East Side Story: Palestinian Narratives On Water Supply And Environmental Security In East Jerusalem

Abstract: The issue of water in the Israel-Palestine conflict is a long-debated topic that continues to be one of the main obstacles in peace negotiations today. Extensive research exists on the water crisis on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but few studies scrutinizing how the situation plays out in East Jerusalem are available. This thesis aims to fill a small part of this scientific gap. By gathering information on how Palestinians in East Jerusalem perceive their water supply and the actions they have taken to better their situation, the study strives to examine links between resource scarcity, and violence and human insecurity. Based on theories of Protracted Social Conflict and Environmental Security, a narrative approach was used to conduct interviews in East Jerusalem from April to July 2010 as part of a Minor Field Study. Results came to find that some respondents experience their water supply as problematic, but due to more pressing issues being prioritized as well as fear of the Israeli authorities, few measures are taken to bring about improvements. In conducting the interviews, it became clear that the issue of identity plays a major part for Palestinian Jerusalemites and future studies are recommended to take this into consideration.