A Review of Water Pollution in the Israel-Palestinian Conflict Region
Keywords:
Water pollution, Israel-Palestine conflict, physicochemical parameters, eutrophication, wastewater
Abstract
Water pollution is a daily risk with a major impact on both populations and ecosystems. An analysis of water pollution types is essential to determine the affected regions and the magnitude of its impact on various components of the geosystem. This study aims to conduct a thorough analysis of water pollution in the Israel-Palestine conflict region, focusing on the three main types of pollution: physical, chemical, and biological. The methodology of this article is based on the critical review of 22 scientific papers published between 1972 and 2023, addressing various aspects of water pollution in the analyzed region, from generating sources to their impact. Most studies are authored by researchers affiliated with institutions located in the conflict region, with many samples collected directly from the field and processed in laboratories or GIS environments. The study results highlight chemical pollution often exceeding recommended limits for various analyzed parameters. Biological pollution subjects aquatic ecosystems to significant pressures, including eutrophication and harmful algal blooms. Wastewater is discharged into watercourses in the region, affecting their physical properties. Areas subject to water pollution include the Gaza Strip, the coastal zone, the northern aquifer in Israel, and lakes in the western part of the analysis region, posing potential risks to the health of the populations in Israel and Palestine.
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References
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6. Barinova, S.S., Yeuda, G., Nevo, E., (2010). Comparative analysis of algal communities in the rivers of northern and southern Israel as bearing on ecological consequences of climate change. Journal of Arid Environments, 74 (7), 765—776, 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.03.001
7. Barinova, S.S., Petrov, A., Nevo, E., (2011). Comparative analysis of algal biodiversity in the rivers of Israel. Central European Journal of Biology, 6(2), pp 246-259, DOI: 10.2478/s11535-010-0108-z
8. Berman, T., (1972). The Sea of Galilee: Pollution Problems and Prospects. Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review, Vol 2, Issue 2, pp 365-381
9. Borst B., Nidal J. M., N. P. Van der Steen, Piet N.L. Lens., (2013). A Case Study of Urban Water Balancing in the Partly Sewered City of Nablus-East (Palestine) to Study Wastewater Pollution Loads and Groundwater Pollution, Urban Water Journal, 10, no. 6: 434–46. doi:10.1080/1573062X.2012.750373.
10. Brooks, D., (2003). Water, human rights and governance in the Middle East: an essay illustrated by conflicts over water between Israelis and Palestinians, Water Nepal, vol. 9/10, no. 1/2, pp 185-195
11. Daghara A., Al-Khatib I. A., Al-Jabari M., (2019). Quality of Drinking Water from Springs in Palestine: West Bank as a Case Study. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 1–7. doi:10.1155/2019/8631732
12. El-Hallaq, Maher A., (2019). Studying the Impact of Pollution from Wadi Gaza on the Mediterranean Sea Using GIS and Remote Sensing Techniques. Advances in Remote Sensing, 8(1) 40-50.
13. El-Nakhal, H.A., (2004). Alternatives to tap water: a case study of the Gaza Strip, Palestine, Environmental Geology. 46, 851–856, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-004-1070-8
14. Feitelson, E., (2000). The ebb and flow of Arab–Israeli water conflicts: are past confrontations likely to resurface?. Water Policy, 2(4-5), 343–363. doi:10.1016/s1366-7017(00)00009-x
15. Feitelson, E., Haddad, M., (2001). Management of Shared Groundwater Resources: The Israeli-Palestinian Case with an International Perspective, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston
16. Feitelson E., (2002). Implications of shifts in the Israeli water discourse for Israeli-Palestinian water negotiations, Political Geography, 21 (3), 293–318
17. Ghanem, M., Ahmad, W., Keilani, Y., Sawaftah, F., Schelter, L., Schuettrumpf, H., (2021). Spring water quality in the central West Bank, Palestine. Journal of Asian Earth Science, X, 5, 100052. doi:10.1016/j.jaesx.2021.100052
18. Gharbia A., Gharbia S., Abushbak T., Wafi H., Aish A., Zelenakova M. and Pilla F., (2016). Groundwater Quality Evaluation Using GIS Based Geostatistical Algorithms. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 4, 89-103. doi: 10.4236/gep.2016.42011.
19. Gray, A., (2006). "Positive Conditions" -The Water Crisis In Gaza, URL:http://www.countercurrents.org/pa-gray090806.htm
20. Gray, A., Hilal, J., (2006). The water crisis in the Palestinian Territories: challenges and opportunities for development, in Integrated Water Resources Management and Security in the Middle East, Springer, Dordrecht, pp 99-117
21. Gvirtzman, H., (2012). The Israeli-Palestinian water conflict: an Israeli perspective. Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.
