CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VIII (2) ContEurVIII2 | Page 87

SHOGHIK TADEVOSYAN
inclined to become a ‘political weapon’ in the hands of the states. In this
case, the scarcity of water may be not only because of the arid climate in
the region but also the result of deliberate and intentional actions of the
states. 14
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict completely fits in this context. In
addition to regional water scarcity, water serves as a ‘political weapon’
for Israel to achieve its political goals and to dominate the Palestinians.
The question of how Israel uses water to serve its political goals will be
discussed later in the text. However, now it is worth mentioning that
water scarcity played a decisive role in determining the security-related
policies of both countries. The natural scarcity of water, coupled with
population growth, climate change, as well as other socio-economic and
political factors also contribute to the exacerbation of the conflict.
The Symbolism of Water
Some researchers have tried to emphasize the direct linkage of both
Israeli and Palestinian aspirations towards water with the correlation of
religious and Zionist ideology on the one hand, and cultural norms, on the
other. It is worth mentioning the significance and vital nature of water as
a natural resource which is noted both in the Quran (the holy book of
Islam) and Sharia (Islamic religious law), as well as in the Tanakh or Old
Testament (Hebrew Bible) and Halakhah (Jewish law).
Significantly, in the Old Testament, the word ‘water’ (mayim - ‫יִם‬ ַ‫)מ‬
is mentioned about 580 times, while the indirect applications of the word,
such as rivers, rain, wells, are larger in number. 15 For Jews, water has
been connected to heaven as a means of spiritual purification and
cleansing given by God’s grace. The connection expressed in the Hebrew
language, where the word for heaven is ‘shamayim’ (‫)שמים‬, composed of
the words sham (‫)שמ‬ and mayim (‫ִם‬ ‫י‬ ‫מ‬ ַ ), literally“source of water,” is also
significant.
In the Bible, Jews are presented as farmers and their primary duty
is to fertilize the infertile land or the desert. Hence, agriculture and
farming have deep roots in the Bible. Given modern Zionist ideology’s
reference to the Old Testament, water, irrigation, and agriculture have
retained their importance for modern Jews as well. Respectively, modern

14 James A. Winnefeld and Mary E. Morris, Where Environmental Concerns and Security
Strategies Meet: Green Conflict in Asia and the Middle East (Santa Monica, CA: Rand,
1994).
15 Hillel, Rivers of Eden.
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