Palestinian and Israeli Cooperation in the Water Sector in the West Bank RUNNING to STAND STILL?
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Palestinian and Israeli Cooperation in the Water Sector in the West Bank RUNNING TO STAND STILL? Rory Carnegie September 2015 This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfilment of the Master of Arts Degree in Development and Emergency Practice, Oxford Brookes University 1 Abstract Climate predictions for the Jordan River Basin, over the 21st Century, are that warming will be larger than global annual mean warming. Precipitation rates are likely to fall and a tendency for more extreme weather, including heat waves, will add to the existing challenge of water scarcity. Projected population growth in the region will add to demand on the resource. Since the Oslo II Accords of 1995, the water of the West Bank has been shared out by a cooperative Palestinian/Israeli structure called the Joint Water Committee, despite subsequent conflicts and disputes over allocations, It was thought that this cooperative model might lead to other forms of cooperation and from there to a lasting peace settlement between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Consequently cooperation as a policy has been adopted by the donor community on which so many in this region are dependent. This study looks at how cooperation in the water sector in the West Bank has many different interpretations and what the impacts of that cooperation are on the dynamics of power. It looks both at the tangible gains and losses of cooperation but also about how cooperation makes people feel. Analysis suggests that there are improved perceptions of common humanity, gains in the form of a preserved environment, shared expertise and education and short term financial benefits. However analysis also suggests that Palestinians feel obligated to cooperate, bound by donor stipulations and Israeli coercion with few viable alternatives. The restrictions and limits imposed by the Joint Water Committee suggest that the balance of power within this institution favour Israeli ambitions in the West Bank. This study concludes that cooperation in the water sector sustains the political status quo, in which the Israeli remains a dominative hegemon, thus limiting the opportunities for peace building. 2 Statement of Originality: This thesis is the result of my own independent work/investigation, except where otherwise stated. Other sources are acknowledged by explicit references. Signed ……………………(candidate) Date ……………….. I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations. Signed ……………………(candidate) Date ……………….. Statement of Ethics Review Approval This dissertation involved human participants. A form TDE E1 for each group of participants, showing ethics review approval, has been attached to this dissertation as an appendix. 3 Acknowledgements This dissertation would not have been possible without the help of a large number of people. I would like to thank my supervisor, Richard Carver, for his guidance, encouragement, advice and good humour. In those moments when things were not going ‘according to plan’, his support was invaluable. Thank you to Brigitte Piquard , who led my first research trip to the West Bank , and has since given me great advice when planning. Thank you to all the other CENDEP staff who have taught and supported me. Thank you to Thomas Koenig , Aaard Hartveld, Mohammed Obidallah, Clive Lipchin and Hamed Quwasmeh who all gave up their time to help me with my research. They are all convinced that the shawarma in their respective local eaterie is the best in the West Bank. Thank you to my DEP friends especially Thomas Banks and Melissa Stockdale who were always there with advice and support. Thank you to my family, Miranda, Cloudy, Sholto and Lorcan for love and advice. Most importantly, thank you to all those who took time out of their busy schedules to participate in interviews and discussions, whose knowledge and experiences enhanced this research. 4 Acronyms EQA Environmental Equality Authority GDP Gross Domestic Product IDF Israeli Defence Force IPCC International Panel on Climate Change JWC Joint Water Committee MCM/y Million Cubic Metres per year NGO Non Governmental Organisation NIS New Israeli Shekel oPT Occupied Palestinian Territory PA Palestinian Authority PWEG Palestinian Wastewater Engineers Group PWA Palestinian Water Authority UNDP United Nations Development Programme 5 Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................... 2 Statement of Originality: .......................................................................................................................... 3 Statement of Ethics Review Approval ..................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................. 4 Acronyms ................................................................................................................................................. 5 Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................... 6 List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................... 7 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 8 BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................................... 11 Part 1. Water Scarcity ........................................................................................................................ 11 The area of study- Physical Geography ........................................................................................ 12 ‘A Population Race’ ...................................................................................................................... 14 ‘Make the desert bloom’- Cultural Attitudes ................................................................................ 14 Water; Today and Tomorrow- Climate Predictions ...................................................................... 15 Coping with Water Scarcity in the West Bank ............................................................................. 17 Part 2. Background to Institutional Context ...................................................................................... 17 Institutional Water Cooperation/Oslo II Accords ......................................................................... 18 LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................................................... 22 Part 1.The Practical Dimension ......................................................................................................... 22 Three Definitions of Cooperation ................................................................................................. 23 JWC Records and Action .............................................................................................................. 24 Palestinian Compliance with Cooperation .................................................................................... 25 Hydro Hegemony Theory ............................................................................................................. 28 Joint Gains of Cooperation? .......................................................................................................... 29 Part 2.The Social and Psychological Dimension ............................................................................... 30 Socio-Psychological Conflict: Theories and Models .................................................................... 31 Inter Group Conflict Reduction Models ....................................................................................... 32 Contact Theory .............................................................................................................................. 32 Critics of ‘Contact’ ........................................................................................................................ 33 Peace and Social Change .............................................................................................................. 34 RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT and METHODOLOGY ..................................................................... 36 Research Questions ....................................................................................................................... 36 Partnership: Approach; Positives and Negatives .......................................................................... 37 Data Collection ............................................................................................................................. 38 Limitations .................................................................................................................................... 39 RESEARCH FINDINGS and ANALYSIS ............................................................................................ 41 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 41 Key Findings