Troubled Waters: Water and the Israeli-Palestinian Dilemma
Abstract
It has been more than 40 years since the Israelis first gained control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. During those years numerous attempts have been made to develop an acceptable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, one which grants the Palestinians a sovereign homeland and offers reasonable assurance of Israeli security. The past 20 years have seen progress towards Palestinian autonomy, most visibly the handing over of the Gaza Strip to Palestinian control, however Israel has continued to maintain a tight rein on the West Bank. Images of terrorist bombings and tires burning in the streets dominate media coverage along with storylines explaining the security reasons for maintaining control over the West Bank. There is, however, a more basic element complicating the issue of an Israeli withdrawal and achieving a two-state solution, an element that does not receive flashy media attention but lies at the core of the conflict nearly as much as guaranteeing security. That complicating element is control over water. Israel receives nearly 100 percent of its consumable water from only three primary sources in the region: Lake Kinneret, the Coastal Aquifer, and the Mountain Aquifer. The issue complicating a Palestinian-Israeli two state solution is that the Mountain Aquifer, the most pristine water source of the three, lies primarily under the West Bank. Israel currently receives more than 30 percent of its freshwater from the Mountain Aquifer which it would have to share with any new Palestinian state. This research project explores the importance of control of the Mountain Aquifer to Israel, its relationship to control of the West Bank, and the impact of current Israeli water control practices on Palestinian development.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA539676
Entities
People
- Brian A. Eherling
Organizations
- Air Command and Staff College