Socio-political and Environmental Implications of the Israeli-Palestinian Water Conflict
Presentation Type
Oral and/or Visual Presentation
Presenter Major(s)
Sociology, Natural Resource Management
Mentor Information
C. Griffin
Department
Biology
Location
Kirkhof Center 1142
Start Date
10-4-2013 12:00 AM
End Date
10-4-2013 12:00 AM
Keywords
Culture, Environment, Ethics, Health, Human Rights, Religion, Social Class
Abstract
Palestinians have distinctly different water relations from Israelis due to limited participation in environmental policy, the politics of Zionist occupation, and a de facto shortage due to Israeli diversion of the upper Jordan River. I seek to determine if water can be equitably distributed between its stakeholders, posing the question: Is water scarcity a socio-political construction perpetuated by the politics of Israeli rule, or is there truly not enough water to satisfy demand? I will discuss the uses and policies that allow for this depletion as well as the unequal distribution of the Jordan River resources within the divided Israeli state, focusing on the acute disadvantage faced by Palestinians as they consume amounts determined inadequate by international standards. Israel's water crisis will be scrutinized through environmental, historical, and socio-political lenses to determine the forces of conflict and the possibilities for alleviation.
Socio-political and Environmental Implications of the Israeli-Palestinian Water Conflict
Kirkhof Center 1142
Palestinians have distinctly different water relations from Israelis due to limited participation in environmental policy, the politics of Zionist occupation, and a de facto shortage due to Israeli diversion of the upper Jordan River. I seek to determine if water can be equitably distributed between its stakeholders, posing the question: Is water scarcity a socio-political construction perpetuated by the politics of Israeli rule, or is there truly not enough water to satisfy demand? I will discuss the uses and policies that allow for this depletion as well as the unequal distribution of the Jordan River resources within the divided Israeli state, focusing on the acute disadvantage faced by Palestinians as they consume amounts determined inadequate by international standards. Israel's water crisis will be scrutinized through environmental, historical, and socio-political lenses to determine the forces of conflict and the possibilities for alleviation.