Final
Report
1
1 Introduction
1.1
Situation
Water
should
be
without
boundaries,
it
should
flow
so
naturally
and
freely,
but
this
vital
resource
can
also
become
embedded
in
power
relations
and
in
forms
of
exploitation.
Water
is
life
and
without
it
human
beings
would
risk
extinction.
Water
control,
its
allocation
and
distribution
can
be
used
both
as
a
turning
point
or
a
strong
means
of
oppression.
In
a
situation
of
conflict,
water
and
its
management
are
strictly
associated
with
authority
and
power
(Mollinga,
2008).
In
Israel
and
Palestine,
water
is
a
politically
conte sted
resource.
Water
and
its
access
for
Palestinians
are
part
of
a
daily
existence.
“To
exist
is
to
resist”:
this
statement
has
become
the
key
slogan
for
Palestinians
that
are
living
in
the
Jordan
Valley
to
express
their
daily
struggle
in
order
to
have
ac cess
to
water,
land
and
human
dignity.
Although
the
Oslo
II
agreement
and
Art.
40
state
the
recognition
by
Israel
of
the
right
to
water
for
Palestinians
in
the
West
Bank,
the
current
water
situation
as
reported
by
international
and
local
NGOs
and
organizat ions
seem
to
have
remained
unchanged
(Amnesty
International,
2009).
This
research
was
executed
in
the
field,
with
people
for
people.
It
has
the
aim
to
analyze
how
water
accessibility
and
distribution
(in
terms
of
quantity
availability)
for
agriculture
is
affecting
two
Palestinian
villages
in
a
strategic
1
area
of
the
Jordan
Valley
and
to
compare
these
interactions
with
two
of
its
neighbor’s
Israeli
settlements.
Moreover,
I
looked
at
how
power
relations
within
the
two
locations
are
affecting
the
access
to
wa ter
for
water
users.
In
addition,
I
collected
and
analyzed
data
on
how
water
users
(both
Palestinian
and
Israeli)
are
dealing
with
this
situation
of
water
related
issues.
Finally,
I
analyzed
the
strength
and
the
limits
to
establish
an
IWRM
in
the
area.
I
decided
to
do
my
research
thesis
on
this
particular
topic
because
I
had
the
opportunity
to
go
to
Palestine,
to
really
see
and
live
the
situation.
I
did
my
bachelor
thesis
and
internship
with
ACS
2
,
an
Italian
Ngo
that
is
carrying
out
rural
development
projects
in
the
West
Bank
and
that
they
assisted
me
also
during
my
fieldwork
with
logistic
and
material
support.
What
really
touches
me
is
the
situation
of
injustice,
the
fact
that
in
every
conflict
the
consequences
are
for
civilians.
The
Palestinian
NGO
Friend
of
the
Earth
Middle
East,
without
whom
this
research
would
never
be
realized,
supported
me
with
the
collection
of
data
and
its
analysis.
Thanks
to
them,
I
had
the
opportunity
to
live
directly
in
the
location,
to
be
part
of
the
local
arena
and
to
study
how
the
current
water
situation
and
power
relations
are
affecting
people’s
livelihood
and
see
how
water
users
are
responding
to
them.
This
water
dispute
is
part
of
a
political
and
complex
situation
that
has
its
roots
in
the
history
of
the
XX
century
and
even
before.
This
is
closely
linked
to
the
national
and
cultural
identity
of
1
Strategic
because
they
are
in
area
C,
under
the
Israeli
military
and
civil
control,
and
are
near
the
two
rural
agribusiness
settlements.
2
ACS:
an
Italian
NGO
that
has
a
major
aim
implement
project
in
order
to
promote
cooperation
and
solidarity
between
people
2
both
parties,
but
also
with
the
sovereignty
matter
and
the
right
to
return
3
,
two
pillars
that
show
how
much
this
conflict
is
embedded
in
political
and
historical
labyrinths.
There
are
a
lot
of
responsibilities
and
interests
that
play
a
role
in
this
conflict
that
cannot
be
analyzed
in
this
research.
However,
they
need
to
be
taken
into
consideration
by
the
readers
and
in
primis
by
me
during
the
fieldwork
during
which,
I
faced
all
these
variables.
I
feel
truly
responsible
as
a
world
citizen
and
young
researcher
to
contribute
to
increase
the
knowledge
in
this
area
of
the
Jordan
Valley
about
this
problematic
in
terms
of
Palestinian
and
Israeli
water
accessibility.
