The Decisive Importance of Irrigation Water in a Middle East Settlement
| DOI | 10.1177/004711787900600401 |
| Published date | 01 October 1979 |
| Date | 01 October 1979 |
| Author | John Stebbing |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
635
THE
DECISIVE
IMPORTANCE
OF
IRRIGATION
WATER
IN
A
MIDDLE
EAST
SETTLEMENT
JOHN
STEBBING
IN
an
article
in
the
last
issue
of
this
journal
the
problem
of
the
Jordan
waters
was
touched
upon
in
the
course
of
an
examination
of
the
feasibility
and
structure
of
a
possible
self-governing
Pales-
tinian
Arab
state.
The
present
article
is
a
postscript.
It
follows
a
recent
visit
to
the
Hashemite
Kingdom
and
a
comprehensive
tour
of
the
Jordan
Valley
Authority
Irrigation
Project.
It
was
explained
in
the
earlier
article
how
the
Arab-Israeli
wars
had
led
to
the
abandonment
of
the
proposals
made
nearly
fifty
years
ago
to
use
the
Jordan
waters
for
the
benefit
of
all
riparian
owners,
now
the
countries
of
Syria,
Jordan
and
Israel;
to
use
the
Sea
of
Galilee
as
a
natural
reservoir
and
to
lead
into
it
the
abun-
dant
and
very
pure
waters
of
the
Yarmouk
river;
perhaps
also
to
introduce
surplus
water
from
the
Litani
River
into
the
Jordan
headwaters,
in
return
for
hydro-electric
power
to
be
transmitted
back
to
Lebanon.
The
result
has
been
new
plans
for
the diversion
of
the
Yarmouk
river
to
serve
the
eastern
Jordan
Valley
indepen-
dently
of
the
Sea
of
Galilee
and
the
quite
separate
development
by
Israel
of
the
Jordan
river
headwaters.
Before
the
loss
of
the
West
Bank,
in
June
1967,
the
Govern-
ment
of
Jordan
had
plans
to
lead
a
part
of
the
Yarmouk
water
under
the
River
Jordan
so
that
extensive
irrigation
and
rural
development
could
be
undertaken.
West
Bank
prospects
have been
drastically
reduced
by
the
loss
of
this
vital
low
salinity
water.
The
River
Jordan,
below
the
sea
of
Galilee,
is
now
far
too
saline
for
normal
agricultural
purposes,
and
water
supplies
for
the
dedicated
and
very
skillful
Arab
farmers
of
the
West
Bank
are
being
further
reduced
by
the
increasing
use
of
other
water
re-
sources
by
the
Israeli
settlements
in
the
area.
A
solution
of
this
problem
must
be
an
essential
part
of
a
plan
for
a
Middle
East
peace
by
the
creation
of
a
viable
Palestinian
Arab
State
combin-
ing
the
West
Bank
and
an
enlarged
Gaza
Strip.
Ideally
this
state
would
be
self-governing
and
in
close
association
with
the
Hashe-
mite
Kingdom:
the
revival
of
the
original
West
Bank
allocation
of
the
Yarmouk
water
would
then
make
possible
the
resettlement
She
Creation
of
a
Palestinian
Arab
State.
John
Stebbing,
February,
1977.
Preprint,
pages
4-11
and
52-66.
It
is
esimated
that
as
many
as
1.2
million
refugees
may
be
eligible
for
resettlement
in
the
new
state.
It
is
not
known
how
many
of
these
have
been
acceptably
resettled in
host
countries
(a
substantial
number
have);
how
many
could
rejoin
their
families
in
Israel,
the
West
Bank
or
Gaza
Strip;
or
how
many
have
homes
which
are
available
for
re-occupation.
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