Drinking water resources as a source of the Israeli-Arab conflicts

Abstract

The Jordan river basin is a part of the Middle East which has for centuries been a site of great religious, cultural, political and other upheavals. Bearing in mind that the resources of drinking water in this arid region are naturally limited, and that since 1930s there has been a rapid increase in population, expansion of urban areas, agricultural development and increase in industrial production, along with consequences caused by climate change, it is no wonder that limited resources of drinking water are a stumbling block and a source of tension, conflicts and clashes between countries in the region, i.e. Israel on one side, and the Arab states on the other. The paper especially highlights the geographical situation and the condition of drinking water resources in the basin of the Jordan river; factors and actors that jeopardize the drinking water resources; and conflicts and consequences of Israel's hegemony applied in resolving the division of drinking water resources in this basin.

Basen reke Jordan predstavlja onaj deo Bliskog istoka koji je tokom vekova bio centar velikih religijskih, kulturnih, političkih i drugih previranja. Imajući u vidu da su resursi pijaće vode u ovom aridnom regionu prirodno ograničeni, a da je od 30-ih godina prošlog veka došlo do ubrzanog porasta populacije, širenja urbanih sredina, razvoja poljoprivredne i uvećanja industrijske proizvodnje, uz posledice izazvane klimatskim promenama, nije čudo što ograničeni resursi pijaće vode predstavljaju kamen spoticanja i izvor tenzija, konflikata i sukoba između država u regionu, odnosno Izraela sa jedne strane i arapskih država sa druge. U radu je posebno naglašen geografski položaj i stanje resursa pijaće vode u basenu reke Jordan, faktori i činioci koji ugrožavaju resurse pijaće vode, konflikti i posledice primene hegemonije Izraela u rešavanju podele resursa pijaće vode u ovom basenu.