JCPA LOGO
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs

Water in Israel in 2020

Water in Israel in 2020

The growing water shortage in Israel and the Middle East is the focus of a major new project now underway at the Jerusalem Center, undertaken in cooperation with the office of Ronald S. Lauder.

This multidisciplinary study is being directed by a committee that includes Ben-Gurion University President Avishai Braverman; Major General (res.) Uri Sagi, Chairman of Mekorot (Israel's national water company) and former head of military intelligence; and Prof. Uriel Safriel of the Negev Research Institute.

JCPA has commissioned the leading experts in the field to offer their recommendations for dealing with the problem, and the results of this research will be published in book form in both English and Hebrew, edited by Prof. Eliyahu Rosental.

The research will include reports on the following aspects:

  1. Water Resources of Israel in 2020 - Prof. Eliyahu Rosental
  2. The Influence of Possible Climatic Changes on Water Resources in the Middle East - Prof. Arye Isser, Prof. of Geography & Hydrology, Ben-Gurion University
  3. Advanced Agriculture, the Advantageous Use of Water, and its Influence on Water Consumption - Prof. Yiftah Ben Asher, Prof. of Geography & Hydrology, Ben-Gurion University
  4. Salinization of Water Sources in the Middle East: Current Levels, Future Prospects, and the Mechanism of Decline in Water Quality - Dr. Avner Vengosh, Senior Lecturer at Ben-Gurion University, expert in Geochemistry and Isotope Hydrology
  5. Identification and Allocation of Water Resources in a Joint International Acquifer: The Arava Reservoir, Jordan, and Israel - Dr. Elon Adar, Prof. of Geography & Hydrology and expert on desert studies, Ben-Gurion University
  6. The Kinneret - Zvi Ortenberg, Chairman of the Kinneret Authority
  7. The Water Delivery System from the State's Perspective - Shimon Sarussi, economist and Special Advisor to the Bank of Israel
  8. Water Economics and Technical-Economic Considerations in the Privatization of Water Systems - Shimon Sarussi.
  9. Regional Cooperation and Possible Projects in the Field of Water - Shimon Sarussi
  10. The Interrelationship between Energy and Water Delivery - Dr. Amit Mor, formerly with the World Bank and currently an independent advisor to public and private sectors
  11. The Strategic Aspect - Major General (Res.) Uri Sagi, Chairman of Mekorot Water Co., special advisor to Israeli governments on the strategic implications of the water issue
  12. Regional Political and Strategic Aspects of the Water Issue - Meir Ben Meir, former Water Commissioner