ABSTRACT
One of the aspects of the Palestine Problem, which has recently taken a serious turn and attracted much international attention, is the Jordan water dispute. On the one hand Israel has completed a project which enables it to draw large quantities of water from the river, while on the other hand Syria has embarked on a project designed to cut off the headwaters of the Jordan to prevent them from reaching Israel. Israel suffers from a serious shortage of water. The Jordan is a small river, one of the smaller perennial rivers of the Middle East. All development projects concerning the Jordan are planned to harness the river or its tributaries above its junction with the Yarmouk. The factors underlying the Jordan water dispute are primarily political ones, and can only be fully appreciated against the general background of the Palestine problem and the state of Arab Israeli relations.
