Dividing the common Palestinian-Israeli waters: An international water law approach

In: Journal of Palestine studies: a quarterly on Palestinian affairs and the Arab-Israeli conflict, Band 22, Heft 3/87, S. 57-77

Abstract

Israel's unilateral, lopsided appropriation of the common Palestinian-Israeli waters has left Palestinians in the occupied territories with a substandard level of consumption and has created a wide water gap between them and Israelis. This article explores how redistribution can be worked out on the basis of the factors stipulated in the doctrine of "equitable apportionment" of international water law. Those factors are: the natural attributes of the water source; prior or existing use; social and economic needs; alternative resources and their comparative costs; and avoidance of appreciable harm. Although international water law is nonbinding and lacks enforcement mechanisms, it may serve as a guide for negotiations. (DÜI-Hns)