Event reports
With Dr. Marwa Daoudy from the University of Geneva and Dr. Abdullah Abu Eid from Birzeit University, two expert speakers had been invited to introduce the issue to an equally high ranking audience, including the Head of the Palestinian Water Authority and his delegation who lead the permanent status negotiations on water with Israel.
Dr. Daoudy gave a concise introduction into the development of International Water Law and the role it plays in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She specially pointed to the obligation under International Water Law to protect clean water from contamination which in the Palestinian Territories first and foremost pertains to the Israeli authorities since it is them who primarily manage the Palestinian water resources.
At this stage, Dr. Abu Eid took over and elaborated on the history and the current state of the struggle over water resources in the Palestinian Territories. In his view, the Palestinians discovered far too late the importance of the water issue, not only in connection to their conflict with Israel, but also as one of the basic pillars of a future viable Palestinian state.
By supporting the Legal Encounter lecture series, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Ramallah encourages the establishment of rule of law in the Palestinian Autonomous Territories.