The Role of Water in Middle Eastern Politics

Mahmud Abbas Says Israel is Causing Water Shortage for Palestinians

Apr 12, 2009 Neil Gunn

Recent pollution of the Yarmouk River with oil waste and sewage has again brought the problem of chronic water shortage in the Middle East into sharp focus.

Because rivers, and aquifers run across national borders, disputes over water in the Middle East have been a historic problem, particularly for the states of Israel, Syria, Lebanon and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Even before the modern Middle East took shape, there were plenty of examples throughout the region of the value of water. The Nabateans for example were renowned for the building of a network of cisterns and underground reservoirs. The magnificent Petra is an example of what could be achieved.

Treaty of Peace Between Israel and Jordan

“Neither local or regional politics can be understood anywhere in the region… without reference to water” (Lonergan and Brooks 1994). In recognition of this hydrological imperative, the 1994 Treaty of Peace (article 6) between Israel and Jordan was written: “With a view to achieving a comprehensive and lasting settlement of all the water problems between them.”

It continued: “The parties agree mutually to recognise the rightful allocations of both of them in Jordan River and Yarmouk River Waters and Araba/Arava ground water in accordance with the agreed acceptable principles, quantities and quality as set out in Annex II, which shall be fully respected and complied with.”

The Role of Water in the Middle East

In the 21st century the role of water in the Middle East remains inextricably linked to politics, an immensely complex issue, one which continues to be the cause of bitter argument between nations.

While no country has specifically cited water as a reason for it going to war, there have been many threats. In 2002 for example, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned the Lebanese that their plans to divert water from a river feeding Israel’s largest reservoir could provoke a war.

The Jordan River, although now very polluted in parts, remains an essential source of freshwater in the region. Rising in the Great Rift Valley it eventually flows into the Dead Sea where there is no outlet. It forms part of the Israel, Jordan and West Bank border. The river and its tributaries: the Hasbani, Yarmouk, Dan and Banias are central to the H2O equation.

The Banias and Dan both rise at the foot of Mount Hermon, which forms part of the Lebanon Syria border. However since the Arab Israeli war of 1967 part of Mount Hermon’s southern and western slopes have been part of the Israeli occupied Golan Heights.

While these rivers flow into the River Jordan, other seasonal waters from the Heights flow, some through Jordan (country), directly into Israel’s Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) and provide a large proportion of its fresh water.

Red Sea Dead Sea Tunnel

Water is rarely out of the headlines in the Middle East, the Jordan Times recently carried an article (10 April 2009), which examined plans to link the Red Sea with the Dead Sea via a tunnel, which would run through the Jordanian desert from Aqaba.

It’s not a new proposal; as far back as the 1880’s British engineers discussed the possibilities of a tunnel and over the years since then governments have frequently re-opened the debate.

The cooperation between Israel and Jordan has been encouraging but at the recent World Water Forum in Istanbul, Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas demanded that water problems must be solved accusing Israel of forcing Palestinians to live in chronic water scarcity.

However until other historic disputes, particularly between Israel and Syria, are resolved many people in the Middle East will continue to be thirsty.

Sources:

Stephen C Lonergan, David B Brooks Watershed: The Role of Fresh Water in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Published by International Development Research Centre (IDRC) 1994

A Firas, Jordan River Research Project 2007

Jewish Virtual Library Golan Heights: Geography, Geology and History, originally sourced from the Israeli Government Press Office

The Treaty of Peace Between the State of Israel and Jordan, Article 6

BBC, Israel warns of war over water, 10 September 2002

The copyright of the article The Role of Water in Middle Eastern Politics in Middle Eastern History is owned by Neil Gunn. Permission to republish The Role of Water in Middle Eastern Politics in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Lake Kinneret israel

Jordan River