Water, Cooperation, and Peace: The Peacebuilding Significance of Joint Israeli-Palestinian Wastewater Projects
Abstract
Section on Symbolism and Cooperation over Wastewater: This section of the report investigates how Palestinians and Israelis view cooperation over wastewater symbolically, and the obstacles and opportunities these symbolic values present with regard to the peacebuilding potential of cooperative wastewater projects. Specifically, it explores what cooperation in wastewater treatment symbolizes to different groups of individuals, as well as how that symbolic meaning manifests itself in their vision of future Israeli-Palestinian relations. Findings from this section indicate that despite current limitations on the peacebuilding potential of cooperative wastewater efforts, opportunities to expand their significance exist. To capitalize on these opportunities, greater acknowledgment of the symbolic meaning of cooperative acts is needed.