The Israeli Water Policy and its Consequence in the West Bank (A study in Political Geography)

Water resources are considered as of the most important natural resources, and most vitality, what for it has a significant importance in social and economic development in any human society any time and in any place. So, water and the domination on its resources have been the origin of struggle between countries and people for a long time. Palestine is situated in scope of arid and semi-arid area in the climatic respect, where the declination of rainfall amounts, and the limitation of water resources in it, which caused the increase of the strategical importance of water in the area in general. The west bank with its natural resources and geographic location is importance to Israel, where it is considered a strategic water reservoir to Israel. Since the occupation of West Bank in 1967, Israel has aimed at the domination on its water resources by constructing settlements upon the ground water aquifers sites, and issuing laws and military orders to limit the Palestinian exploitation of water, which reflected on the development of the Palestinian lands. AS the population increases, the demand of water increases as well with the limitation of resources. This will surely aggravates water crisis in the very near future, especially, Israel seeks to carry out its water security through expansion and occupation. Chapter one in the study includes the morphology of the research and its method, while chapter two has discussed the geographic and hydrologic characteristics of the study area, including water resources, and geographic distribution of ground water aquifers in the West Bank. Chapter three has been specified to study the Israeli political thoughts concerning water, including Israeli water strategy in the West Bank, water projects and plans, and the Israeli avidity in the water of Arab neighboring. Chapter four, has focused on settlement as one of the most important means to dominate the land and its resources, Also studying the settlement projects in the West Bank after the year 1967, and water general budget. Chapter five deals with the future of water status in the West Bank in the light of Israeli water policy, and the Arab Israeli peaceful negotiation concerning water. Finally, chapter six provides recommendations and results of this study.