The scientific community in the Middle East shows some contrasts to the military and political conflicts that are so often the fodder for front-page news. Three examples of teamwork around water issues stand out.

The first is the award-winning clean-up of the Alexander River, which carries raw sewage from the Palestinian towns of Nablus and Tulkarm across the Green Line demarcating the de facto border between Israel and the Palestinian territories on the West Bank. Israeli and Palestinian planners began working together in 1997 and continued through the worst of the Al Aqsa Intifada (2000-05).

The second is a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Israeli/Palestinian research project to assess damage and prepare for eventual restoration of water in the Besor/Khalil watershed in the West Bank. Israeli Jewish, Israeli Arab, and Palestinian scientists are preparing a joint quantitative analysis of water quality and watershed impairment from the river's source in the West Bank highlands to its outlet in the Mediterranean.

Finally, in a project called Good Water Neighbors [1] spearheaded by Friends of the Earth Middle East, Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians are cooperating to share best practices for water conservation. The cooperation of 17 cross-border communities has illustrated how the interdependent nature of water can create the initial trust that provides the basis for cooperative work.

[1] EcoPeace / Friends of the Earth Middle East - Good Water Neighbors

Related news: Middle East : 'science-peace' group to focus on water, Source Weekly, 19 Dec 2005; Middle East: Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian Mayors plunged into Jordan River, Source Weekly, 14 Jul 2005

Contact: Eric Pallant, Dept of Environmental Science, Allegheny College, USA, epallant@allegheny.edu, http://merlin.allegheny.edu/employee/e/epallant/

Source: Pallant, E. (2006). Cooperating over water issues in the Middle East. Science ; 13 Oct 2006. DOI: 10.1126/science.314.5797.251b

Tags: policies & legislation, water quality, water resources management