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Strip water crisis. Everyone in the region has the right to adequate quantity and quality of water, even as the specifics of such an arrangement have yet to be determined by the parties. The recognition of the rights to water and the fact that most water sources in the region are cross-border resources illuminate the ongoing need for coordinated water management strategy between all regional water authorities. As water is a scarce commodity in the region and all parties already suffer from lack of sufficient and adequate quality of water for domestic and agriculture users, the most feasible and immediate solution for Gaza Strip is associated with the production of new water by means of desalination and treatment of effluents. • Desalination Plants: Joint cooperation is needed in establishing seawater desalination plants with high capacity in the short (3 to 5 years) and long term (15 to 20 years). • Wastewater Treatment Plants: Develop projects in the wastewater sector and establish reuse of treated wastewater by joint management between the two parties in operation and exchange of experience and information with bilateral and/or regional cooperation. • Bilateral and Regional Cooperation: Cooperation and coordination are necessary in the management of water resources and projects through a common committee to mange the water sector (JWC). • Cooperation and Exchange of Experience: There needs to be development and sharing of scientific, technical, and academic knowledge between the universities and research centers in order to develop common projects in the water sector, aiming on increasing research to present new recommendations. Extending an invitation to the international community and neighboring countries such as Jordan and Egypt to participate in the infrastructure projects, such as desalination plants and/or wastewater treatment plants, will help in accelerating the production of additional water for Gaza. It will also strengthen the peace process, which may encourage donors to further support the water production and management sectors. references CAMP. 2000. Integrated aquifer management plan. Coastal Aquifer Management Program, Metcalf and Eddy in cooperation with the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA). U.S. Agency for International Development, May. Greitzer, D., J. Dan. 1967 The effect of soil landscape and quanternary geology on the distribution of saline and fresh water aquifers in the Coastal Plain of Israel, Water Planning for iIsrael Tel Aviv, Tahal, Ltd. June 1967. Hadi, A. A. 1997. Gaza water crisis worsening. The Palestine Report, May 16, 2 (49). Nasser, Y. 2003. Palestinian water needs and rights in the context of past and future development . In Water in Palestine: Problems, politics, prospects, ed. F. Daibes, 85–123. Jerusalem: Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (PASSIA). Weinthal, E., A. Vengosh, A. Marei, A. Gutierrez, and W. Kloppmann. 2005. The water crisis in the Gaza Strip: Prospects for resolution. Ground Water 43 (5): 654. The Gaza Water Crisis 277 278 O Editors’ Summary The recent violence and military clash between Israel and the Gaza Strip is particularly unfortunate because this small, crowded, and indigent area is in desperate hydrological straights. The inevitable damage to infrastructure associated with fullscale war only exacerbated what was already a deplorable situation. Both the quantity and the quality of the available groundwater are unacceptable, and basic sanitation services are largely deficient. The impact on Palestinian public health and groundwater resources is severe. Even putting aside the humanitarian imperatives , the proximity of one of Israel’s primary desalination facilities to the border with Gaza makes the steady discharges of raw Gazan sewage into the sea an Israeli problem as well as a Palestinian one. In short, there is a consensus that the severity of Gaza’s water conditions makes it the top priority in international assistance for water in the area. It is also clear what needs to be done, and this is set forward clearly by Yousef Abu-Mayla and Eilon Adar. Substantial infrastructure investment must begin with rebuilding a modern sewage collection and treatment system. As the Gaza Strip is ultimately a single metropolitan area, a highly efficient, comprehensive wastewater system, taking advantage of economies of scale, is essential. International commitment to investment in rebuilding Gaza after the recent conflict is substantial, and this creates an opportunity that should include ambitious sewage infrastructure. Regardless of the specific political dynamics at any given time, Israel must allow this project to take place and facilitate construction activities. It is, after all, in its own hydrological self-interest to do so. Given the steady deterioration in the southern Coastal Aquifer...

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