Water and Peace: The Case of the Embattled Dead Sea

Worldwatch Live Online Discussion

Gidon Bromberg: Director of the Israeli office of Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME)

July 21, 2004 - 1:00pm EDT

Behind the headlines of Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East, a grassroots non-profit comprised of Jordanian, Israeli, and Palestinian environmentalists is working to save the shrinking Dead Sea. In the process, the international group is providing an example of successful transboundary cooperation within a land of seemingly relentless strife.

Submit your questions now and join Gidon Bromberg, Director of the Israeli office of Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME), on July 21 to discuss efforts to restore the Dead Sea and cooperation among the Middle Eastís embattled neighbors.


Steve Conklin, Worldwatch Institute: Welcome to Worldwatch Live. Today's guest is Gidon Bromberg, Director of the Israeli office of Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) and author of the World Watch magazine article "Water and Peace." Welcome, Gidon, could you tell us a little about yourself, and about the work you do at FoEME?

Gidon Bromberg: Hi Steve and WorldWatch readers,

A little about myself. I am an attorney by profession. 10 years ago I decided to leave the formal law practice in order to pursue efforts to advance peace and environment issues in the troubled Middle East. It has and continues to be a very difficult pursuit but also very rewarding. I work with truly dedicated people that risk all for what we believe in.

That is what makes FoEME so special. Our mandate is to work together Palestinians, Jordanians and Israelis on our shared environment. We focus on transboundary issues. The Dead Sea is a good example but we also work on water resources in general ñ both shared groundwater and surface waters. Water access and protection of shared water resources from pollution occupy a great deal of our time. We have lead community based efforts particularly between Israeli and Palestinian communities who are neighbors to work together concerning their shared water.

Our experience has been that environment issues and particularly water are so well understood by all sides as being the essence to all life that are willing to work together on this issue despite the violence and continuing conflict around them.


Munich, Germany: Hello Mr. Bromberg. You say in the opening text of your article that--despite the conflicts between the Israelis and Palestinians--people are still crossing the borders, and doing daily business with one another on a day to day basis. In the media, all we see is the conflict between the two cultures. Is the hatred only between a few, or is it as widespread as the media makes it seem between the Israelis and Palestinians?

Gidon Bromberg: Dear Munich,

From the daily experiences of all our staff Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian we see that it is not hate that rules but mistrust and anger. Trust can be built by dialogue and common understanding. That is what the work of FoEME and other groups working on dialogue are all about. A key project of ours called Good Water Makes Good Neighbors works with 11 communities ñ all neighbors and focuses on their shared water issues to help built that trust. The results have taken time but we have had thousands of signatures collected on common water issues for a common water campaign. Meetings held to discuss ways to overcome shared water problems. Joint presentations and advocacy to decision makers both local and international.

Our experience is that once communities work together on common water or environment issues they learn to trust each other and are willing to do more together for each other.


NY, NY: Why is the Dead Sea dropping at such a fast rate? Is the decrease in water a great factor of human influence, or is it more from natural changes/ cycles?

Gidon Bromberg: Dear NY,

The Dead Sea is dying because of man-made causes. There is nothing natural about it. The Dead Sea is now dropping by 1 meter every year 70% of the drop is due to water being diverted upstream ñ mostly for agricultural purposes. The other 30% is due to industry located in the south how are extracting minerals from the Dead Sea. This tragedy can and most be averted. Thatís the challenge for all of us. The Dead Sea is a gift to the globe not just to the Middle East.


IRINGA- TANZANIA -EAST AFRICA: Dear Mr. Gidon, it is clear that conflicts have been one of the great causes of environmental destruction. Given the nature of conflicts in the middle East, is it possible to have environmental conservation as an gender instead of peace?

Gidon Bromberg: Dear Iringa,

You are absolutely right conflicts and in particular wars are a great cause of much environmental destruction. What FoEME is trying to do however is focus public attention on precisely how the conflict is destroying the very basis for which all of our peoples are dependant on ñ our shared environment. By raising awareness on the fact that environmental issues and destruction taking place is at the peril of all our peoples we are giving concrete reasons as to why we need to stop the conflict and work together. So that environment is not instead of peace but goes to the heart of peace.


Stockholm, Sweden: Have you ever seen an example of two different cultures/countries/nations find peace over a common resource (like water)? Could the Dead Sea region learn from something that has occurred in the past? Thank you!

