CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VIII (2) ContEurVIII2 | Page 85

SHOGHIK TADEVOSYAN
clashes over water regarding the Sea of Galilee, were one of the main
incentives for the war, which was waiting for a timely spark 6 . As a result,
the achievements and losses were significant in terms of hydropolitics
among the riparian states and the tendency of the competitive unilateral
utilization of the Basin intensified. Capturing the Golan Heights, the
West Bank, and Jerusalem, as well as the Sinai Peninsula, 7 Israel
controlled both the Upper Jordan River and the Lower Jordan River, as
well as the Western, North Eastern and Eastern Aquifer Basins. The
balance of power completely changed during the Six-Day War, more like
the relationship between an occupier and the occupied. From 1967-1993,
there were several other significant political events which created
favorable conditions for strengthening Israeli domination and worsening
the Palestinians’ situation in the occupied territories and outside.
1993-present: Alleged Cooperation?
The 1990s were marked by the commencement of the peace
process between Israel and Palestine (launched in Madrid in October
1991) 8 . In parallel with the peace process, bilateral agreements were
signed between Israel and Jordan on the one hand, and Israel and
Palestine on the other. However, no multilateral agreement was signed
between the neighboring riparian states, and even these bilateral
agreements were often violated, especially during political or natural
crises.
In 1993, the Government of Israel and the PLO signed the
‘Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements’
(Oslo I Accord) to prevent the exploitation of land and water resources by
Israel in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Declaration called for
Palestinian self-government in the West Bank and Gaza, the withdrawal
of the Israeli military from these territories, as well as the creation of the
Palestinian Land and Water Authorities, in order to cooperate over the
management of water resources.
From 1993-1995 period, the two sides sought to broaden the
spectrum of cooperation, and, in 1995, the ‘Israeli-Palestinian Interim
Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip’ (Oslo II Accord) was
signed. Although the water issue was not resolved by this agreement, a
number of compromises were made, including recognizing the

6
Moshe Gat, “The Great Powers and the Water Dispute in the Middle East: A Prelude to
the Six Day War,” Middle Eastern Studies 41, no. 6 (2005): 911-935.
7 Caplan, The Israel-Palestine Conflict.
8 Ibid.
85