Moreover,
I
think
it
is
important
to
report
the
local
community
struggle
over
the
formulation
and
materialization
of
having
access
to
water
in
order
to
give
them
a
voice.
Water,
land,
identity,
sovereignty
and
so
on
are
all
elements
that
cannot
be
analyzed
in
an
isolate d
manner
because
they
are
part
o f
the
same
puzzle.
The
high
politically
contested
nature
of
the
area
raises
another
issue
with
regard
to
finding
and
analyzing
data.
In
fact,
both
sides
and
their
epistemic
communities
have
been
able
to
shape
discourses
over
water
and
land
accessibility,
a
situation
that
it
is
strongly
present
on
the
ground .
I
am
aware
that
my
research
is
only
a
small
contribution
and
it
will
be
only
another
vision
of
the
story.
My
personal
perspective
would
be
using
an
activist
research
framework,
but
this
kind
of
approach
would
require
years
of
research
that
in
six
months
is
impossible
to
carry
ou t
in
a
complete
way.
However,
I
think
that
I
had
the
opportunity
to
enrich
and
live
this
approach
during
these
four
months
of
fieldwork
and
writing.
I
truly
believe
that
research
and
activism
can
work
together,
offering
local
communities
the
opportunity
to
be
in
the
policy
arena
and
contribute
to
social
change.
Nevertheless,
my
bias
was
not
an
obstacle,
but
(I
believe)
r ichness
in
the
sense
that
it
was
useful
to
reinforce
my
motivation
to
know
what
is
the
reality
in
the
field
and
how
water
users
are
able
to
manage
and
respond
to
these
water
issues
in
an
open
manner.
Moreover,
th is
approach
helped
me
to
open
myself
to
other
different
activists
reality
present
in
bo th
Palestine
and
Israel,
an
interesting
and
dynamic
situation,
that
it
requires
further
research.
1.2
Problem
Statement
Although
in
1995
with
Oslo
agreement
II
there
was
a
recognition
of
the
right
to
water
for
Palestinians
in
the
West
Bank
and
despite
th e
fact
that
the
settlements
are
considered
illegal
according
to
International
law
(Geneva
convention,
art.49
&
53
4
),
currently
in
the
area
of
Al-‐
Auja
and
Fasaiyl
close
to
Niran
and
Tomer
settlements
it
is
unclear
how
power
relations
are
affecting
water
accessibility
in
terms
of
quantity
available
and
distribution
in
agriculture
and,
as
a
consequence,
people’s
livelihood.
Moreover
it
is
unclear
how
water
users
are
dealing
with
this
water
related
issues,
what
are
their
strategies
or
struggles
to
deal
with
thi s
situation.
My
focus
will
be
on
water
availability
and
power
relations
within
and
between
the
Palestinian
community
and
the
Israeli
ones
where
I
collected
data
about
the
stakeholders
involved
and
about
the
strategies
that
both
parties
are
establishing
rel ated
to
water
accessibility
and
3
Right
to
return
is
part
of
the
Arab/Israeli
conflict.
After
1948
and
the
creation
of
the
Israeli
state
a
lot
of
Palestinians
were
forced
or
decide
to
leave
their
land
and
they
migrated
to
the
current
West
Bank
and
the
Arab ic
neighboring
countries.
Accord ing
to
the
international
law,
Israel
should
give
to
Palestinians
the
right
to
return
on
their
land,
but
this
would
imply
the
recognition
of
a
Palestinian
state
and
identity.
4
Art.
49.
Individual
or
mass
forcible
transfers,
as
well
as
deportations
of
prot ected
persons
from
occupied
territory
to
the
territory
of
the
Occupying
Power
or
to
that
of
any
other
country,
occupied
or
not,
are
prohibited,
regardless
of
their
motive.
(Geneva
Convention,
1949)
Art.53. Any
destruction
by
the
Occupying
Power
of
real
or
personal
property
belonging
individually
or
collectively
to
private
persons,
or
to
the
State,
or
to
other
public
authorities,
or
to
social
or
cooperative
organizations,
is
prohibited,
except
where
such
destruction
is
rendered
absolutely
necessary
by
military
operations.
(Geneva
Convention,
1949)
Final
Report
3
distributions
in
agriculture.
