On the 19th of June, Friends of the Earth Middle East helped to coordinate a one-day meeting between agricultural experts from the Dead Sea Research and Development Center in Israel and representatives of the Tamar Regional Council, with farmers from our "Good Water Neighbors" community in South Ghore, Jordan.
The Israeli guests visited several farms and met with the Farmers Union in an initial meeting aimed to design together a cross-border project of a "Model Farm". The Model Farm project will aim to explore and develop the most suitable agricultural practices for South Ghore, addressing their local challenges of climate and resource availability on the one hand, and the need for more lucrative yields on the other hand.
Kishon River workshop
On June 25th, FoEME, together with the Union of Local Authorities in Israel (ULAI), the Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA), Haifa Municiaplity and the Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research at the Tel Aviv University, initiated a workshop about the Kishon River.
The workshop, held in Haifa, brought together mayors of Israeli communities situated along the Kishon / Mukata Stream together with residents from both sides, UNDP and academics, to discuss the challenges and opportunities of rehabilitating the upstream segment of the River and creating a park on both sides of the border. As part of the Good Water Neighbors project, the Kishon upstream rehabilitation project was selected as the Gilboa Regional Council and Jenin Governorate's "Priority Project" for 2012.
Cross Border Youth Visit
Twenty one youth from Sur Baher, West Jerusalem, and Gour Fifa gathered in the Jerusalem Hills in Even Sapir on June 25 and 26 to explore their mutual connection to the natural environment at a youth camp. Throughout the positive and high energy camp, participants hiked to a nearby spring with a beautiful view of the Ein Karem area, learned about building houses from natural materials, and got an opportunity to taste natural, raw food prepared by our host at the Essene Farm.
The next day, participants spent time preparing a presentation about the water situation in their community and shared it with the larger group, resulting in an insightful discussion about similarities and differences with regards to how each community both uses, and receives water. Following a final reflection session, the group got an opportunity to visit the ancient well where the West Jerusalem students had excavated as part of their GWN Green Building project, as well as the Old City.
The Good Water Neighbors project is supported by USAID, SIDA and the EU Partnership for Peace program.
International Events and Jordan River Photography Exhibitions
This month FoEME Directors were invited to speak at an important seminar entitled "Access to Water and Sanitation: A Fundamental Human Right?" in the European Union Parliament. The event coincided with the opening of FoEME's Jordan River Photography Exhibition in the EU Parliament. Pictures from the Parliament event can be found here.
Next month the Jordan River exhibition will be traveling to London where FoEME Directors will host a public event and the opening of the exhibition in a London mosque.
Advancing Jordan River Research
FoEME's Jordan River Benefits Study team held a regional meeting this month to review initial results from data collected through field surveys. Early results indicate that the benefits of returning 220 million cubic meters of high quality water to the Lower Jordan River outweigh the costs of rehabilitation at this level! Look for the final results of this unique regional study in September 2012. For more information about this study, including a detailed presentation about the initial results, please visit FoEME's Regional Benefits Study website page.
JR Master Plan Public Notice: WEDO/ FoEME is pleased to announce that full proposals to undertake the development and publication of a NGO master plan for the Lower Jordan River basin have been invited. For more information please visit our website notice here.
Israeli Parliamentary Hearing on the Lower Jordan River
FoEME's Israeli Jordan River team presented results of its most recent research to the Israeli Parliament's Environment and Internal Affairs Committee as part of a special hearing on the issue of river and stream rehabilitation in Israel following the committee's recent tour of the Lower Jordan River. The hearing was led by Committee Chairman MK Amnon Cohen and was attended by MK Dov Hanin and MK Uri Makleb, together with representatives of all relevant government agencies and environmental organizations.
At the conclusion of the hearing the Committee adopted a resolution calling for the creation of a joint ministerial committee to advance river and stream rehabilitation. In their summary comments, both MK Cohen and MK Hanin highlighted and commended FoEME's extensive work on the regional level.
