The crisis over water in the Middle East is escalating.
In many ways, water is at the root of the current Arab-Israeli conflict.
Today, Israel's water supplies are dangerously low, and it will have no choice but to accept drastic cuts in water consumption in the very near future.
There is strong reason to suggest that Israel's recent incursion into Palestinian territory had alot to do with securing the state's growing demands for precious (and scarce) water supplies.
In the West Bank and Gaza, Palestinians run local government but Israel controls most of the water resources. In fact, most of the Jewish Settlements in the Occupied Territories have purposely been built over the major water aquifers in the West Bank, and in the Golan, near the Jordan River watershed basin which supplies Israel with roughly 40% of its water.
Palestinians have accused Israel of illegally diverting water away from their towns and cities to keep the Jewish Settlements fully supplied. While the settlers hose down their lawns and fill their swimming pools, Palestinians are forced to manage on half the daily minimum for health and sanitation, as laid down by the World Health Organization.
There is no doubt underground aquifers are steadily being depleted as the demands of the two fast-growing societies rapidly outpaces natural replenishment by rivers and rainfall.
According to Amos Epstein, president of the state-run Israeli Mekorot Water Company, "we are in a situation which is simply catastrophic, there is simply not enough water".
All of Israel's main water sources- the Sea of Galilee, the Coastal Aquifer and the West Bank Mountain Aquifer are dangerously depleted. The West Bank Aquifer currently supplies Israel with a third of its water supply and to Palestinians 80%. The Palestinian daily consumption of water is between 35 to 50 liters per capita, while the daily consumption of the Jewish Settlers is between 280 to 350 liters per capita- a 10 fold difference!
Water's growing importance in the emerging hydropolitics of the Arab-Israeli conflict has provoked the need for a new paradigm in cooperation and co-existence to emerge to safeguard the future supply and long-term sustainability of this diminishing resource.
Let us hope the Israeli's and Palestinians have enough common sense to seize the opportunity this crisis provides so as to construct the pillars of a cooperative, shared, all-inclusive and sustainable water use strategy that subsequently lays the foundation for a true and lasting peace in the region.
Jonas the Prophet
P.O. Box 2902
Santa Fe, New Mexico
87504
USA
Links:
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Prophet's Scroll Down Page
Prophet's Links
SOURCES:
1. BBC World Service News
P.O. Box 76, Bush House
Strand, London, UNITED KINGDOM
WC2B 4PH
European Union
Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk
2. World Water Council
Les Docks de la Joliette
13002 Marseille, FRANCE
European Union
Website: http://www.worldwatercouncil.org
3. Global Water Policy Project
c/o Sandra Postel
107 Larkspur Dr
Amherst, Massachussetts
01102
USA
Website: http://www.worldwatch.org/bios/postel.html
***Book- Pillars of Sand
4. Green Cross International
The Global Water Crisis- by Mikhail Gorbachev
160a, Rte de Florissant
CH- 1231 Geneva
SWITZERLAND
Website: http://www.greencrossinternational.net
5. Global Policy Forum
777 UN Plaza- Suite 76
New York, New York
10017
USA
Website: http://www.globalpolicy.org
6. Applied Research Institute- Jerusalem
Caritas St, P.O. Box 860
Bethlehem, West Bank
PALESTINE
Website: http://www.arij.org
7. International Water Resources Association (IWRA)
Journal- Water International
4535 Faner Hall
Southern Illinois University
Carbondale, Illinois
62901
USA
Website: http://www.iwra.siu.edu
8. Ambio- A Journal of the Human Environment
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Box 50005, S-104 05
Stockholm, SWEDEN
Website: http://www.ambio.kva.se
9. Global Water Crisis
Website: http://www.geocities.com/alquedahq/water.html
