The East Mediterranean region is part of the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), which is recognized as one of the driest and most water scarce regions in the world. While holding 5% of the world’s total population, the MENA region contains less than 1% of the global renewable water resources (World Bank, 1996). The renewable water resources in the region amount to 245 billion m3 and the population living there is more than 122 million persons (World Resource Institute, 2003). However, the water resources in this region have been exploited at much higher rates than what can be replenished by nature to meet the needs of the rapidly growing population and the expansion in agriculture and industry. The overexploitation has increasingly depleted the water resources in the region. Furthermore, the absence of a comprehensive and integrated management of the water resources which are transboundary and shared between the countries of the region has resulted in an inequitable allocation of the shared water resources making water a catalyst for conflict. Therefore, this paper will describe the roots of water conflict over the shared water resources among the countries of the East Mediterranean region particularly Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Israel.

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