What are the humanitarian consequences of water scarcity in these regions, particularly regarding displacement, public health, and food security?

The Weaponization of Water and Its Humanitarian Impact – Case Studies of Turkey-Syria and Israel-Gaza

1. Introduction
Water is not only a vital resource but also a strategic tool in conflicts, especially in water-scarce regions like the Middle East. Control over water can be leveraged to exert political pressure, manipulate agricultural output, and create humanitarian crises. This research examines how water has been weaponized in the Turkey-Syria and Israel-Gaza conflicts and how water scarcity exacerbates humanitarian crises and food insecurity.

By analyzing these cases, this study will assess:
Is there weaponization of water ( discuss in details and pls make 8 pages of this essay to answer this question)
The role of water control in conflict dynamics.
The humanitarian consequences, including displacement, malnutrition, and agricultural collapse.
Whether water diplomacy can serve as a pathway for peacebuilding.

How has water been weaponized in the Turkey-Syria and Israel-Gaza conflicts?
What are the humanitarian consequences of water scarcity in these regions, particularly regarding displacement, public health, and food security?
How do power asymmetries in water control contribute to long-term instability and vulnerability?
Can transboundary water governance and cooperation mitigate the humanitarian impact and prevent future conflicts?
Background & Context
Case 1: Turkey-Syria and the Euphrates-Tigris Conflict

Turkey controls the headwaters of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, giving it strategic power over Syria and Iraq.
The Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) has drastically reduced water availability downstream, affecting Syria’s drinking water supply, agriculture, and hydropower generation.
During the Syrian Civil War, water infrastructure was used as a weapon by multiple actors:
Turkey restricted water flow to northern Syria, exacerbating humanitarian conditions.
ISIS and other armed groups seized dams to control territory and manipulate food supply chains.
Kurdish forces leveraged water access in negotiations with Turkey.
Food Security & Humanitarian Impact:
Severe agricultural decline in northern Syria due to lack of irrigation.
Mass displacement as farmers and rural populations lose access to water.
Waterborne diseases spreading due to deteriorating water quality.
Case 2: Israel-Gaza Water Crisis

Gaza relies on the Coastal Aquifer, but 97% of its water is undrinkable due to over-extraction and contamination (UN Reports).
Israel controls major Palestinian water resources, restricting:
Access to the Mountain Aquifer.
Infrastructure development and well drilling.
Humanitarian aid efforts targeting water access.
Humanitarian Crisis & Food Security:
Agricultural collapse in Gaza due to water scarcity and contamination.
Dependence on Israeli imports for food, worsening economic vulnerability.
Health crises due to lack of clean drinking water and sanitation.
Desalination and water cooperation efforts have been attempted but remain insufficient due to political tensions and conflict.

Theoretical Framework
This study applies a Political Ecology & Human Security approach, integrating:

Hydropolitics & Water as a Weapon – Examining how states and armed groups use water for control.
Environmental Conflict & Resource Scarcity – Exploring how water shortages intensify food insecurity and displacement.
Human Security & Power Asymmetries – Assessing how water control shapes humanitarian crises and political vulnerability.

Highlight the link between water control, food insecurity, and humanitarian crises.
Compare the Turkey-Syria and Israel-Gaza cases, identifying patterns of water-based conflict.
Propose policy recommendations for water diplomacy, conflict prevention, and humanitarian relief efforts.

KINDLY INCLUDE THESE AMONG THE REFERENCES & base the whole essay around them( footnotes & bibliography are needed)

Introduction & Background:
Climate Diplomacy (n.d.). Israel-Palestine: Water Sharing Conflict. Available at
Toussaint-Strausse, J. et al. (2023). Water crisis for Palestinians – Video. The Guardian, 23 November. Available at
Abukhater, A. (2019). Palestine – Peace by Piece: Transformative Conflict Resolution for Land and Transboundary Water Resources. Cham: Springer. Access via library catalogue, use direct link:
Ward, C., S. Ruckstuhl, and I. Learmont (2022). Water Security for Palestinians and Israelis: Towards a New Cooperation in Middle East Water Resources. London: I.B. Tauris. Access via library catalogue, use direct link:

Optional (mostly short, sometimes non-academic) readings:
Human Rights Watch (2024). Extermination and Acts of Genocide: Israel Deliberately Depriving Palestinians in Gaza of Water. 19 December. Available at
Lazarou, E. (2016). Water in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. European Parliament Research Service, Briefing Paper. Available at
Newspaper articles and blog posts:
Agha, Z. (2019). Israel’s problematic role in perpetuating water insecurity for Palestine. Atlantic Council, 28 June. Available at
Al Jazeera (2017) Water Grabbing: A Story of Water. Available at
Asous, D. (2023). “‘They ransack our village for sport’: one Palestinian farmer’s story of Israeli settler violence.” The Observer, 5 March. Available at
Asser, M. (2010). Obstacles to Arab-Israeli peace: Water. BBC News, 2 September. Available at
Black, Ian (2013). “Water under the bridge: how the Oslo agreement robbed the Palestinians.” The Guardian, 4 February. Available at
Bromberg, G. (2018). Israeli Water Diplomacy and National Security Concerns, EcoPeace Middle East. Available at
Bowen, J. (2017). 1967 war: Six days that changed the Middle East, BBC News, 5 June. Available at
Bromberg, G. et al. (2018). To make peace in the Middle East, focus first on water. Reuters, 2 February. Available at
Climate Diplomacy (n.d). Israel-Palestine: Water-Quality Issues. Available at:
Corradin, C. (2016). Israel: Water as a tool to dominate Palestinians. Al Jazeera, 23 June. Available at
EcoPeace Middle East (2019). EcoPeace Middle East addresses UN Security Council. 29 April. Available at
Elgendy, K. (2021). Canary in the coal mine: Gaza, the Levant, and climate change. Al-Jazeera, 7 July. Available at
Foong, A. (2021). Tapping into climate change: A way to build trust in the Middle East? Climate Diplomacy, 3 June. Available at
Freemark, S. and Smith, S. (2016). Israel: Using technology, engineering to cut reliance on Galilee. American RadioWorks, 12 May. Available at
Gayle, G. and N. Lakhani (2023). “Flooding Hamas tunnels with seawater risks ‘ruining basic life in Gaza’, says expert.” The Guardian, 23 December. Available at
Jackson, M. (2014). A Sister Cities Coalition Builds Peace Through Water in the Lower Jordan Valley. New Security Beat, 4 December. Available at
Jewish Virtual Library (n.d.). Water in Israel: Overview of Israel-Palestinian Water Issue. Available at
Kaplan-Zantopp, M. (2023). How Israel used innovation to beat its water crisis. ISRAEL21c, 28 February. Available at
Klein Leichman, A. (2022). How Israel swims against tide of worldwide water crisis. Israel21c, 6 November. Available at
Levitt, J. (2014). “Water: Conflict and Cooperation in Israel’s Jordan River Valley.” The Algemeiner, 3 March. Available at
Majikes, K. (2013). The Relationship between Water and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Asfar CIC. Available at
Mandel, J. (2023). Israel’s pioneering use of water ‘to the last drop’. Phys.org, 10 August. Available at
McKernan, B. and H. Balousha (2022). “‘The sea is more blue’: Gazans head to the beach after sewage cleanup.” The Guardian, 8 July. Available at

McKernan, B. and Q. Kierszenbaum (2022). “‘The land beyond the road is forbidden’: Israeli settler shepherds displacing Palestinians by stealth.” The Guardian, 20 June. Available at
McKernan, B. (2023). “A precious resource: how Israel uses water to control the West Bank.” The Guardian, 17 May. Available at
Najib, M. (2021). Palestine runs dry: ‘Our water they steal and sell to us’. Al Jazeera, 15 July. Available at:
Rahim, S. (2024). How Israel’s war on Gaza unraveled a landmark Mideast climate deal. Grist, 24 July. Available at
Ross, A. (2023). Warfare Dressed as Water Policy. Boston Review, 21 September. Available at
Schwartzstein, P. (2023). A Reminder from Israel and Gaza on the Importance and Limitations of Environmental Peacebuilding. New Security Beat, 13 October. Available at
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Zeitoun, M. and M. Dajani (2019). Israel is hoarding the Jordan River – it’s time to share the water. The Conversation, 19 December. Available at

