Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)
1949: Demarcation of the Armistice line at end of 1948 war fails to consider the need for water access, leads to tensions over unilateral water development.
1955: U.S. Special Envoy Eric Johnston produces the “Johnston Plan”, a regional approach to water development. Never officially ratified, the plan was accepted by technical committees and Israeli and Arab governments have generally adhered to its allocations. In the same year, Israel builds the National Water Carrier to divert water from the Jordan River to southern Israel and the Negev desert.
1964: Syria and Jordan begin construction of a dam to divert the flow of waters from the Yarmouk and Banias Rivers to limit the capacities of the National Water Carrier. Tensions over the creation of the National Water Carrier and construction of the dam contribute to the 1967 War.
1967: The 1967 War results in Israel gaining control of the West Bank and the Golan Heights, including two of the three headwaters, and three of the major aquifers of the Jordan River, as well as the Sea of Galilee.
1991: During the Madrid Conference, Israel and Arab representatives recognize the need for joint cooperation on water issues.
1994: Signed on October 26, the Israeli-Jordanian Treaty of Peace call for the ‘rightful allocations’ of the Jordan River, Yarmouk River and Arava ground water, along with the transferring of information, mutual collaboration and establishing a water committee to implement agreement.
1995: Israeli and Palestinian officials conclude the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Article 40 establishes general principles for water and sewage development, identifies areas for mutual cooperation and provides for a joint water committee and joint supervision enforcement teams
1996: Israel, Jordan, and the PLO sign the Declaration of Principles for Cooperation among the Core Parties on Water-Related Matters and New and Additional Waters.
This agreement identifies mutual problems and proposes areas for future cooperation between the three parties.
