EcoPeace Middle East <ecopeace@ecopeaceme.org>

Dear friends,EcoPeace is delighted to share with you our Spring Environmental Peacebuildingnewsletter. The newsletter opens with an important update highlighting our significant policy advancements regarding our “Peace Triangle” vision, followed by short news updates on our Top Down and Bottom up programming.While highlighting our frustration over the failure to end the war, release of hostages and the continued misery being caused, we wish our supporters a belated Happy Earth Day and for those who celebrated a Happy Easter.Please share with us your comments on the article below and our newsletter in general at info@ecopeaceme.org IMEC is back in the limelight, but is there the political understanding that IMEC can advance Middle East Peace? As we updated in our last newsletter, a major focus of our policy work is our “Peace Triangle” vision, building on IMEC. The India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) gained further high-level political attention. Following the meeting of US President Trump with Indian Prime Minister Modi, additional relevant meetings included EU President Von der Leyen, followed by Italian Prime Minister Meloni, meeting Modi in Delhi, and just last week, Modi meeting Saudi Arabia’s MBS in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Since our last newsletter, EcoPeace leadership has travelled to Ottawa, Washington DC, Rome, and London, where important meetings were held with Canada’s Global Affairs, the US State Department, the Italian Prime Minister’s and Foreign Office, and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Our extensive meetings also included other relevant ministries, the World Bank, private sector interests, civil society, think tanks, and discussions with the diplomatic representatives in these capitals who were interested in IMEC. Our meetings presented the results of new studies that EcoPeace has commissioned. These studies highlight the underlying economic rationale behind the geopolitical and security objectives that EcoPeace has identified in the design of the Peace Triangle addition to IMEC. We are encouraged by the EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Suica’s statement, that “the IMEC project… if strategically designed, can also be a key deliverable of an enhanced Middle East Peace Process.”  Before embarking on his flight to Saudi Arabia, Indian Prime Minister Modi stated: “Together, we have developed a mutually beneficial and substantive partnership including .. trade, investment, energy .. We have shared interest and commitment to promote regional peace, prosperity, security, and stability.” From our meetings and other reports, we are pleased to see the growing interest of other important states potentially seeking to join IMEC including Oman, Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Slovenia and Malta. At EcoPeace Middle East, we are at the forefront of encouraging discussions on the role IMEC can play to foster “regional peace, prosperity, security and stability “. In the upcoming planned meetings of President Trump with MBS in Saudi Arabia, the G7 in Canada, and the French/Saudi initiative at the UN, we are calling on world leaders to link the dots.  Our studies are producing the evidence needed that shows that a Peace Triangle addition to IMEC can help us more quickly end the war in Gaza, be the engine for the rebuilding of Gaza, and the pathway to a Palestinian State, and Israel/Saudi/Arab normalization. The Embassy of Sweden in Washington DC and ECCO, the Italian Climate think tank in Rome, kindly hosted EcoPeace briefings to the diplomatic community on the Peace Triangle in addition to IMEC. Top Down: Advocacy & EventsIsraeli Expert Committee on Gaza Humanitarian Public Health Risks For the past year and a half, the EcoPeace offices have shared the responsibilities to try to meet urgent humanitarian issues. Our Palestine office leads with participation in the UN WASH cluster, and our Jordan office in the UN Logistics cluster for Gaza. Our Israel office has been co-leading an expert committee focused on formulating humanitarian policy recommendations to address the severe public health risks in Gaza. The group, composed of leading public health experts and, over time, expanded to include representatives of Israeli humanitarian organizations, develops recommendations for addressing the severe humanitarian situation in Gaza, including in the areas of water, sewage, and solid waste. Recently, the committee reiterated its call for Israeli decision-makers to take a series of urgent actions to provide immediate humanitarian aid to the population in Gaza and to prevent the spread of diseases, highlighting also the cross-border implications to the Israeli public. EcoPeace Middle East Directors Receive 2025 Al-Moumin Award for Environmental PeacebuildingThe Environmental Peacebuilding Association has awarded the 2025 Al-Moumin Award to EcoPeace Middle East’s three co-directors – Nada Majdalani (Palestine), Yana Abu Taleb (Jordan), and Gidon Bromberg (Israel) – in recognition of their outstanding leadership in promoting environmental cooperation across borders. According to the award committee, “honorees have made remarkable contributions to environmental peacebuilding through their visionary leadership and groundbreaking initiatives. They have demonstrated exceptional commitment to fostering regional cooperation on issues critical to the region in the face of environmental and political challenges, including water security, renewable energy production, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience”. The award, named after Dr. Mishkat Al-Moumin, a former minister of environment from Iraq, honors individuals shaping the field of environmental peacebuilding. Towards Restoration of the Southern Jordan River: Opening of the Alumot DamYears after EcoPeace’s master plan for rehabilitation of the Jordan River was published, chang es continue to appear on the ground: the Alumot Dam project, located south of the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret), into which tens of millions of shekels have been invested, has now been opened to the public. As part of the project, the dam has been redesigned (photo below) to allow increased water flow from the Sea of Galilee southward into the river, providing greater flexibility in managing water release.  