CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VIII (2) ContEurVIII2 | Page 92

CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VIII (2)
In the Gaza Strip, water is contaminated with a variety of
dangerous chemicals, fertilizers, chlorides, and nitrates. Such conditions
are the cause of a number of diseases, such as kidney diseases, typhoid,
giardia (sis), cholera and dysentery, as well as high rates of neonatal
(deaths four weeks after birth) and infant mortality (deaths up to one
year). Moreover, according to the UN OCHA report of 2013, 96% of the
groundwater is not appropriate for human consumption. Non-appropriate
sewage treatment facilities have led to the pollution of the Mediterranean
Sea by Gaza. The contamination of the Sea harms the fishing industry of
the Gaza Strip, which is the one of primary ways of living in Gaza, as
approximately 35.000 people are engaged in it and make it their
livelihood. 33
The Water Issue from the Israeli Perspective
There is a lack of studies regarding Israeli perspective towards this
issue, and there are few responses to the Palestinian allegations. Looking
at the water issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the lens of
realism, Godlewski argues that living in the anarchic world and having
the primary purpose of survival often leads to security protection at any
cost. The same applies to the Israeli case. As it is mainly surrounded by
adversaries and is the only non-Arab state in the region, its primary goal
is to maintain the security and balance of power of the region. Thus, it
can be argued that Israel’s continuous seizure of water and land are
directly related to its goal of survival and security. Additionally, the
displeasure coming from the occupied territories towards the Israeli
continuous exploitation of land and resources increases Israel’s objective
of surviving in such a hostile environment. 34
Besides, as Tal argues after the construction of the NWC, when
Israel succeeded in developing its water policy to some extent by creating
a water infrastructure and network system, there was a fear that the Arab
neigboring countries could attack these systems (in other words they
served as strategic targets for the Arab states), thus destroying Israel’s
water infrastructure and causing considerable damage to Israel’s viability
in general. This was another reason for Israel to strengthen its water

33 UN
OCHA, 2013,
https://www.ochaopt.org/sites/default/files/ocha_opt_gaza_ara_factsheet_july_2013_engli
sh.pdf (accessed April 16, 2019).
34 Andrew Godlewski, ““Damming” the Peace Process: Water Politics and its Impact on the
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,” Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs 30, no. 2 (2010): 153-166.
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