The History of Water in the Land Once Called Palestine: Scarcity, Conflict and Loss in Middle East Water Resources by Christopher Ward, Sandra Ruckstuhl, and Isabelle Learmont

Shared water resources in Israel and Palestine are often the site of political, economic, historical, legal and ethical contestation. In this, the first of two volumes on the subject, the authors look beyond the political tensions of the region, to argue for the need for shared water security and co-operative resource management.

The History of Water in the Land Once Called Palestine, traces the history of water resources and security and their development from the Ottoman period until 2020, examining how the state of water security amongst Palestinians and Israelis has diverged, resulting in the current success of Israeli water security in contrast to the high water insecurity experienced by Palestinians. The authors assess water security in three parts: security of access to water resources, security of access to water services and finally, security against risks to and from water.

Christopher Ward is a scholar on water and the environment with a particular interest in the Middle East. He studied at St John's College and St Antony's College, Oxford. After 25 years working at the World Bank, he joined the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter, UK. He is the author of The Water Crisis in Yemen (2015) and of Water Scarcity, Climate Change and Conflict in the Middle East (2018). as well as of numerous studies and articles, most recently on water scarcity in Viet Nam and Indonesia, and of a monograph on desalination.

Sandra Meryl Ruckstuhl is a scholar and researcher who specializes in water and natural resource management, conflict and peacebuilding. She holds a MSc and PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from the Carter School at George Mason University. She is the co-author of Water Scarcity, Climate Change and Conflict in the Middle East (I.B.Tauris, 2018). She is currently Special Advisor and Senior Researcher at the International Water Management Institute.

Isabelle Learmont is a scholar and researcher who has taught at universities in Saudi Arabia and the United States. She holds BA, MA and Ph.D degrees from Queen Mary University of London and has spent many years living and working in the Middle East. She is currently a director of the consultancy firm Isca Strategies.

Year: 2023

Paperback