CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VIII (2) ContEurVIII2 | Page 93
SHOGHIK TADEVOSYAN
system, develop it, and establish control of the new water resources, even
in the OPTs. 35
Methodology and Research Design
This article seeks to answer the following research questions:
– What is the role of water in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and
how does Israel use the water for achieving its political aspirations?
– Is the concept of hydro-hegemony applicable to Israeli-
Palestinian water relations?
Accordingly, the hypotheses to be tested are the following:
– In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, water plays an important role
and it serves as a tool for Israel to discriminate against and oppress the
Palestinians.
– Taking into consideration the asymmetrical power relationships
in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel’s actions can be best qualified as
hydro-hegemonic.
To answer the foregoing questions, an exploratory research design
was chosen. Furthermore, secondary data was collected and both
qualitative and quantitative methods were applied. Theoretically, to
answer the first question, the analysis heavily relied on the literature
review. To verify the validity of the theories put forth and see the
asymmetrical allocation of water resources, quantitative data was
examined from the reports of the World Bank, the Palestinian Central
Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA), and
the Israeli Water Authority (IWA). With regards to the official data
released by Israel, it should be noted that they are limited, and sometimes
they do not have access. To answer the second research question and to
get more insight into the asymmetrical power distribution between the
parties, a comparison of relative power was conducted.
Hydro-hegemony as a Conceptual Framework
Hydro-hegemony can be applied to this study as a useful
conceptual framework. The concept has been developed and widely used
by a number of researchers working with the London Water Research
Group. Among them, the roles of Zeitoun and Warner are significant.
They defined hydro-hegemony as ‘hegemony at the river basin level,
35 Alon Tal, “The Evolution of Israeli Water Management: The Elusive Search for
Environmental Security,” in Water Security in the Middle East: Essays in Scientific and
Social Cooperation, ed. Cahan (London: Anthem Press, an imprint of Wimbledon
Publishing, 2017): 125-144.
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