BLAKE, William Gilchrist, AlexanderBiblio.com
Report on the Water Resources of Transjordan and their Development.
1939réf. 167693London: Published on behalf of the Government of Transjordan by the Crown Agents for the Colonies 1939. Aqua-politics and the Middle East First edition first impression of this exhaustive report on the water resources of the Jordan Basin intended to "determine their adequacy to support the resettlement of population in the context of creating two states" Jewish and Arab Haddadin p. 237. Although well represented institutionally this important publication is scarce in commerce. The Emirate of Transjordan ruled over by the Hashemite dynasty was established as a British protectorate in 1921 and endured until 1946. In 1936 the Peel Commission was set up to investigate the causes of unrest in neighbouring Palestine following a six-month Arab general strike. The commission's report published the following year concluded that the mandate was unworkable and recommended partition. Here Michael George Ionides 1903-1978 concludes that existing water resources cannot support both a Jewish state growing through immigration and the Arab state recommended by the Peel Commission. This finding is based on his being the first person to estimate the available water resources and irrigable land of the Jordan Valley. He recommends a development plan "based on water availability from the Jordan River and Lake Tiberias" ibid. p. 237. "The Ionides plan came to nothing as the British subsequently rejected partition as impractical but the proposals - storage in Lake Tiberias and large-scale irrigation in the East Ghor - were taken up in subsequent plans and have been partly realized today. The leaders of the Yishuv vigorously opposed the Ionides plan In their view the water resources available within the borders of Mandate Palestine were not enough to sustain the big new population of Jewish immigrants from Europe but also for the agricultural economy of the co-operative settlements the kibbutzim that were beginning to dot the land in an N-shaped swathe" Ward et al. p. 49. Ionides was a civil engineer and highly regarded irrigation expert whose papers are held at the National Archives. The appended geological report was compiled by the polyglot George Stanfield Blake 1876-1940 who had a deep understanding of the region having worked there since 1922 and included Palestinian and Levantine Arabic among his languages. Quarto. With 9 maps 3 colour 7 folding 7 plans 4 folding 1 colour and 31 charts and schematics 20 folding 1 colour. Original blue printed covers dark purple sand-grain cloth backstrip. Ex-Geological Society of London library with stamps record card holder labels and paper residue on spine inner front cover and title page. Binding sturdy backstrip creased and worn covers toned with original colour no longer perceptible a few folding illustrations creased or proud where sometime carelessly refolded. A very good copy. Munther J. Haddadin ed. Water Resources in Jordan: Evolving Policies for Development the Environment and Conflict Resolution 2006; Christopher Ward Sandra Ruckstuhl & Isabelle Learmont The History of Water in the Land Once Called Palestine: Security Conflict and Loss in Middle East Water Resources 2022. hardcover
Peter Harrington · Royaume-Uni1 750,00 £GB≈ 2 082,64 €