A unique ecological park was established, boosting local tourism and public awareness of the need to continue to rehabilitate the full length of the river.Meanwhile, EcoPeace continues its efforts to spotlight the failure of authorities to finalize agreements for establishing a desalination facility at Bitanya, south of the Sea of Galilee, with a $50 million investment aimed at reducing the flow of saline water into the southern Jordan River, needed to improve the river’s water quality.Collaboration with ICOMOS: Calling to Save the Battir World Heritage SiteAs part of the EcoPeace ongoing effort to protect the UNESCO World Heritage terraces in Battir, Palestine from development and construction plans – including a new settlement, roads, an industrial area, and a security fence – a collaboration was established with the Israeli branch of the International Council on Monuments and Sites [ICOMOS]. The organization, composed of expert planners, is appealing to the relevant  Israeli authorities to reconsider the advancement of these development plans that threaten the site. State Comptroller’s Report and Treated Wastewater to Stabilize the Dead SeaThe Israeli State Comptroller recently published a comprehensive report highlighting governmental failures in addressing the declining water level of the Dead Sea – a report to which EcoPeace contributed.At the same time, the Israeli Water Authority recently announced for the first time that it will consider in the future approving the discharge of treated wastewater into the Dead Sea as a means to help stabilize the sea. This follows a Haifa University study commissioned by EcoPeace that researched the option. Bottom Up – Education and ResearchClimate Diplomacy Young Professionals (CDYP): Empowering Regional LeadersEcoPeace’s CDYP program recently welcomed over 140 new young professionals, Palestinian, Jordanian, and Israeli, through interactive workshops and field activities, focusing on practical skills for water conflict resolution and regional climate challenges. Notably, more than 60% of participants were women, underscoring EcoPeace’s commitment to gender mainstreaming.The latest Israeli cohort engaged in diplomacy simulations and dialogues with experts and decision makers during tours in the Northern Negev and the Kinneret. Alumni also organized a beach clean-up at Poleg Beach. Strengthening Environmental EducationIn 2024, in the midst of unprecedented violence in our region, EcoPeace education programs involving 4,095 individuals across 203 events tell only part of the story. More significant are the emerging patterns: Israeli and Jordanian youth cooperatively mapping shared aquifers, Palestinian and Israeli teachers co-developing climate curricula, and women increasingly leading community water initiatives. Our teacher training program in Palestine recently equipped 41 educators from diverse Palestinian school systems with methodologies for integrating water security and climate adaptation into their curricula, resulting in several joint lesson-planning initiatives that will continue beyond the workshop.EcoPeace Jordan successfully completed its first National Teachers Training (NTT) program at the Jordan EcoPark, hosting 22 educators (including 15 women). The training focused on strengthening environmental knowledge and active learning methodologies, covering topics such as regional water challenges, sustainable development goals (SDGs), and lesson planning for environmental education. Sustainable Infrastructure for Jordan Valley SchoolsThe completion of graywater and solar systems at three UNRWA schools represents both technical achievement and educational opportunity. Each installation includes training for staff and students on system maintenance and water conservation principles, transforming the infrastructure into living laboratories. The May 6 handover event at Ein Al Sultan, Jericho, will demonstrate these systems in operation. Neighbor Path Tours The Amman office led an Eco-tour for 20 female participants, focused on water management and environmental conservation. The tour featured visits to the Wadi Al-Arab Dam, King Abdullah Canal, and Jordan EcoPark, where participants explored systems for water storage, irrigation, and greywater treatment, including the innovative “Green Filter.” The tour provided hands-on learning about sustainable water reuse, biodiversity, and the impacts of climate change, encouraging participants to promote eco-friendly practices in their communities. EcoPeace’s Tel Aviv office successfully hosted over 700 students on a variety of engaging eco-tours. These included EcoTours featuring water chemistry measurements and biological sampling, as well as specialized diplomacy tours tailored for students majoring in diplomatic studies. The tours primarily focused on cross-border water bodies in our region, such as the Jordan River and the Alexander Stream. Each tour was led by EcoPeace’s ecological guides, experts in cross-border pollution with extensive academic backgrounds in environmental research. . SHAREDSEA in Action Volunteer Divers Clean Up Gulf. As part of the ongoing lectures and training programs under the SHAREDSEA project in the Gulf, program leaders organized volunteer diving activities to clean marine debris accumulated along the seabed.