The modern conflict between Israel and its Muslim (mainly Arab) neighbours has developed from the rise of Zionism and Arab nationalism towards the end of the 19th Century. The territory of Israel is considered by the Jewish people as their historic homeland, whilst also being regarded as belonging to the Palestinian Arabs by the Pan-Arab movement.
The Pan-Islamic movement regards the lands as Muslim. As a consequence, Israel is surrounded by states it considers to be its enemies, with Egypt and Jordan being the only neighbouring countries maintaining full diplomatic ties.
As Arabs, Palestinians are also suspect as enemies of Israel. They occupied the land now comprising the state of Israel from the dispersal of the Jews by the Romans in the year 70 CE, until the founding of Israel by war in 1948
The Problem of Water as a Resource
Water in the Middle East is an important resource due to its scarcity in the area. Israel suffers from being in the midst of the most stressed river basin in the Middle East, and analysts have placed it in a category of ‘extreme risk’ of future water shortage. In the West Bank, water works are not as complete as in the rest of Israel and there is a reliance on springs.
10-14% of the Palestinian economy is made up of the agriculture sector compared 3% of Israel’s. However, 90% of the Palestinian crop relies on rain, whilst Israel irrigates 50% of its land due to its control over the water ways.
The lack of access means that Palestinians are not only struggling to maintain its crop, but also the basic needs for maintaining living standards. Within the West Bank, quotas are set as to how much water can be drawn by Palestinians from springs; however, no such pressure is put on Israeli settlements.
Historical Review
David Brooks &Julie Trottier in a journal of Hydrology published in 2010, states that Water in the land that is now designated as Israel and the West Bank and Gaza Strip did not become the object of international negotiations until the 20th century. When it did, the focus was always on water quantity, and always in terms of dividing an apparently fixed quantity of water.
Colonial partitioning of the territory of the Ottoman Empire first divided the Jordan basin when it created the French mandate over Syria and Lebanon in the north and the British mandate over Palestine in the south.
The British further partitioned the basin when they separated Transjordan (east of the Jordan River) from the rest of its mandate (west of the Jordan River). Once independent states emerged, they rapidly engaged in negotiations over the surface water resources of their basin. Eric Johnston, the special envoy of US President Eisenhower, literally went from capital to capital in the area during the 1950s, bargaining for quantities of surface water from the Jordan Basin to be attributed to each of Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Jordan, which included the West Bank at the time (Lonergan and Brooks, 1994).
The result of his efforts, the Johnston Plan, was never ratified by the riparian states for overtly political reasons. However, the plan and the quantities it allocated each riparian state were respected by all the basin states until the war of 1967 (Lonergan and Brooks, 1994) (Hillel, 1994).
After the end 1967 war, Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and proceeded to issue military orders concerning water. (Trottier, 1999)
Israel annexed the Golan Heights and her military took control of the water, however, it never engaged in other sources of water though it did introduce quota to the wells that capped their extraction volume to that which was first measured after the beginning of the occupation (Trottier, 1999 and Trottier, 2007).
Water as a source of Conflict
Israel controls the greater part of the river basin and the west bank aquifers. This it has managed out of its control of the west bank, As a result it allocates huge supplies of water at the expense of Palestine, going against the 1993 Oslo Peace Accord which stated that the Palestine should have more water resources and greater control.
The problem of water shortage in this part of the world and the continuous control of water by Israel at the expense of Palestine has fuelled the Israel/Palestine conflict even further causing a greater divide. The Israeli government has effectively been appropriating water resources that belong to the Palestinians under international law, for their own usage. (Brooks et al, 2010)
Some believe that the Israel is using its power and control of water to frustrate The Palestinians, that they use it as a strategic move to force out the remaining Palestinian occupants of the west bank and Gaza as opposed to using military means.