Gidon Bromberg: Dear Stockholm,

FoEME is currently completing a case study on the Jordan River Valley. We have investigated developments there since human kind moved up the Rift Valley from Africa millions of years ago. The evidence of different cultures living together either in different cities or at times in one city is amazing. There are Jewish Temples, Christian Churches and Moslem Mosques in the same cities in the Jordan Valley. Our different peoples developed amazing water collection and conservation practices and shared that knowledge with other communities. The Middle East precisely because it is so scarce in water is much more of an example of cooperation of water then conflict.


sofia, bulgaria: Dear Mr. Bromberg, Do you really believe that Israel will hand over the Golan Heights to Syria in exchange for peace? After all, they are the region's only source of drinking water...

Gidon Bromberg: The Golan Heights are water strategic. That is true. About a third of the water that Israel uses is from the Sea of Galilee and about a third of the water to that Lake flows down from Golan Heights. That does not mean however that water can justify any impediment to peace between Israel and Syria.

With desalination technology today producing water at just 50 US cents a cubic meter ñ continuing the conflict is far more expensive. Did you know however that most of the water in all our countries goes to agriculture? In Israel some 50% of our water is allocated to agriculture when the economic return is just 3% of GDP. Better water demand management is even cheaper then desalination.


Washington, D.C.: The link between humans and water, and their struggles over water as as a resource, seems pervasive throughout history. Will the people of the Dead Sea region be able to cooperate in a manner that can save this resource, or is the issue even in their thoughts (at the levels of government that is required to make these decisions)?

Gidon Bromberg: The work of FoEME in launching public campaigns and preparing reports on the World Heritage of the Dead Sea for instance has had a large impact. Before our work the issue was not on the table. Today all our governments have at least recognized the tragedy. The issue is now how to save the Dead Sea. At FoEME we believe we should allow the natural flow of water down the River Jordan to show us the way. Atleast it should be investigated. At the moment our governments and the World Babk are reluctant to undertake the necessary study. This is very troubling.


Hilo, Hawaii: Does the tourism industry around the Dead Sea have any "Eco-Tourism" companies? Would Eco-Tourism be an asset to helping save the Dead Sea?

Gidon Bromberg: Tourism is indeed very important as it is the only economic activity taking place around the Dead Sea that is dependant on the Dead Sea not drying up. Eco or Sustainable tourism is the key as we do not want to see hotels every kilometer around the Dead Sea but concentrated in selected areas leaving the wild desert beauty of the areas around the Dead Sea as untouched as possible.


Ottawa, Canada: Gidon, greetings from Canada. In reading your World Watch article and thinking about some of the examples you raised, I wonder if you could comment on the role of companies in transboundary water dispute. How, for example, has the tourism industry around the Dead Sea acted in response to the local environmental pressures? Are they a key player in linking water with peace, or do they serve to complicate the situation?

Gidon Bromberg: Dear Canada,

It is a good question. The two mineral extraction companies at the southern basin of the Dead Sea are as stated earlier responsible for 30% of the water loss. They have showed no interest to date in changing their mineral extraction practices so that they reduce the amount of water evaporated. They claim that any alternatives are too expensive. We would like to explore with them alternatives and investigate independently what options exist. We might have a good opportunity to do so as the Arab Potash company on the Jordanian side was just bought up by a Canadian company. Maybe with public pressure from Canada we can convince them to agree. We are in fact investigating what can be done with FoE Canada at the moment.


Munich, Germany: In your answer to Stockholm, you say that the Jordan River Valley once had Muslim, Christian, and Jewish peoples living peacefully together. What, in your opinion, has divided the region in such the way that we see it today?

Gidon Bromberg: Good question. I will not go into a discussion of the whole history of the Arab ñ Israeli conflict but I think poor leadership and mistrust has been the source of the conflict. It is clear to all that we need two states Israeli and Palestinian living together side by side to solve the conflict. The tragedy is that the vast majority of both peoples know it and want it but our leaders on both sides have failed to take us there.


Durango, CO: Hello Gidon. Since you wrote this World Watch article, has there been any progress, or any new developments in getting World Heritage Site status for the Dead Sea? What specific benefits would World Heritage Site status bring the Dead Sea, could it force a free-flowing Jordan River?

Gidon Bromberg: The most recent development of concern relates to the Red Dead Canal or Conduit project. The World Bank is preparing the Terms of Reference for an environmental and feasibility study of the canal and yet they are precisely not including a study of alternatives such as allowing the River Jordan to flow again. This is unacceptable as how can the public evaluate a project if all reasonable alternatives are not studied together. The World Bank should focus its study on the Dead Sea and not a canal. The issues facing the Dead Sea are many and complex and do not just relate to the falling water level. Hence World Heritage is important as it requires that a regional master plan be developed and an authority be created to better manage the area.


Steve Conklin, Worldwatch Institute: Thanks for joining us today, Gidon, and showing our audience the great importance of the Dead Sea region, and the challenges it faces.

Gidon Bromberg: Thanks to WorldWatch and your readers. We can still save the Dead Sea if we work together for it.