ABSTRACT

Water in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is usually portrayed as an international competition between two bodies, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, each attempting to secure as large a quantity of water as possible. This is an oversimplification of a complex situation. It is problematic because it prevents us from understanding the multi-scalar interactions that determine water management in this area and from recognizing the myriad of actors involved in deploying a variety of property regimes concerning water. It prevents us from comprehending the manner in which these overlapping modes of management affect water quality within shared aquifers, which in turn generates problems concerning water quantity, since poor quality limits its uses. More crucially, it prevents us from elaborating an effective proposal for a water agreement between Israel and a future State of Palestine. We must therefore understand both the issue of water in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the history of its narrative to grasp its impact on the progression of the conflict.