Environmental Concerns Bridging a New Kind of Peace in the Middle East

Experts and Activists Join Forces - Forging a Unique Partnership Among Israelis,
Jordanians and Palestinians

(July 21, 2004) Washington DC– In an effort to develop new means to foster peace in the Middle East, a rare panel was hosted today by young environmental activists and experts from Jordan, Israel, Palestinian Authority and the United States. The panel, presented by Earth Day Network at its Washington, DC headquarters, addressed trans-border environmental health and resource management issues as part of a long-term goal to find a common ground to promote peace in the Middle East.

The panel members are part of the Environmental Leadership Exchange (ELE) program, administered by the Arava Institute, which brings activists and leaders from around the world to Washington, DC for four-weeks. The program facilitates information sharing and coalition building, which strengthens environmental cooperation around the globe.

“It’s inspiring to see these young environmental activists put political differences aside and work together to find and implement solutions for issues that know no borders,” said Kathleen Rogers, President, Earth Day Network. “Undertakings of this magnitude and at the community level have already proven to build peaceful relations among otherwise isolated sects; an important accomplishment their governments have yet to achieve.”

The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (AIES) was founded with the purpose of building a multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary center for environmental studies in the Middle East. Arava’s goal is to promote environmental cooperation among promising young environmentalists from the Middle East and the U.S., to provide advanced training to strengthen their future work in the environmental movement, and to strengthen the links between the Israeli and Arab sectors in particular.

“The ELE Program is breaking down barriers that have existed for generations,” said Sharon Benheim of the Arava Institute. “We are bringing cultures and people together for the first time to solve the region’s problems – both political and environmental.”

Mutassim Abu Al Hawa, a Palestinian intern for the Arava Institute and ELE fellow at Earth Day Network, experienced the impact AIES has within the region first hand.

“When I was a student at Arava, I was working toward resolving water scarcity issues in the region and my mind opened to accept the various cultures and customs of the other people who live in the region,” stated Abu Al Hawa. “The Arava Institute has become one of the only places where Arabs and Israelis can interact peacefully.”

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