[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 238 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 238

 Supporting efforts to advance regional and community based water and 
   sanitation needs of Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians as an 
        effective bridge for peace building in the Middle East.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 26, 2003

 Mr. Rohrabacher submitted the following concurrent resolution; which 
        was referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Supporting efforts to advance regional and community based water and 
   sanitation needs of Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians as an 
        effective bridge for peace building in the Middle East.

Whereas water is a scarce resource for Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians 
        which can be symbolized as a ``time-bomb'' waiting to explode if not 
        defused expeditiously;
Whereas all significant water resources in the Middle East, both surface and 
        groundwater, cross borders and are a shared resource between the people 
        of the region;
Whereas, due to lack of awareness and capacity, insufficient resources have in 
        the past been allocated to protect this resource from pollution by 
        sewage;
Whereas an estimated 45 million cubic meters of untreated sewage percolate into 
        the shared Israeli-Palestinian groundwater called the ``Mountain 
        Aquifer'';
Whereas if the current level of pollution of the Mountain Aquifer was to 
        continue for another decade this key source of drinking water for 
        Israelis and Palestinians will be lost and will further exacerbate water 
        scarcity in one of the worlds most water-poor regions;
Whereas the southern channel of the River Jordan, a religiously important river 
        to millions of people all over the world, has been neglected to such an 
        extent that in summer months mostly untreated sewage is all that flows 
        down to its terminal lake, the Dead Sea;
Whereas the Dead Sea, located at the lowest point on earth and as the saltiest 
        body of water on earth, is unique in its therapeutic values and cultural 
        heritage;
Whereas the Dead Sea, due to the diversion of water upstream, such as that which 
        historically flowed down the River Jordan, is now drying up by 
        approximately one yard in depth per year and has shrunk by one third in 
        its surface area in recent years thereby causing major environmental 
        problems in the region;
Whereas the water resources of this region, recognized by all peoples as vital 
        to basic life and due to their shared nature, are therefore an important 
        issue to promote understanding and cooperation among Israelis, 
        Palestinians, and Jordanians, besides vast tourism and employment 
        opportunities which will result therefrom;
Whereas local community projects, such as ``Good Water Makes Good Neighbors'' 
        which is supported in part by the United States Government, have brought 
        concrete partnership and positive results to 11 communities in the 
        Middle East;
Whereas with the advancement of the Middle East peace process it is essential 
        and most effective to involve not only political leaders but local 
        communities dependant on the shared-water resources in peace building 
        efforts;
Whereas a dangerous political impasse has been reached in the region, which 
        urgently requires some tangible development to keep up the momentum for 
        peace developed in June 2003 at Aqaba, Jordan;
Whereas a decision to proceed with the ``Red Sea to Dead Sea'' project, if 
        proven to be environmentally and economically sound, could provide a 
        tangible and unique opportunity as a catalyst for peace in the region, 
        bringing concomitant benefits of a vast and sustainable supply of 
        drinking water, the saving of the Dead Sea, electric power supply, and 
        incentives for building large tourism facilities with attendant 
        employment, all of which are desperately required in the region; and
Whereas the United States should take the lead in investigating the viability 
        and the implementation of the ``Red Sea to Dead Sea'' project with 
        Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian consent and involvement: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) urges the United States Government to increase its 
        support for the efforts to promote local Israeli, Palestinian, 
        and Jordanian community cooperation on water issues in order to 
        improve access to this vital resource, protect this scarce 
        resource from pollution, rehabilitate the River Jordan and the 
        Dead Sea, and in the process advance peace in the Middle East 
        and stimulate tourism and employment in the region; and
            (2) urges the United States Government to take the lead in 
        investigating the viability of and promoting and supporting 
        regional water projects, such as the ``Red Sea to Dead Sea'' 
        project and desalination projects and other water and 
        sanitation projects which would make accessible large 
        quantities of water to Jordanians, Israelis, and Palestinians 
        and save the Dead Sea, and in the process advance peace in the 
        Middle East and stimulate tourism and employment in the region.
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