Saturday, November 12, 2011

Architect for Peace - Chapter 7 - Water & Power Resources


The most precious resource in the Middle East is water. Much of the history of this conflict (and wars in general) have been linked to water rights. Consequently the one goal that the Israelis and Palestinians work the closest together on is water.

Giving up the West Bank means Israel loses access to the Jordan River – which is the most important source of water in the region. Also many wells in the West Bank will not be accessible. This is quite a hardship for the Israelis – their survival depends on access to water.

There really is only one solution to this problem - Water Desalination. This is something that the Gulf states are quite advanced at.

I propose that a (very large) water desalination plant be built on the Palestinian side of the Gaza border with Israel. This plant would be managed by the Palestinians, and would provide water to the Israelis as well as the whole of Gaza.

These plants require a lot of energy, so there would need to be a power plant built, large enough to provide the needed power (and provide for all of the areas electrical needs).

I propose that Israel construct a nuclear power plant on their side of the border. These 2 complexes side-by-side would create an excellent buffer zone and offer improved infrastructure to everyone. In this way, the surrounding area would be co-dependent on each other. There would be good paying (high tech) jobs and it's in everyone's best interest to keep this infrastructure safe

I also propose building another one of these complexes near Hadera/Tulkarm (and possibly at the Lebanese border). This would provide water and electricity that would benefit the people of Palestine and Israel both.

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