I
decide
to
focus
on
one
small
case
study
and
not
on
the
entire
Palestinian
Jordan
Valley
because
of
time
and
resources
and
also
to
have
the
possibility
to
analyze
in
a
deeper
way
the
current
si tuation.
1.3
Research
Questions
“How
to
understand
the
current
relationship
between
water
and
people
in
the
Palestinian
areas
of
Al-‐Auja
and
Fasayil
versus
the
two
settlements
of
Niran
and
Tomer
in
terms
of
accessibility
of
water,
power
relations
(betwee n
the
stakeholders
involved)
and
water
users
struggles
and
/or
strategies?
Is
it
possible
in
this
situation
an
IWRM?”
In
this
context,
this
res earch
will
address
four
main
research
questions:
-‐How
are
power
relationships
affecting
the
access
to
water
of
these
communities?
-‐How
is
water
accessibility
affecting
people’s
livelihood?
-‐How
and
why
are
water
users
dealing
and
/or
struggling
from
these
influences
(previous
two
questions)?
-‐
Is
it
possible
an
IWRM
in
this
situation?
The
main
questions
are
disaggregate
in
sub-‐questions,
which
are
grouped
in
three
blocks
and
they
are
1.
Impact
of
water
accessibility
on
people’s
livelihood
2.
The
effect
of
power
relations
on
water
accessibility
3.
Struggles
and
strategies
of
water
users
4.
Limits
and
strength
of
an
IWRM
Sub-‐Questions:
For
each
sub
questions
other
questions
were
developed
in
order
to
gather
the
data
in
the
most
clear
way
(see
ANNEX
A).
1. How
are
power
relations
affecting
the
water
accessibility
of
these
communities?
2. How
is
the
impact
of
water
accessibility
influencing
water
users’
livelihood
in
the
area?
3. How
are
water
users
dealing
and
/or
struggling
in
relation
to
water
accessibility?
4. According
to
the
overall
situation
in
these
villages,
is
it
possible
an
IWRM?
4
1.4
Objectives
The
main
objective
of
my
research
is
to
understand
what
are
the
relationships
between
water
and
people.
It
also
investigates
how
the
current
water
availability
in
agriculture
and
power
relations
are
affecting
water
agricultural
users
and
how
people
within
these
communities
are
reacting
and
mobilizing
in
this
situation.
Moreover,
one
of
the
objectives
is
also
to
understand
if
the
integrated
water
Resource
management
is
possible
in
the
area
of
the
Jordan
Valley
in
Palestine
by
a
previous
identification
of
the
different
stakeholders
present
in
the
area.
Related
to
my
objective,
there
are
several
sub-‐objectives
and
these
are:
-‐ Understand
the
water
uses
in
my
case
study
areas
-‐ Observe
and
analyze
the
power
relations
between
the
stakehol ders
involved.
-‐ Understand
the
water
users
response
and
strategies
to
deal
with
the
accessibility
(few
or
not)
to
water
and
land.
-‐ Understand
the
different
stakeholders
involved
and
their
relevance
o r
limits
in
create
an
integrated
water
resource
management
plan.
-‐ Collect
data
on
the
water
accessibility
and
distribution
within
these
communities
-‐ Comparing
the
data
on
water
accessibility
and
distribution
between
Israelis
and
Palestinian
communities.
These
last
two
objectives
are
not
supported
by
an
already
data
background
and
not
either
a
confrontation
with
existing
data.
They
are
the
results
of
people’s
knowledge
and
perspective
of
their
land
and
water
uses.
These
data
were
hard
to
find
and
compare
with
official
database
because
of
the
hard
socio -‐political
situation
of
the
place,
which
made
it
impossible
to
obtain
the
information
from
an
official
database
in
these
communities
(in
the
two
settlements)
o
and
because
some
of
the
stakeholders
involved
were
not
willing
to
be
involved
in
this
research.
However,
I
thin k
it
is
important
at
least
to
mention
and
report
them
because
they
are
data
collected
from
the
field
and
it
is
knowledge
about
what
is
the
current
situation .
1.5
Relevance
Understanding
the
reality
of
water
accessibility
and
distribution
in
agriculture
in
this
area
of
the
Palestinian
Jordan
Valley
( Al-‐Auja
and
Fasayle
&
Tomer
and
Niran)
is
both
a
challenge
and
an
opportunity
in
order
not
to
change
the
world,
but
to
carry
out
an
independent
research
able
to
analyze
the
role
of
water
users,
their
res ponsibility
and
behavior
as
a
starting
point
of
action.
