Water, Israel and the Palestinian Authority: the Next Explosion?

American President Obama’s outreach to the Middle East and the Arab world at large could not have come at a better point. As tensions ratchet over Iran and its pursuit of nuclear weapons and the ever-simmering conflict between Israel and Hamas, the World Bank recently released a report criticizing the water-sharing regime between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. While the report’s release is not a bombshell, it does serve to highlight how conflicts and competition over natural resources will only contribute to regional tensions.

As the Middle East suffers through a significant water shortage, water sharing regimes throughout the region are coming under increasing pressure. And the governance of water resources in Israel proper as well as between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is no different. Competition over water rights and water consumption has already been a source of contention in the region (witness the water disputes between Turkey, Syria and Iraq). Adding it to the combustible mix of emotion, religion, and land rights that exists between Israel and the Palestinian Authority will only add fuel to the fire.

As per the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority shares responsibility over water with Israel. This model however was predicated on the development of other Palestinian institutions in parallel, eventually resulting in the Palestinian Authority not needing to rely on Israel to help it develop, maintain, and manage its water resources. This has not been the case though, as with so much of this framework agreement, much has not been implemented. According to Pier Francesco Mantovani, the World Bank’s lead water supply and sanitation specialist for the Middle East and North Africa, Israel has restricted the development of Palestinian institutions (including its water sector) as a result of political and security considerations.

When combined with governance and capacity weaknesses in Palestinian institutions, these rules and restrictions have resulted in an underdeveloped Palestinian water sector. Even though the PA and many donors have invested in establishing a sustainable and equitable water sector, access to water resources, water infrastructure and institutions remain inadequate. The sector continues to operate in a very inefficient emergency mode, with far reaching economic, social and environmental consequences.

As the region continues to dry out, continuing competition over a scarce resource will increase, leading to further tensions in an already fragile geopolitical arena.

Image: CC licensed by flickr user laszlo photo

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