The Red Sea-Dead Sea Project Excludes Palestinians

Last updated on: February 6, 2016 at 5:03 pm by Kermit Zarley

The Red Sea-Dead Sea Project Excludes Palestinians 2016-02-06T17:03:20-07:00 Kermit Zarley

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ever since Jews began returning to their ancestral land during the late 1990s, they and indigenous peoples of the region have thought of some sort of project that would transfer seawater from the Gulf of Aqaba at the northern end of the Red Sea northward to empty into the Dead Sea largely to restore its previous salinity and surface level.

For thousands of years, the surface of the Dead Sea has been the lowest place on earth. Nowadays, it is over 1,400 feet below sea level and decreasing over three feet per year. The north-south Jordan River flows from Lake Kinnerth (Sea of Galilee in the Bible) southward and empties into the Dead Sea. Lake Kinnerth levels have decreased considerably due to its use for agriculture primarily by being siphoned off into Israel’s National Water Carrier.

Thus, in especially the past fifty years, over 90% of Jordan River water no longer flows into the Dead Sea. This is also due to upstream diversion of its water by the use of dams and canals mostly for agriculture as well. The high salinity content of the saltwater in the Dead Sea also has been increasing largely because of much evaporation there due to high temperatures. The Jordan water that does empty into the Dead Sea now is mostly brackish water and sewage.

This restriction of Jordan water flowing into the Dead Sea has not only lowered its surface level, but it has created an environmental destruction that needs correcting. The World Bank claims that the restoration of the Dead Sea would cost $31 billion.

Also, the Arabah is part of a great geological rift zone that extends from the north of Lake Kinnereth southward into northeastern Africa that makes it prone to earthquakes. If a Red Sea-Dead Sea pipeline ever suffered a rupture from an earthquake, its saltwater would seep into underground water aquifers resulting in irreparable damage to at least the surrounding agriculture and its population.

A pipeline or multiple pipelines could be constructed beginning at the north end of the Gulf of Aqaba, near the city of Aqaba, that would proceed northward and uphill about 110 miles through the Arabah (valley), the main boundary between Israel and Jordan. Then the terrain eventually goes downhill so that the pipeline(s) would end at the southern end of the Dead Sea, connecting these two seas. Thus, Red Sea saltwater would be transported to empty into the Dead Sea to restore its previous level and hopefully improve it environmentally.

Israeli authorities also have pondered an alternative to this Red Sea-Dead Sea connection. It has been to construct a canal or some other means of transporting seawater from the Mediterranean Sea eastward to empty into the Dead Sea. But that project would be more expensive than the Red Sea-Dead Sea concept.

In 2005, Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority signed a feasibility study for the Red Sea-Dead Sea project on the Jordanian side of the Arabah, whether it be via a canal or pipeline(s). To raise the water for the first several miles would require electricity to power the water pumps. In December, 2013, all three governing entities signed a memorandum statement to proceed with this project. But in December, 2015, Israel and Jordan excluded the Palestinian Authority (PA) by signing “initial tendering documents” between the two countries to construct such a pipeline(s). The world’s largest desalination plant also will be built near Aqaba to supply potable water for both Israel and Jordan, the fourth most water-deficient nation in the world. The project will be sponsored by the World Bank, cost about $900 million, and take three years to be completed.

Jordan’s water minister Hazem al Nasser said, “The deal will help satisfy Jordan’s increasing water needs for development.” Israel’s Water and Resources Minister Silvan Shalom said of this agreement that it will “save the Dead Sea.”

The PA’s director Nader Khateeb said of this deal, “it continues to ignore riparian rights of Palestinians on the Dead Sea and the Palestinians’ fair share of water allocation.” So, it won’t save the Palestinians. Or will it?

I think this abrupt exclusion of Palestinians in benefiting from this Red Sea-Dead Sea Project makes my proposal for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a little more viable. How so? Israel and Jordan gaining potable water from this project justly demands that the Palestinians do likewise in some other way. That other way is one of the elements of my geographical proposal, which is that Palestinians would receive some Nile water through the current Al-Salam Canal where it ends, in the El Arish water basin.

For more information, see my book, Palestine Is Coming: The Revival of Ancient Philistia, and an update article to this book entitled “Al-Salam Canal” in “Palestinian Articles” at my website kermitzarley.com.

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Arabah

Jordan River

Red Sea-Dead Sea Project

Previous Post

February 5, 2016

Does Donald Trump Still Not Like Losers?

Next Post

February 7, 2016 Matsuyama Wins the Greatest Game on Grass

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Angels Billy Graham Blog Description Book Reviews Christian Living Christianity Christology Church History Current Events Deity of Christ? Disarmament Eschatology Evangelicalism Ezekiel 38-39 Film Reviews God Golf Gospel Harmonization Health History Holy Spirit Incarnation? Interview Islam Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Jesus Last Empire Literary Announcements Major Championship Winners Masters Monotheism My Books New Testament Old Testament Politics Primitive Weapons Ryder Cup Science Society of Biblical Literature The Bible The Restitution of Jesus Christ Trinitarianism Trinity? Uncategorized Unconditional Love? War on Terrorism

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who is the apostle to deny Jesus?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Phillip Judas Peter Andrew

Books by This Author Books by Kermit Zarley Blog

See All Titles »