Water Conflict and Israeli-Palestinian relations

Abukhater, A. (2019). Palestine – Peace by Piece: Transformative Conflict Resolution for Land and Trans-boundary Water Resources, Cham: Springer. [e-book]
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Ward, C., S. Ruckstuhl, and I. Learmont (2022). Water Security for Palestinians and Israelis: Towards a New Cooperation in Middle East Water Resources. London: I.B. Tauris.
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Amaso, B. and F. Allen (2021). “Water Management in the West Bank: Implications for the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.” In: C. Chereji et al. (eds.), Conflict and Climate Change, Babes-Bolayi University & University of Port Harcourt International Conference on Conflict Studies. Cluj-Napoca: Accent. Available at
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Barnard, E., 2019, ‘Gidon Bromberg on Water and Environmental Peacebuilding’, New Security Beat, 1 February. Available at
Text and podcast discuss the history and activities of EcoPeace Middle East: their Good Water Neighbors program brings together residents of Palestinian, Israeli, and Jordanian communities to focus on their shared water sources
Beach, G., 2016, ‘New chemical-free desalination tech helps bring water surplus to Israel’, Inhabitat, 2 August. Available at
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Brooks, D. and J. Trottier (2010). “Confronting Water in an Israeli-Palestinian Peace Agreement.” Journal of Hydrology, 382, pp. 103-114.
Conflict and Environment Observatory (2021). In situations of occupation where land, food and identity are intimately linked, planting a tree can become an act of resistance. 8 September. Available at
Dai, L. (2021). “Implementation constraints on Israel–Palestine water cooperation: An analysis using the water governance assessment framework.” Water, 13(5), 620. Open access at
Dajani, M. (2022). How Palestine’s climate apartheid is being depoliticised. openDemocracy, 25 February. Available at
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Frederiksen, H., 2003, ‘Water: Israeli Strategy, Implications for Peace and the Viability of Palestine’, Middle East Policy, 10(4), pp.69-86.
Frederiksen, H., 2005, ‘Return Palestinian Water Rights If Not Land: A Proposal’, Middle East Policy, 12(1), pp.72-78.
Fröhlich, C. J. (2012). “Security and discourse: the Israeli–Palestinian water conflict.” Conflict, Security & Development, 12(2), pp. 123-148.
Gvirtzman, H. (2012). The Israeli-Palestinian Water Conflict: An Israeli Perspective. Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan: Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. Available at
Also see other publications on water by this research centre here:
Gumas, E. D. (2021). The Use of Water as a Weapon Against Public Health in Palestine and Kashmir. BA Thesis, Fordham University, 22 May. Available at
Haddad, M., 2011, ‘Water Scarcity and Degradation in Palestine as Challenges, Vulnerabilities, and Risks for Environmental Security’, In: Brauch, H. et al. (eds.), Coping With Global Environmental Change, Disasters, and Security, Berlin: Springer, pp. 409-419. [e-book]
Harvey, F., 2018, ‘Are we running out of water?’, The Guardian, 18 June. Available at
Hassan, Marwan A. and McIntyre, Graham, 2012, ‘Palestinian Water: Resources, Use, Conservation, Climate Change, and Land Use’, Digest of Middle East Studies, 21(2), pp. 313-326.
Ide, T. and Fröhlich, C., 2015, ‘Socio-environmental cooperation and conflict? A discursive understanding and its application to the case of Israel and Palestine’, Earth System Dynamics, 6(2), pp. 659-671. Available at
Ide, T. (2017). “Space, discourse and environmental peacebuilding.” Third World Quarterly, 38(3), pp. 544-562.
Jeutner, Valentin, 2012, ‘Water Claims of a Palestinian State Under the Principles of International Law’, Georgetown International Environmental Law Review, 24, pp. 367-449.
Katz, D., Fischhendler, I., 2011, ‘Spatial and temporal dynamics of linkage strategies in Arab Israeli water negotiations’, Political Geography, 30(1), pp. 13-24.
Keinan, Tamar, 2005, ‘Water Justice: Water as a Human Right in Israel’. Global Issues Paper No. 15, pp. 2-37. Available at
Klawitter, Simone, 2008, ‘Water as a Human Right: The Understanding of Water Rights in Palestine’, in: Biswas, A. K. et al. (eds.), Water as a Human Right for the Middle East and North Africa, Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 95-120. Only available at
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Liebenguth, J., 2017, Ripple Effects: Sharing Water and Building Peace in the Jordan River Valley, New Security Beat, 15 December. Available at
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Includes a section on Palestine
Selby, J. (2003). Water, Power and Politics in the Middle East: The Other Israeli Palestinian Conflict, London: I.B. Tauris. [Short loan: H 2.56 SEL & e-book]
Selby, J. (2005). “The Geopolitics of Water in the Middle East: Fantasies and Realities.” Third World Quarterly, 26(2), pp. 329-349.
Selby, J. and C. Hoffmann (2012). “Water scarcity, conflict, and migration: a comparative analysis and reappraisal.” Environment and Planning C, 30(6), pp. 997-1014. [with a particular focus on Israel-Palestine]
Simpson, L. and M. T. Burnett (2016). “What Impact Does Control of Valuable Resources Have on Politics in the Middle East?” In: M. T. Burnett (ed.), Natural Resource Conflicts: From Blood Diamonds to Rainforest Destruction. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, pp. 312-320. [e-book]
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Websites:
Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine:
EcoPeace Middle East:
Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network:
Palestinian Water Authority:
Water Conflict Chronology:

Water Security, Conflict, Cooperation (more general sources, best leave for later)
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Conca, K. (2021). Advanced Introduction to Water Politics. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. [e-book]
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Kallis, G. and C. Zografos (2014). “Hydro-climatic change, conflict and security.” Climatic Change, 123(1), pp. 69-82.
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And see other publications by UN-Water here:

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