Israel’s efforts at water diplomacy make slow progress 

Al-Monitor Pro Members

David Rosenberg

Israeli reporter specializing in business, economics and politics

July 31, 2023

Israel is keen on leveraging its water technology and achievements in exploiting limited water resources to build ties with the Arab world. As part of that drive, the government plans to send a 1,000-person delegation to the COP-28 climate conference next November in Dubai. The Abraham Accords have opened opportunities for partnerships in water and climate tech generally between Israel and signatory countries. But while deals have been announced, follow-through has been slow. Political strains since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government took power are undercutting plans for collaboration and knowledge-sharing. However, water collaboration may now gain momentum as necessity increasingly outweighs politics. The July heat wave has pointed up the rapidly developing impact of climate change on Middle East and North African water supplies.

Scenario 1: Israeli-regional water collaboration fails to develop 

Although there is an urgent need for water, collaboration with Israel will fail to develop, mainly due to the Palestinian issue. Even in the face of severe water crunches, many countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, will prohibit or limit collaboration due to domestic political opposition. Jordan will continue water-sharing with Israel because it has no alternative, but it will avoid using Israeli technology. While political obstacles to water collaboration in the Gulf are lower, these are lucrative markets, and Israel will continue to face competition from Western and Asian companies and governments. On the Israeli side, Israel’s high-tech industry will fail to attract enough investment capital to further develop and commercialize technologies.  

Scenario 2: Water crises serve as a segue to normalization 

Severe and rapid deterioration of the environment due to climate change and the cumulative effects of government mismanagement leave many Arab governments with no choice but to seek out Israeli assistance. Resistance to doing business with Israel due to the Palestinian issue will recede in the face of domestic environmental crises. Although the most hardline countries will not act, others such as Jordan, Egypt, Qatar and Oman, will become more open to collaboration. There may even be deals done under the radar with countries like Saudi Arabia or Tunisia, as was the case with Gulf countries prior to the Abraham Accords. Much like it has with defense and cyberwarfare technology, Israel’s government will thus leverage its technological capabilities in water and the environment as a means of cementing regional ties, encouraging local companies to reach deals. 

David Rosenberg has more than 30 years experience reporting, commenting and speaking on business, economics and politics in Israel and the Middle East. He has worked for Reuters, The Jerusalem Post and Dow Jones, and was bureau chief for Israel for Bloomberg News. He is the author of two books (Cloning Silicon Valley, 2001, and Israel’s Technology Economy, 2018) and has been published in The Wall Street Journal and Foreign Policy. He now writes commentary for the Haaretz daily.