Control, Allocation and Consumption of Water Resources in the Jordan Basin: The Struggle over a Scarce and Vital Resource in the Context of the Middle East Conflict

Military clashes at the Israeli-Syrian border, which were caused by disputes over the consumption of water in the Jordan Basin, preceded the 1967 Six-Day or June War whose outcome has significantly shaped the conflictual configuration in the Middle East. Part of the territorial dispute in the Middle East is due to the struggle over the scarce water resources in the Jordan River. Whatever the issue is — whether it is the powers of the Palestinian Authority and its borders, the Jewish settlements in the West Bank or the capacity of a future Palestinian state to give a home to returning refugees — the question of the control over water resources is always part of the equation. Moreover, it transcends the bilateral relationship between Israel and the Palestinians and involves most of Israel’s neighbouring states, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, as well as Iraq and Turkey, which are also affected by the hydrological dilemmas of the Jordan region albeit indirectly.