Water Wisdom: Preparing the Groundwork for Cooperative and Sustainable Water Management in the Middle East

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.; Available in paper. Jacket Description/Flap: Israel and Palestine are water scarce. As the peace process continues amidst ongoing violence, water remains a political and environmental issue. "Water Wisdom" is model for those who believe that water conflict can be an opportunity for cooperation rather than violence. Thirty leading Palestinian and Israeli activists, water scientists, politicians, and others met to develop a future vision for the sustainable shared management of water resources. Their work explores the full range of scientific, political, social, and economic issues related to water use in the region; acknowledges areas of continuing controversy; and identifies areas of agreement. Review Quotes: "This comprehensive, informed, and balanced volume provides invaluable insights into the roots of the water management challenges in the Middle East and charts a course for resolving this pressing issue."--James D. Wolfensohn"former Quartet Special Envoy for Gaza Disengagement" (01/01/2099) Review Quotes: "There is a vast literature on water in the Middle East, but few studies that take on such a balanced approach as "Water Wisdom". The book makes a great addition to academic libraries around the world and for scholars involved in water policy studies."--Aaron Wolf"director of the Program in Water Conflict Management, Oregon State University" (07/24/2009) Biographical Note: ALON TAL is on the faculty of Ben Gurion University of the Negev where he conducts interdisciplinary research on water management, biodiversity, desertification, and development policy. Previously he was the founding director of Adam Teva Vadin (The Israel Union for Environmental Defense), Israel's leading environmental advocacy organization, and chairman of Life Environment, Israel's Green NGO Umbrella Group. ALFRED ABED RABBO is on the faculty of Bethlehem University, specializing in environmental chemistry with a particular interest in water science, and the founder and director of the university's Water and Soil Environmental Research Unit. He is author and coauthor of many books and publications. Table of Contents: List of Illustrations -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Abreviations -- Introduction / Alon Tal, Alfred Abed Rabbo -- Part 1. Characterizing Water Resources -- Water Resources: The Palestinian Perspective / Amjad Aliewi -- Water Resources: The Israeli Perspective / Alon Tal -- Editors' Summary -- Part 2. Past Water Agreements and Their Implementation -- The Oslo II Accords in Retrospect: Implementation of the Water Provisions in the Israeli and Palestinian Interim Peace Agreements / Anan Jayousi -- Article 40: An Israeli Retrospective / Dorit Kerret -- Editors' Summary -- Part 3. The Water Culture of Israelis and Palestinians -- Water Culture in Palestine / Ziad Abdeen -- Water Culture in Israel / Clive Lipchin -- Editors' Summary -- Part 4. Water Legislation -- The Palestinian Legal Regime for Water Quality Protection / Hiba I. Husseini -- Legal Framework for Allocation of Water and for Protection of Water Quality in Israel / Marcia Gelpe -- Editors' Summary -- Part 5. Groundwater Management -- Shared Groundwater Resources: Environmental Hazards and Technical Solutions in Palestine / Karen Assaf -- The Mountain Aquifer: Shared Groundwater Resources, Environmental Hazards, and Technical Solutions / Dror Avisar -- Editors' Summary -- Part 6. Stream Restoration -- The Condition of Streams and Prospects for Restoration in Palestine / Nader El-Khateeb -- Stream Restoration under Conditions of Water Scarcity: Insight from the Israeli Experience / Avital Gasith, Yaron Hershkovitz -- Editors' Summary -- Part 7. Drinking-Water Standards -- Drinking-Water Quality and Standards: The Palestinian Perspective / Alfred Abed Rabbo -- Israeli Drinking-Water Resources and Supply / Ramy Halperin -- Editors' Summary -- Part 8. Sewage Treatment -- Sewage Treatment in Gaza and the Quest to Upgrade Infrastructure / Khalil Tubail -- Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in Israel / Yossi Inbar -- Editors' Summary -- Part 9. Agriculture and Water -- Sustainable Water Supply for Agriculture in Palestine / Said A. Assaf -- Sustainable Water Supply for Agriculture in Israel / Alon Ben-Gal -- Editors Summary -- Part 10. Desalination -- The Coming Age of Desalination for Gaza: Visions, Illusions, and Reality / Nahed Ghbn -- Desalination in Israel: Status, Prospects, and Contexts / Yaakov Garb -- Editors' Summary -- Part 11. The Jordan River Basin -- Managing the Jordan River Basin: A Palestinian Perspective / Nancy Rumman -- Managing the Jordan River Basin: An Israeli Perspective / Richard Laster, Dan Livney -- Editors' Summary -- Part 12. Gaza's Water Situation -- The Gaza Water Crisis / Yousef Abu-Mayla, Eilon M. Adar -- Editors' Summary -- Part 13. Citizen Involvement -- The Role of Civil Society in Addressing Transboundary Water Issues in the Israeli-Palestinian Context / Iyad Aburdeineh, Gidon Bromberg, Lucy Michaels, Na'ama Teschner -- Editors' Summary -- Part 14. The Role of Third Parties in Conflict Resolution -- The Role of Third Parties in Helping to Resolve the Conflicts over Water Issues in Israel and Palestine / Robin Twite -- Editors' Summary -- Part 15. Cooperative Water Management Strategies -- Joint Aquifer Management: Institutional Options / Marwan Haddad, Eran Feitelson -- Editors' Summary -- List of Contributors -- Index. Publisher Marketing: "There is a vast literature on water in the Middle East, but few studies that take on such a balanced approach as Water Wisdom. The book makes a great addition to academic libraries around the world and for scholars involved in water policy studies."-Aaron Wolf, Oregon State University "This comprehensive, informed, and balanced volume provides invaluable insights into the roots of the water management challenges in the Middle East and charts a course for resolving this pressing issue."-James D. Wolfensohn, former Quartet Special Envoy for Gaza Israel and Palestine are, by international criteria, water scarce. As the peace process continues amidst ongoing violence, water remains a political and environmental issue. Thirty leading Palestinian and Israeli activists, water scientists, politicians, and others met and worked together to develop a future vision for the sustainable shared management of water resources that is presented in Water Wisdom. This book is model for those who believe that water conflict can be an opportunity for cooperation rather than violence. ALON TAL is on the faculty of Ben Gurion University of the Negev where he conducts interdisciplinary research on water management, biodiversity, desertification, and development policy. Previously he was the founding director of Adam Teva Vadin (The Israel Union for Environmental Defense), Israel's leading environmental advocacy organization; the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies; and chairman of Life Environment, Israel's Green NGO Umbrella Group. ALFRED ABED RABBO is on the faculty of Bethlehem University, Palestine, specializing in environmental chemistry with a particular interest in water science, and is the founder and director of the university's Water and Soil Environmental Research Unit. He is on the board of Friends of the Earth Middle East and is the author and coauthor of many books and publications. Contributor Bio:  Tal, Alon Alon Tal is founder of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies and chairman of Life and Environment, an umbrella group for Israel's eighty environmental organizations. He has a law degree from Hebrew University and a doctorate from the Harvard School of Public Health. Contributor Bio:  Rabbo, Alfred Abed Alfred Abed Rabbo is on th efaculty of Bethlehem University, specializing in environmental chemistry with a partciular interest in water science, and the founder and director of he university's Water and Soil Environmental Research Unit. He is the author and coauthor of many books and publications.