22. Haddaoui, I., Mateo-Sagasta J., (2021). A review on occurrence of emerging pollutants in waters of the MENA region. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28, 68090–68110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16558-8
23. Hambright, K. D., Parparov, A., Berman, T., (2000). Indices of water quality for sustainable management and conservation of an arid region lake, Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), Israel. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 10(6), 393–406
24. Herut, B., Kress, N., Hornung, H., (2000). Nutrient pollution at the lower reaches of Mediterranean coastal rivers in Israel. Water Science and Technology, 42(1-2), 47-152, doi:10.2166/wst.2000.0306
25. Ide, T., Fröhlich, C., (2014). Water conflict or water cooperation? A discursive understanding of water conflict and cooperation in Israel and Palestine. In Norwich Conference on Earth System Governance, Norwich, UK, July 1-3, https://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0027-A38A-F
26. Isaac, J., (2000). The essentials of sustainable water resource management in Israel and Palestine, Arab Studies Quarterly, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Spring 2000), pp. 13-31
27. Katz, D., (2022). Basin Management under Conditions of Scarcity: The Transformation of the Jordan River Basin from Regional Water Supplier to Regional Water Importer. Water, 14(10):1605. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14101605
28. Laronne, J.B., Alexandrov, Y., Reid, I., (2004). Surface water characterization and utilization in the Middle East, respectively exemplified by Nahal Eshtemoa (Wadi Samoa) & the Shiqma Besor (Wadi Gaza) reservoirs, Israel. In: H. Shuval and H. Dwiek, eds. Water for life in the Middle East, Vol. 2, Jerusalem: Israel/Palestine center for research and information, 680–692
29. Lin, L., Yang, H., Xu, X., (2022). Effects of water pollution on human health and disease heterogeneity: a review. Frontiers in environmental science, 10, 880246.
30. Litav, M., Agami, M., (1976). Relationship between water pollution and the flora of two coastal rivers of Israel. Aquatic Botany, Vol 2, 23-41, https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3770(76)90005-X
31. Maimon, G., (2014). Freshwater Pollution in Israel-Palestine and Policy - A case-study on the correlation between water politics, water management and freshwater pollution in Israel-Palestine. International Pollution Issues, accesat la adresa web: https://intlpollution.commons.gc.cuny.edu/freshwater-pollution-in-israel-palestine-and-policy/
32. Mojabi S.M, Ghourchi, M., Feizi, F., (2010). Adverse consequences of conflicts and wars on environment and public health. International Conference on Environmental Engineering and Applications, Singapore, pp. 125-129, doi: 10.1109/ICEEA.2010.5596109.
33. Naji, F., (2004). Water Resources Management in Palestine: Political, Technical and Financial Obstacles, in Water in the Middle East and in North Africa, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, pp 239-249, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-10866-6_20
34. Palestine, P. F., Abuzerr, S., (2020). The Impact of Environmental Pollution on Public Health in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Fragile and Conflict Settings: Reflections from the Gaza Strip
35. Popa V., (2012), Geografia Statelor Asiei, Editura Universitară, București
36. Salameh, M.T.B., Alraggad, M., Harahsheh, S.T., (2021). The water crisis and the conflict in the Middle East, Sustainable Water Resources Management, Vol. 7, Issue. 5. DOI:10.1007/s40899-021-00549-1
37. Srebro, H., (2018). Historical cartographic materials as a source for international and cadastral boundary management in rivers, Proceedings of the International Cartographic Association, 1, 104, https://doi.org/10.5194/ica-proc-1-104-2018.
38. Warren-Vega WM, Campos-Rodríguez A, Zárate-Guzmán AI, Romero-Cano LA., (2023). A Current Review of Water Pollutants in American Continent: Trends and Perspectives in Detection, Health Risks, and Treatment Technologies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(5):4499. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054499
39. Wiczyk, O., (2003). An Analysis of the Treaty of Peace between Israel and Jordan in the Context of International Water Law. Yearbook of International Environmental Law, 14(1), 139–160. doi:10.1093/yiel/14.1.139
40. Yoffe, S.B., Wolf, A.T., (1999). Water, conflict and cooperation: Geographical perspectives, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 12(2), 197-213, DOI: 10.1080/09557579908400256
41. Zohud A, Alam L., (2022). A Review of Groundwater Contamination in West Bank, Palestine: Quality, Sources, Risks, and Management. Water, 14(21):3417. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14213417
42. Zohud A., Alam L., Goh C.T., (2023). Evaluation of Groundwater Quality Using the Water Quality Index (WQI) and Human Health Risk (HHR) Assessment in West Bank, Palestine. Hydrology, 10(10):198. https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology10100198
2. Al-Khatib, I.A., Al-Jabari, M., Al-Oqaili, M., (2023). Assessment of Bacteriological Quality and Physiochemical Parameters of Domestic Water Sources in Jenin Governorate: A Case Study. Journal of Environmental Public Health, :8000728. doi: 10.1155/2023/8000728. PMID: 37470053; PMCID: PMC10353905.
