factors contributing to water-related conflicts.
- Analysis of power dynamics, dependency, and the role of the West Bank barrier.
- Potential pathways for peace through cooperative water management and depoliticization.
Excerpt from the Book
II. On how water contributes to conflict
Conflict over water is dating back to the Paris peace conference in 1919 when Zionist lobbyists pressed for the sources of the Jordan to fall within the British rather than the French mandate in the hope of incorporating this important freshwater source into a future Jewish state. Until nowadays, water has continued being a contested issue between the communities. Following the establishment of Israel in 1948, water became a conflict-ridden strategic issue as Israel achieved a hegemonic position over the regional water resources in military terms. Without taking outright physical control over much of the regional groundwater supplies, Israel gained de-facto control through extensive exploitation. Already in the 1950’s, between one-quarter and one-third of Israeli water consumption originated from the western portion of the West Bank through extraction of water from the Eastern aquifer.
In a bid to stipulate agriculture in the dry south, the Israeli national water carrier Mekorot began in 1958 to divert water from the Jordan towards the Negev, prompting the Arab side to build dams blocking the rivers major tributaries and threatening to reduce Israel's water extraction by as much as thirty-five percent. Such ongoing disputes over water rights continuously caused tensions, prompting armed clashes and playing a significant part in the descent to war in 1967. While water was not the main cause of the war, it has been the subject of fierce escalation and quickly became a major military objective. Consequently, as a result of the war, Israel captured the headwaters of the Jordan, securing the greatest part of regional surface waters and physical control over the Eastern aquifer.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the significance of water as a critical, yet often sidelined, issue in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, setting the stage for an analysis of how ecology intersects with regional security.
I. On the regional importance of water: Details the hydrological characteristics of geographic Palestine, emphasizing the region's limited freshwater resources and the crisis induced by overexploitation and population growth.
II. On how water contributes to conflict: Explores the historical trajectory of water as a strategic tool of control and military objective, highlighting how Israel’s policies have created a dependency that fuels Palestinian resentment.
III. On how water can contribute to peace: Argues that technical cooperation in water management could serve as a "trickle-up" mechanism for broader political peace, provided the issue is depoliticized.
Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, asserting that while water is a central battleground, it also offers a viable entry point for building cooperation and sustainable regional stability.
Keywords
Water scarcity, Jordan River basin, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, West Bank, Aquifers, Hydropolitics, Occupation policies, Resource dependency, Separation barrier, Conflict resolution, Regional cooperation, Virtual water, Sustainable development, Water management, Depoliticization.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research?
The work focuses on the role of water as a critical natural resource in the Palestinian Territories and its impact on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, both as an obstacle to peace and a potential avenue for cooperation.
Which thematic areas are covered in the book?
The book covers the regional geography of water, the history of water-based conflicts, the strategic manipulation of water as a means of occupation, and innovative strategies for joint resource management.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to illustrate the interrelationship between ecology and security, arguing that addressing water issues is essential for achieving a viable two-state solution and ending Palestinian dependency.
What methodology is used in the study?
The study utilizes a socio-political analysis of water management, referencing historical data, diplomatic events, and reports from regional water commissions to explain the power imbalances in the region.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body examines the overexploitation of aquifers, the impact of Israeli military regulations on Palestinian access, the role of the separation barrier in water control, and the potential of technical "low-politics" agreements.
How would you characterize this work?
It is an analytical study on hydropolitics, characterizing the struggle over water as a fundamental driver of regional tension that requires depoliticization to facilitate progress toward peace.
How does the construction of the separation barrier affect water resources?
The study explains that the route of the barrier is designed to allow Israel to drill deeper into Palestinian territories, enabling effective long-term control over both the Eastern and Western aquifers.
What role does "virtual water" play in the author's argument?
The author suggests that importing grain, or "virtual water," could allow the region to reduce its reliance on local freshwater for agriculture, thereby freeing up resources for other sectors.
Can technical cooperation overcome the current political impasse?
The author suggests that while technical cooperation alone cannot solve the entire conflict, it serves as a critical first step to build mutual trust and force parties to cooperate on essential survival needs.
- Quote paper
- M.A. Florian Heyden (Author), 2006, On water, statehood and interdependence - Is water an obstacle to peace between Israelis and Palestinians?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/58281