The First Water War
In January of 1964 and in September of the same year, there were two Arab League summits convened to deal with an emerging water problem orchestrated by Israel against Palestine, They (Arab states) were angered by Israelis breach of International law and considered Israel’s water diversion as aimed at mistreating the Palestine. This gave rise to Arab Nationalism and the issue of water became an obstacle to peace. (Brooks et al, 2010)
Israel was diverting water from the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River, the Arabs didn’t take it kindly, they considered it a way to exert control over the Palestine. As a result the summit of 1964 expressed the discontent among the members. The summit concluded that Israel’s illegal diversion of Jordan’s water must be halted (Avraham,2002)
As water became a major source of concern, War with Israel was inevitable. The war was to protect the Jordan’s water as well as to safeguard the survival of Palestinians. However, the war as it would be it would be was detrimental to them. (Brooks et al, 2010).
The Arab summits resulted in creation of a governmental authority to establish order in Palestine by resisting Israeli occupation. The Palestinian Liberation Authority (PLO) was formed and obligated with reclaiming its rightful water resources.
The Oslo Process
According to the Oslo Accord 193, an attempt aimed at setting up a framework that would lead to the resolution of the ongoing Israeli’Palestinian conflict. It was the first face-to-face agreement between the government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
It was a mediated engagement between the PLO and Israel held in Norway to discuss among the many issues at hand, the fresh water resources in the Middle East. The mediations proposed in the agreement ‘equitable utilization of joint water resources’ for both the Israelis and the Palestinians. Unfortunately, little has been accomplished although the Oslo process is still a basis for further negotiations.
Perhaps, the Israelis fear that if they allow the Palestinians to drill into their own aquifers, the resources will deplete rapidly and possibly require additional desalination processes. This is something from a realist perspective that they would not allow to occur for it threatened their own survival.
Oslo II (1995)
The Oslo II agreed on creation of a Joint Water Commission (JWC) in the West Bank to oversee Palestinian drilling of new wells. However, these concessions were minimal in that they only allowed for drilling to take place in the Eastern Aquifer, one that had not fully been exploited. The Western Aquifer, that knowingly held a great deal of fresh water, was to remain untouched by the Palestinians. No concessions were granted to the Palestinians for access to the Jordan River flow-though and this remained an object of discontent. Nonetheless, Israel appeared to be offering Palestinians at least a chance of receiving new fresh water resources. Palestinians were still by no means content with the results of this negotiation. (Brooks et al, 2010) and (Oslo II Accord 1995)
International Law and Israeli Water Politics.
According to the Fourth Geneva Convention Israel must adequately provide the Occupied Territories with sufficient quality and quantity of water resources. However Israel continues to disregard the convention.
The UN through the Security Council briefings have deemed the Israeli treatment of the Palestinians, and more specifically the limited access they have been granted to fresh water resources, to be violations of various international laws and conventions.
The convention further prevents the use of the occupied territories’ water supplies for the occupying country’s own citizens. The Israeli settlers in the West Bank are obviously doing this.
The Geneva Convention prohibits the discrimination of a population under occupation from access to adequate fresh water resources. Sadly, the Palestinians are being denied the right as is envisioned under this convention. Article 55, prevents an occupying country from exploiting water resources. The drilling of the Western Mountain Aquifer for use in Tel Aviv is also gross violation of this law.
The International Covenant for Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, signed by Israel, requires the state to provide adequate living conditions (including access to fresh water) to all subjects under its control. Sadly, the Palestinians are denied this right as well.
CONCLUSION
The government of Israel has continued to operate with the intention of preserving the national interest and ensuring state survival, they (Israeli’s) have established a dominant position over the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. This has served to create instability, inequality, and tense relations in the region that effectively perpetuate the Israel/Palestine conflict. It is rather obvious that Israel is too cautious in all matters pertaining to its security and its clear that the government of Israeli has continued to depict itself as ‘realist state, this it has managed by strengthening its position in the Middle East by operating with the intention of preserving the national interest. However, it is important that the UN emphasizes that all nations should be bound by International obligations with respect to International Law.
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