The
focus
of
my
research
is
on
water
distribution
and
accessibility
(ground
water
and
surface
water)
in
agriculture,
starting
from
the
assumption
that
the
actual
distribution
and
allocation
of
this
na tural
resource
is
the
result
of
both
a
complex
and
political
contestation
and
also
a
playground
of
many
political
and
economic
interests.
For
this
reason ,
I
also
look
on
how
power
relations
within
these
communities
are
affecting
(or
not)
the
water
accessibility
in
agriculture.
By
looking
at
the
situation
on
the
ground ,
I
tried
to
open
and
deconstruct
a
bit
the
black
boxes
of
water
allocation
and
distribution,
analyzing
what
is
really
happening
on
the
ground.
Final
Report
5
This
research
also
contributes
to
increase
the
knowledge
about
the
current
situation
in
this
area
of
the
West
Bank.
Moreover,
I
think
it
was
interesting
doing
this
parallel
research
between
a
Palestinian
and
Israeli
community,
comparing
them
not
only
in
terms
of
power
relations
and
natural
resource
acc ess
and
distribution,
but
also
looking
at
how
water
users
are
dealing/responding
to
the
current
situation
and
what
is
their
perception
on
water
in
the
community.
This
can
be
useful
for
further
research
in
the
area
and
also
to
see
how
local
strategies
and
r esponses
can
differ
(or
not)
from
the
national,
international
political
direction.
1.6
Thesis
Outline
This
thesis
is
divided
in
eight
chapters.
This
introduction
is
followed
by
the
theoretical
framework
(Chapter
2)
and
the
methodology
(Chapter
3).
Chapter
4
th
is
dedicated
to
the
historical,
physical
and
geopolitical
situation
of
the
Jordan
Valley
and
has
the
aim
to
introduce
the
study
area
analyzed.
Both
chapter
5
th
and
6
th
zoom
in
by
analyzing
how
power
relations
are
affecting
water
distribution
and
all ocation
in
agriculture
in
the
case
study
area
of
Niran
and
Al-‐Auja
(first
case
study
Ch.5
th
)
and
the
other
is
Tomer
versus
Fasayil
(Second
case
study
Ch.6
th
).
Chapter
7
th
illustrates
the
strength
and
the
limits
of
implementing
an
IWRM
in
this
area.
The
concluding
chapter
addresses
the
research
questi on
and
is
followed
by
recommendations
(Chapter
8
th
).
2 Theoretical
Framework
This
chapter
is
presenting
the
main
theories
and
concepts
that
I
use
to
edge
this
research.
Fig
2.1
shows
the
logical
order
that
I
follow
to
analyze
the
data.
The
order
and
the
shape
of
this
figure
follow
my
logical
demand
and
research
focus.
I
design
a
Pyramid
because
symbolizes
the
three
level
of
political
and
time
hierarchy:
water
as
political
contested
resource
at
the
first
le vel
implies
the
relation
of
water
with
the
past
and
present
political
situation
of
the
Israeli -‐Palestinian
conflict,
the
second
level
is
represented
by
power
relation,
water
rights
and
water
struggles
concepts
that
have
the
aim
to
frame
how
people
in
the
ground
(in
this
case
in
the
Jordan
Valley)
are
dealing
with
these
water
related
issues
in
the
present.
The
third
and
last
level
is
related
to
the
future
and
is
the
IWRM
concept.
It
is
at
the
bottom
level
because
it
helped
me
to
understand
if
it
is
possible
an
IWRM
in
the
JV
case
st udies
seeing
the
current
water
and
people
situation
on
the
ground.
Analyze
water,
power
and
people
in
the
Jordan
valley
implies
the
necessity
to
analyze
water
as
political
contested
resource
within
the
Israeli -‐Palestinian
conflict.
This
concept
is
the
first
level
of
analysis,
then
link
to
this
one
the
second
level
of
concepts
is
the
one
represented
by
power
relations,
water
rights
and
water
struggles.
All
these
three
concepts
are
embedded
in
the
concepts
above
but
with
different
f orms
and
outcomes.
Within
in
these
three
concepts
there
are
others
minors
ones
related
to
the
situation
that
all
the
Palestinian
villages
are
living
in
The
Jordan
valley
that
are
water
and
food
security,
water
and
livelihood,
water
management
as
a
sociotechnical
system.
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