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well-equipped laboratories to this end. They have also developed a relatively broad infrastructure and network for regular monitoring. Many misunderstandings between the two sides were clarified as a result of the project. It also offered a rare opportunity to present the outcomes and associated recommendations to official decision-makers on both Israeli and Palestinian sides. The project suffered, however, due to its inability to access streams in the Gaza region. As one of the watersheds examined was the Hebron-Besor Basin, which eventually flows to the Mediterranean via the Gaza Strip, it was unfortunate that this section of the watershed could not be monitored. Despite initial discussions, the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) did not participate officially in the research project. This was largely due to the political dynamics of that period. While it was certainly interested, especially given the clear institutional interests in developing its laboratories, the political situation at that time meant that the PWA could not be a partner. In retrospect, this was valuable for the Palestinian research team, which developed in-house expertise. Results of the project were disseminated to all relevant parties, governmental and nongovernmental . Yet, in the future, the monitoring of streams and rivers needs to be done by national authorities on a larger scale. The Good Water Neighbors Project and Other Cooperative Stream Initiatives Beyond research, public interest, action, and educational-oriented programs have emerged that address the problem of stream water quality. Friends of the Earth Middle East, a regional environmental NGO with Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli offices, has for several years been engaged in a public awareness and protection initiative called the Good Water Neighbors Project. The project focuses on crossborder co-operation on environment and water issues between neighboring communities . Due to its activities, Palestinians and Israelis have been able to consider water conservation techniques, such as recycling gray-water, and build small-scale treatment plants such as wetlands. The project also works in schools on initiatives such as reusing water to flush toilets and for irrigation as well as learning how to conserve water and harvest rainwater. Friends of the Earth Middle East works with the community to look at the impacts of community water usage and organization on the local stream flow and quality as well as the aquifer recharge. The project also actively promotes organic agriculture. One of the perceived obstacles to Palestinian efforts to reduce contamination of streams involves capacity and technology. Small, dispersed communities with little funds and no highly trained personnel are not considered capable of stopping wastewater flow. The Good Water Neighbors Project shows that small communities can easily handle their wastewater with small-scale, low-cost technologies. The biggest problem faced by the GWN Project involves a chronic lack of financial resources. This means that only pilot initiatives, workshops, and demonstrations can be pursued and that more meaningful interventions involving nationwide, fully operational projects are not possible. In short, the GWN Project can and should be nader el-khateeb 132 much bigger. Other communities are asking to join. On the Palestinian side, it enjoys the full support of the Palestinian Authority and seeks to include as many communities as possible. Working with small communities has helped to highlight their problems among decision-makers and donors, using methods such as petitions . These methods have helped keep some donors committed. A good case about the potential of cooperation on surface water is the discussion that emerged about how to coordinate joint sewage treatment plants between continuous communities. For example, between Emek Hefer and Tulkarem (in the Zomar-Alexander catchment area) such facilities have been established as well as between Baqa Shartiya and Baqa el-Garbiya. The project showed that all communities involved are willing to work jointly, and the national authorities are also willing to provide encouragement to such grassroots efforts. Due to the catalyst of civil society, mayors on both sides met to discuss in more detail how to proceed to ensure that water reaching streams is of higher quality. Such cooperation often catches the attention and support of donors. Indeed, transboundary projects that attempt to improve stream quality tend to be win-win projects—in which all sides benefits as do water resources. At the end of the day, the reality of transboundary water dynamics is either a win-win or a loose-loose proposition. Residents of all communities want to get rid of the raw sewage flowing by their homes and stop the associated smells and...

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