-Introduction :

1. -Introduction: • Water is one of the most essential substances, an absolutely indispensable commodity necessary for the survival of human beings. In order for a society to flourish, human beings must be able to have some source upon which they can be dependant.

2. 1) The affects of the scarcity on relations between Israel and Palestine • -Due to the fact that Israel has leverage economically and technologically they are able to maintain control over about 80 of overall water sources • - As a result conflicts in the West Bank will not get any better as their supply remains irregular and expensive • -The construction of the Separation wall has been constructed signifies a loss and restriction the flow of some streams and damage in quality of others • -Overall restriction of water on Israel’s part has led to drastic differences in lifestyles for Palestinian and Israeli citizens

3. Water and Agriculture in Israel in comparison to the West Bank • Limitations on water access are also holding back the development of the Palestinian agriculture, which can be held accountable for the reason their economy, is currently suffering

4. Social Conflicts in Palestinian communities • -The water that the Palestinians are able to obtain is polluted by dirty wells, and water used to irrigate crops manly consists of reused water, which affects hygiene and increases the spread of infectious diseases • - Dehydration due to insufficient water intake leads to health problems such as: diarrhea, and intestinal and digestive tract infections Testimony of Hifa Yunis Abu Munshar, born in 1959, married with eight children, resident of the Jabel Nimra neighborhood, Hebron For the past two months, June and July, we have gotten no water from the taps. Last summer, we had running water once a week, but this year, the situation is impossible. My husband just went to relatives to fill up all our containers, and he will have to haul them up thirty-seven steps to our apartment. I have not washed the dishes since last night. We are a family of ten, and all the dishes, pots, and pans, from yesterday's supper and today's breakfast remain unwashed. I am waiting for my husband to bring water from somewhere. It has been ten days since we last took a shower here. There is not a liter of water in the house for a cup of tea. I sent my daughter to bring some from the neighbors. The main problem has to do with the toilet. After a person uses the toilet, we collect the water used for washing the clothes and the dishes, and pour it into the toilet to flush it. In proper circumstances, when water is flowing through the city's pipes, we fill up the four water tanks on the roof. Each contains 700 liters. I tried to find a way to buy water, but the small tankers do not have a pump and are unable to pump the water to our roof. Those with a pump are large tankers, containing ten cubic meters. Our tanks are too small for that amount. My husband is a clerk at the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs, and makes NIS 1,300 per month. I do not work. My eldest daughter is eighteen and is in high school. We have no other income. I feel that the whole house is dirty.

5. 4) Death of the Dead Sea: • - Symbolic for the Israel and its Jewish inhabitants, there are places mentioned in the Book of Genesis that to this day are located close in proximity to the Dead Sea, marking the location for the new Zionists formation of their refuge land. • -Location of the Masada which is located on the Western Rim of the Dead seas, is a fortress where the Jews hid out from the Romans in 70 AD • -Also the location of the dead seas scrolls • - Loss of medical and health benefit to being immersed in the sea’s salty waters • -Loss of revenue from the benefit of tourism to visitors to the site

6. What Israel will need to do in order to changes? • Alternative resources, or ways of giving the Israeli population an incentive to conserve water by imposing public awareness campaigns on the means of decreasing water consumption • - Importing water from turkey, desalinization processes, of seawater, and increasing the recycling of sewage water • - Sell water at a more reasonable price, and reduce subsides to farmers in order to reduce shortages It is stated that… … All protected persons shall be treated with the same consideration by the Party to the conflict in whose power they are, without any adverse distinction based, in particular, on race, religion or political opinion. • - Legally the Israelis do maintain control over the Jordan River it is then their responsibility to make sure that the water is distributed fairly • - Increasing overall cooperation between the two groups would serve to benefit the situation as a whole.

7. Water disputes on a global scale • -2.6 billion people, half the developing world’s population do not have access to clean, potable water • -In an article by the U.N declares the minimum consumption as 20 liters per day. On average in Europe is 200 liters, in the U.S. 400 liters and for people living in underdeveloped countries is 5 liters

8. Water as the war of the future? • Factors increasing the inevitability of water struggles:-Urbanization along with population growth -As a resources that crosses boundaries, it is hard to manage-Unequal distribution of wealth and resourcesWithout access to secure water sources, human health, hunger and security all become issues in the forefront and become harder to combat, harder to reach the level of industrialized nations.Whose responsibility it is to assure equal distribution?