7. Decision

Since a large scale desalination project would affect the populations of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Authority should have some say in the negotiations. Israel may resist sharing administrative control over water, which it views as intimately connected to national security. Other countries that could become involved in a water distribution scheme if the canal system was expanded include Egypt, which controls the Nile River, and Lebanon, which controls the Litani River. Regional participation in a canal project would hopefully spark progress in the peace process.