3. Baalousha, H.M., (2008). Analysis of nitrate occurrence and distribution in groundwater in the Gaza Strip using major ion chemistry. Global NEST Journal, Vol 10, No 3, pp 337-349
4. Baalousha, H., (2011). Mapping groundwater contamination risk using GIS and groundwater modelling. A case study from the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 4, 483–494. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-010-0135-0
5. Baalousha, H., (2011). Water scarcity and environmental problems in the Gaza Strip, Palestine: origin, impacts and prospects for solutions in Water Shortages: Environmental, Economic and Social Impacts. Nova Science Publishers, pp 79-104
6. Barinova, S.S., Yeuda, G., Nevo, E., (2010). Comparative analysis of algal communities in the rivers of northern and southern Israel as bearing on ecological consequences of climate change. Journal of Arid Environments, 74 (7), 765—776, 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.03.001
7. Barinova, S.S., Petrov, A., Nevo, E., (2011). Comparative analysis of algal biodiversity in the rivers of Israel. Central European Journal of Biology, 6(2), pp 246-259, DOI: 10.2478/s11535-010-0108-z
8. Berman, T., (1972). The Sea of Galilee: Pollution Problems and Prospects. Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review, Vol 2, Issue 2, pp 365-381
9. Borst B., Nidal J. M., N. P. Van der Steen, Piet N.L. Lens., (2013). A Case Study of Urban Water Balancing in the Partly Sewered City of Nablus-East (Palestine) to Study Wastewater Pollution Loads and Groundwater Pollution, Urban Water Journal, 10, no. 6: 434–46. doi:10.1080/1573062X.2012.750373.
10. Brooks, D., (2003). Water, human rights and governance in the Middle East: an essay illustrated by conflicts over water between Israelis and Palestinians, Water Nepal, vol. 9/10, no. 1/2, pp 185-195
11. Daghara A., Al-Khatib I. A., Al-Jabari M., (2019). Quality of Drinking Water from Springs in Palestine: West Bank as a Case Study. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 1–7. doi:10.1155/2019/8631732
12. El-Hallaq, Maher A., (2019). Studying the Impact of Pollution from Wadi Gaza on the Mediterranean Sea Using GIS and Remote Sensing Techniques. Advances in Remote Sensing, 8(1) 40-50.
13. El-Nakhal, H.A., (2004). Alternatives to tap water: a case study of the Gaza Strip, Palestine, Environmental Geology. 46, 851–856, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-004-1070-8
14. Feitelson, E., (2000). The ebb and flow of Arab–Israeli water conflicts: are past confrontations likely to resurface?. Water Policy, 2(4-5), 343–363. doi:10.1016/s1366-7017(00)00009-x
15. Feitelson, E., Haddad, M., (2001). Management of Shared Groundwater Resources: The Israeli-Palestinian Case with an International Perspective, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston
16. Feitelson E., (2002). Implications of shifts in the Israeli water discourse for Israeli-Palestinian water negotiations, Political Geography, 21 (3), 293–318
17. Ghanem, M., Ahmad, W., Keilani, Y., Sawaftah, F., Schelter, L., Schuettrumpf, H., (2021). Spring water quality in the central West Bank, Palestine. Journal of Asian Earth Science, X, 5, 100052. doi:10.1016/j.jaesx.2021.100052
18. Gharbia A., Gharbia S., Abushbak T., Wafi H., Aish A., Zelenakova M. and Pilla F., (2016). Groundwater Quality Evaluation Using GIS Based Geostatistical Algorithms. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 4, 89-103. doi: 10.4236/gep.2016.42011.
19. Gray, A., (2006). "Positive Conditions" -The Water Crisis In Gaza, URL:http://www.countercurrents.org/pa-gray090806.htm
20. Gray, A., Hilal, J., (2006). The water crisis in the Palestinian Territories: challenges and opportunities for development, in Integrated Water Resources Management and Security in the Middle East, Springer, Dordrecht, pp 99-117
21. Gvirtzman, H., (2012). The Israeli-Palestinian water conflict: an Israeli perspective. Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.
