Before the drought struck however, Israel was struggling with water shortages and allocations with other nations. From 1948 to 1994, both Jordan and Israel failed to negotiate over rights to the Jordan River and other water sources. That led to over- extraction that harmed the environment and caused violent conflict. In 1994, the historic Israel-Jordan peace treaty was signed, with cooperative water access as one of its key tenants. This is one of the oldest working examples of bilateral water cooperation used as a basis to end conflict. A living symbol of the deal is known as Naharayim Park, or the Island of Peace on the Jordan-Israeli border. The location is the site of the convergence of two of the previously contested river sources, the Jordan and Yaramouk. This is perhaps the earliest instance of a Shemer’s vision of a Neve Sha'anan type community. |