The case of Gaza: water scarcity and conflict

Israel/Hamas Standoff Deepens water Wies.

So, no contamination on the Israeli side, but Palestinians live in sewerage? This is reminiscent of a jealous lover who kills their ex using the MO if they can't have them nobody will. As if to say, if they can't have the Gaza Strip no one else will either. These are the kind of conditions that open the door to terrorist activity. Where is the PA?
Who is really pulling the strings here?

There is so much conflict that water, the necessity of life, will soon become another main component for fighting.

Reply to Vierotchka

You wrote above: 'A simple solution with regard to potable drinking water is solar stills. They are relatively simple to make, and there are inflatable ones on the market which are not at all expensive and which should be included in all humanitarian supplies sent to Gaza and other countries where clean drinking water is scarce.''

MY RESPONSE:

Palestinians cannot shop. Israel has denied them basics.....they have no money nor access to such items. These people do not live ordinary lives, and you pretend they can purchase such items.

Propaganda is a polite term.

Brilliant. You are like fresh air wafting through here after all the stink bombs.

Great article. It speaks to the basic needs of people in general, and how when people are deprived (either by force or circumstance) of their basic needs, they get angry. It's like Maslow's Pyramid of Well-Being. You must be able to meet your basic needs before you can meet any other need. Those are food, water, shelter, clothing, and sex (hey its his pyramid not mine). But its true. People dont revolt when they have everything they need. We need to look at this conflict in a different way. Kudos Jan for posting this! Keep our eyes open!

Palestinians Cope with Water Scarcity in Gaza

Cable news doesn't have the capacity for seeing beyond politics to humanity. They love the blood and carnage. It gives them ratings. So no, you won't see anything about the water situation over there and how it fits into this conflict on any cable news channel. It's much more in line with their marching orders to push the good guy/ bad guy meme.

Great post. You won't see this on cable news.

I have usuallly been against desalination (because of its size, cost, potential harm to marinelife, and also its CO2 footprint) and only as a last resort. In the case of Gaza/Israel however, I would be for it if it were to bring peace, but only if there was shared responsibility for it and it was not once again under total control of Israel or any one entity. The way to peace and sustainability is learning to share resources and yes, using money to create life rather than destroy it.

I believe Israel has a reverse osmosis potable fresh water plant using sea water at under $2 per thousand gallons.

The coastal populations have access to a water source to use for RO.

Of course one has to be able to afford $2 for a thousand gallons of water.

Thank you for adding this post. I think many regions in the world will need to de-salinate the ocean water for their water supplies. It is expensive to do so, but compared to the cost of bombs filled with depleted uranium for example, along with these insane wars, and bailing out of wall street, it is not - and one of the best investments humans can give themselves. We have the minds to create a far more refined and economical system to de-salinate, its a pity (to say the least) the minds and money are being wasted on destruction (like two year olds) rather than creation.

From the link:

In August of 1993, Israel did indeed "off-load" Gaza, ceding partial power to a Palestinian administration. Amid much ceremony on the White House lawn, Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) chairman Yasir Arafat shared a reluctant handshake as U.S. president Bill Clinton bid them "shalom, salaam, peace." However, the transition to Palestinian self-government in Gaza has proved anything but peaceful. As of mid-1995, Israeli security forces continued to clash with Palestinians on the edges of the autonomous areas; within Gaza, confrontations between the new Palestinian administration and its Islamic opposition have sometimes turned violent; and Islamic militants have launched suicide bomb attacks against Israeli targets in an attempt to derail the peace talks. In the two years since the "Gaza-Jericho first" accord, hundreds have been killed in continuing violence.3

The Western media usually explain this conflict as a result of the spread of fanatical Islamic fundamentalism in the Territories. Yet this focus often distorts rather than clarifies the roots of violence, by giving insufficient consideration to underlying political, economic, and ecological conditions.

In the case of Gaza, years of occupation and resistance have interacted with severe resource scarcities to produce a dismal socioeconomic environment, which has raised the probability of seemingly "irrational" violence. Where opportunities for peaceful expression of deep grievances appear inadequate and living conditions are desperately poor, violent self-sacrifice may take on its own peculiar logic. As Mustafa al-Masri, a psychiatrist at Gaza's only community mental health program, says: "In the hopelessness and helplessness of this world, there is the bright promise of the next life."4

While the links between environmental scarcity and conflict in Gaza are complex, it is clear that over the years water scarcity has worsened socioeconomic conditions. These conditions, in turn, have contributed to the grievances behind ongoing violence against Israel and tensions among Palestinians in Gaza. To describe this relationship, we provide an overview of Gaza's recent political history and then analyze the current state of water scarcity and its impact on economic and political stability.

We must note, however, that our analysis has been hindered by a critical shortage of good data.5 Any information on water is politically sensitive. No figure on population, water supply, or consumption stands uncontested. The situation is further complicated by the fact that resources and population in Gaza are administered by several authorities, including the UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA), the Israeli military government, and the Palestinian Authority (PA). The PA took over the administration of Gaza's agricultural water supply in May 1994. The Gaza Agricultural Department, while staffed with experienced Palestinian water professionals, had been deprived of resources, staff, equipment, and training throughout the occupation.6 The lack of sufficient institutions for water management under the PA further limits the availability of accurate data. Despite data problems, however, few deny that the water situation in Gaza is now desperate.