Feet on the ground - Jordan River Tours
This month FoEME's Jordan River team organized a series of unique tours for residents and visitors to the region. FoEME led several groups of American, European and Israeli NGO leaders on Jordan River tours as part of the Siach Conference, focusing on the unique regional model of environmental peacemaking at the heart of FoEME's work. FoEME hosted several river basin management experts on a tour of the Jordan River. And following up on last month's interfaith tour, led a congregation from Jerusalem's Church of the Redeemer to numerous sites along the Lower Jordan. To learn more about organizing a tour for your group or community please visit FoEME's website.
To read press coverage about FoEME's Jordan River work, including a beautiful feature article on the cover of this month's Christian Century written by FoEME's own Rabbi Michael Schwartz, please visit our Jordan River press coverage page or FoEME's homepage.
The Jordan River Rehabilitation Project is supported by the Swedish International Development Agency, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, the Global Nature Fund / Ursula Merz Foundation and the Osprey Foundation. The SWIM - Jordan River Master Planning Project - is supported by the European Union.
"Protecting Ground Water" teams come together in Spain
Teams of municipal staff from Palestine, Jordan, Israel and Spain participating in the Protecting Ground Water project, met altogether for the first time in the County of Malaga, Spain. Our Spanish hosts from the Malaga County Council showed us their beautiful county, as well as potential pollution sources for ground water and waste recycling sites.
During the trip, social and professional contacts were established between peers of neighboring municipalities from different sides of our borders, which share mutual environmental challenges.
To read press coverage about our Protecting Ground Water Project and recent visit to Malaga, please visit our PGW / press coverage page.
The "Protecting Ground Water" project is supported by the European Union’s ENPI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme.
Auja's Environmental Education Center - full of life!
Taking action on International Environment Day, 120 students from 3 branches of Al Quds University came to Auja to undertake a clean up campaign at the Spring. They first learned about the EcoCenter in the village and about FoEME's environmental work in the Jordan Valley, and then headed out to the spring for some on-the-ground action.
On the 6th of June, a workshop was given to a group of women in Auja about pollution and its negative effects on our health. The women then learned about the advantages, and safety, of greywater recycling systems such as the one in place at the EcoCenter. This workshop, ahead of installing 5 new greywater systems in houses throughout the village, was aimed to alleviate possible fears of the use of this method of water recycling.
A group of girls from Jericho's Aqbat Jaber School together with girls from Auja participated in a 2-day summer camp held at the EcoCenter, mixing fun activities with educational ones! They painted tires around the playground, learned about composting, built an herb spiral garden, and more.
These are all typical activities held at the Center.... for more information and/or to organize a visit or activities, please visit either the FoEME or Auja websites.
The Auja Environmental Education Center is supported by the Drosos Foundation.
FoEME's Revised "Model Water Agreement"
This report, "An Agreement to Share Water between Israelis and Palestinians", puts forward a proposal for joint management of water shared by Israelis and Palestinians. In concept, it is a modern approach to managing water that flows along, across or under a state border – a “post-modern” approach.
This revised version is now supported by additional background information, explanatory materials, and references to the literature. In addition, the revised version responds directly to the critiques that have been received, presents three case studies, and suggests specific steps that could be taken to move the Proposal from concept to realization in legislation by the two governments.
This publication, part of FoEME's "TAP" project, is supported by the EU Partnership for Peace program. Additional support came from the Czech Republic.
FoEME at the UN Media Seminar on the Peace in the Middle East
The 2012 UN Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East was held this year in Geneva, Switzerland on June 12th-13th. The Seminar focused on the role of the media in covering different aspects of recent events in the Middle East, and included panels on: The prospects for peace approaching the 20th anniversary of the Oslo Accords; The impact of the Arab Spring on media coverage; The role of women’s activism and the media; Civil society in media and film in the Middle East, and Youth activism in the Middle East.
FoEME staff presented on the 2nd day's Civil Society panel, showcasing how our environmental peacemaking approach and unique cross-border community work on the region's endangered shared water resources, has generated a great deal of media interest.
