Israel’s water story: Success or crisis?
DOI: 10.1063/PT.3.3413
When I received the June 2016 issue of Physics Today, I was surprised to see that a piece featured on the cover was about Israel’s water success story.
The item (page 24 ) blithely celebrates Israel’s innovative technology for optimizing water usage and delivery to agricultural lands. It covers most of the technical strategy developed over the years, but it overlooks a key policy explaining the effectiveness of Israel’s water management.
Since 1967 Israel has pursued a policy of monopolizing water in occupied Palestinian territories. Palestinians are denied the right to drill wells on their own land or to repair existing ones. The policy includes the destruction of wells, irrigation systems, and water lines in the West Bank and near the borders of the Gaza Strip. 1 As a result, the 4 million Palestinians living in those areas have less than the minimum quantity of water for domestic use established by the World Health Organization.
I understand the scientific vocation of the American Institute of Physics (AIP) and perhaps its desire to remain neutral on political issues. However, by failing to acknowledge the existence of a massive humanitarian crisis revolving around the very subject of the story, AIP is tacitly endorsing the brutal oppression of the Palestinian people.
As a member of the American Physical Society, I ask that you inform your readers of the ongoing water crisis in the Palestinian territories.
References
1. Amnesty International, Troubled Waters—Palestinians Denied Fair Access to Water (October 2009) https://www.amnestyusa.org/pdf/mde150272009en.pdf .
More about the Authors
Gabriel Antonius. (antonius@lbl.gov) University of California, Berkeley; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
