Parting The Waters Summary

In the article ‘Parting the Waters’ by Don Belt he explain the water wars that are raging in the Middle East. Belt examines the importance of the Jordan River to the existence of many of the Middle East countries. The drought that has affected the Middle East in recent years has led to the pollution of the river and tension between the countries. Over the centuries the Jordan River and its headwaters have been the root of many conflicts among the those states which rely upon those waters as a source of life. Now as the population and the tension between the neighboring countries grow so do the efforts to gain control of the Jordon River. Israel has problems within its own borders with the West Bank area and the water shortage there. In the article Belt tells of his time spent with Friends of the Earth Middle East …show more content…
The people of these countries rely heavily upon the Jordan River as a water source, which has cause many conflicts in the region. The countries that countries that contain the headwaters have many times tried to control these waters entirely cutting of the water supply to the other countries. These acts of aggression have caused major conflicts in the Middle East such as the Six Day War between Israel and its neighboring countries. The Six Day War stemmed from Syria diverting the waters of the Baniyas River, which is a headwater for the Jordan, as well as other Arab nations attacking the Israeli National Water Carrier Project. The conflicts in the Middle East have grown in intensity as the scarcity of water has risen. Since 1950 there have been thirty-seven military conflicts over water thirty of which have involved Israel and its Arab neighbors. Even as the number of conflicts over the Jordan River have risen these countries have put into effect agreements on how to divvy water between the countries in times of