22. Haddaoui, I., Mateo-Sagasta J., (2021). A review on occurrence of emerging pollutants in waters of the MENA region. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28, 68090–68110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16558-8
23. Hambright, K. D., Parparov, A., Berman, T., (2000). Indices of water quality for sustainable management and conservation of an arid region lake, Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), Israel. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 10(6), 393–406
24. Herut, B., Kress, N., Hornung, H., (2000). Nutrient pollution at the lower reaches of Mediterranean coastal rivers in Israel. Water Science and Technology, 42(1-2), 47-152, doi:10.2166/wst.2000.0306
25. Ide, T., Fröhlich, C., (2014). Water conflict or water cooperation? A discursive understanding of water conflict and cooperation in Israel and Palestine. In Norwich Conference on Earth System Governance, Norwich, UK, July 1-3, https://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0027-A38A-F
26. Isaac, J., (2000). The essentials of sustainable water resource management in Israel and Palestine, Arab Studies Quarterly, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Spring 2000), pp. 13-31
27. Katz, D., (2022). Basin Management under Conditions of Scarcity: The Transformation of the Jordan River Basin from Regional Water Supplier to Regional Water Importer. Water, 14(10):1605. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14101605
28. Laronne, J.B., Alexandrov, Y., Reid, I., (2004). Surface water characterization and utilization in the Middle East, respectively exemplified by Nahal Eshtemoa (Wadi Samoa) & the Shiqma Besor (Wadi Gaza) reservoirs, Israel. In: H. Shuval and H. Dwiek, eds. Water for life in the Middle East, Vol. 2, Jerusalem: Israel/Palestine center for research and information, 680–692
29. Lin, L., Yang, H., Xu, X., (2022). Effects of water pollution on human health and disease heterogeneity: a review. Frontiers in environmental science, 10, 880246.
30. Litav, M., Agami, M., (1976). Relationship between water pollution and the flora of two coastal rivers of Israel. Aquatic Botany, Vol 2, 23-41, https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3770(76)90005-X
31. Maimon, G., (2014). Freshwater Pollution in Israel-Palestine and Policy - A case-study on the correlation between water politics, water management and freshwater pollution in Israel-Palestine. International Pollution Issues, accesat la adresa web: https://intlpollution.commons.gc.cuny.edu/freshwater-pollution-in-israel-palestine-and-policy/
32. Mojabi S.M, Ghourchi, M., Feizi, F., (2010). Adverse consequences of conflicts and wars on environment and public health. International Conference on Environmental Engineering and Applications, Singapore, pp. 125-129, doi: 10.1109/ICEEA.2010.5596109.
33. Naji, F., (2004). Water Resources Management in Palestine: Political, Technical and Financial Obstacles, in Water in the Middle East and in North Africa, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, pp 239-249, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-10866-6_20
34. Palestine, P. F., Abuzerr, S., (2020). The Impact of Environmental Pollution on Public Health in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Fragile and Conflict Settings: Reflections from the Gaza Strip
35. Popa V., (2012), Geografia Statelor Asiei, Editura Universitară, București
36. Salameh, M.T.B., Alraggad, M., Harahsheh, S.T., (2021). The water crisis and the conflict in the Middle East, Sustainable Water Resources Management, Vol. 7, Issue. 5. DOI:10.1007/s40899-021-00549-1
37. Srebro, H., (2018). Historical cartographic materials as a source for international and cadastral boundary management in rivers, Proceedings of the International Cartographic Association, 1, 104, https://doi.org/10.5194/ica-proc-1-104-2018.
38. Warren-Vega WM, Campos-Rodríguez A, Zárate-Guzmán AI, Romero-Cano LA., (2023). A Current Review of Water Pollutants in American Continent: Trends and Perspectives in Detection, Health Risks, and Treatment Technologies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(5):4499. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054499
39. Wiczyk, O., (2003). An Analysis of the Treaty of Peace between Israel and Jordan in the Context of International Water Law. Yearbook of International Environmental Law, 14(1), 139–160. doi:10.1093/yiel/14.1.139
40. Yoffe, S.B., Wolf, A.T., (1999). Water, conflict and cooperation: Geographical perspectives, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 12(2), 197-213, DOI: 10.1080/09557579908400256
41. Zohud A, Alam L., (2022). A Review of Groundwater Contamination in West Bank, Palestine: Quality, Sources, Risks, and Management. Water, 14(21):3417. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14213417
42. Zohud A., Alam L., Goh C.T., (2023). Evaluation of Groundwater Quality Using the Water Quality Index (WQI) and Human Health Risk (HHR) Assessment in West Bank, Palestine. Hydrology, 10(10):198. https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology10100198
Published
2024-05-20
How to Cite
Nica, M.-A., Costache, M.-S., Marin, M.-I., & Manoiu, V.-M. (2024). A Review of Water Pollution in the Israel-Palestinian Conflict Region. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 29, 373. Retrieved from https://eujournal.org/index.php/esj/article/view/18146
Section
ESI Preprints
Copyright (c) 2024 Miruna-Amalia Nica, Mihnea-Stefan Costache, Maria-Ioana Marin, Valentina-Mariana Manoiu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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