[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 334 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 334

  Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the degradation of the 
  Jordan River and the Dead Sea and welcoming cooperation between the 
               peoples of Israel, Jordan, and Palestine.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 27, 2007

Mr. Lugar submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the degradation of the 
  Jordan River and the Dead Sea and welcoming cooperation between the 
               peoples of Israel, Jordan, and Palestine.

Whereas the Dead Sea and the Jordan River are bodies of water of exceptional 
        historic, religious, cultural, economic, and environmental importance 
        for the Middle East and the world;
Whereas the world's 3 great monotheistic faiths--Christianity, Islam, and 
        Judaism--consider the Jordan River a holy place;
Whereas local governments have diverted more than 90 percent of the Jordan's 
        traditional 1,300,000,000 cubic meters of annual water flow in order to 
        satisfy a growing demand for water in the arid region;
Whereas the Jordan River is the primary tributary of the Dead Sea and the 
        dramatically reduced flow of the Jordan River has been the primary cause 
        of a 20 meter fall in the Dead Sea's water level and a \1/3\ decline in 
        the Dead Sea's surface area in less than 50 years;
Whereas the Dead Sea's water level continues to fall about a meter a year;
Whereas the decline in water level of the Dead Sea has resulted in significant 
        environmental damage, including loss of freshwater springs, river bed 
        erosion, and over 1,000 sinkholes;
Whereas mismanagement has resulted in the dumping of sewage, fish pond runoff, 
        and salt water into the Jordan River and has led to the pollution of the 
        Jordan River with agricultural and industrial effluents;
Whereas the World Monuments Fund has listed the Jordan River as one of the 
        world's 100 most endangered sites;
Whereas widespread consensus exists regarding the need to address the 
        degradation of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea;
Whereas the Governments of Jordan and Israel, as well as the Palestinian 
        Authority (the ``Beneficiary Parties''), working together in an unusual 
        and welcome spirit of cooperation, have attempted to address the Dead 
        Sea water level crisis by articulating a shared vision of the Red Sea-
        Dead Sea Water Conveyance Concept;
Whereas Binyamin Ben Eliezar, the Minister of National Infrastructure of Israel, 
        has said, ``The Study is an excellent example for cooperation, peace, 
        and conflict reduction. Hopefully it will become the first of many such 
        cooperative endeavors'';
Whereas Mohammed Mustafa, the Economic Advisor for the Palestinian Authority, 
        has said, ``This cooperation will bring wellbeing for the peoples of the 
        region, particularly Palestine, Jordan, and Israel . . . We pray that 
        this type of cooperation will be a positive experience to deepen the 
        notion of dialogue to reach solutions on all other tracks'';
Whereas Zafer al-Alem, the former Water Minister of Jordan, has said, ``This 
        project is a unique chance to deepen the meaning of peace in the region 
        and work for the benefit of our peoples'';
Whereas the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Concept envisions a 110-mile 
        pipeline from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea that would descend 
        approximately 1,300 feet creating an opportunity for hydroelectric power 
        generation and desalination, as well as the restoration of the Dead Sea;
Whereas some have raised legitimate questions regarding the feasibility and 
        environmental impact of the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Concept;
Whereas the Beneficiary Parties have asked the World Bank to oversee a 
        feasibility study and an environmental and social assessment whose 
        purpose is to conclusively answer these questions;
Whereas the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Concept would not address the 
        degradation of the Jordan River;
Whereas the Beneficiary Parties could address the degradation of the Jordan 
        River by designing a comprehensive strategy that includes tangible steps 
        related to water conservation, desalination, and the management of 
        sewage and agricultural and industrial effluents; and
Whereas Israel and the Palestinian Authority are expected to hold high-level 
        meetings in Washington in November 2007 to seek an enduring solution to 
        the Arab-Israeli crisis: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) calls the world's attention to the serious and 
        potentially irreversible degradation of the Jordan River and 
        the Dead Sea;
            (2) applauds the cooperative manner with which the 
        Governments of Israel and Jordan, as well as the Palestinian 
        Authority (the ``Beneficiary Parties''), have worked to address 
        the declining water level and quality of the Dead Sea and other 
        water-related challenges in the region;
            (3) supports the Beneficiary Parties' efforts to assess the 
        environmental, social, health, and economic impacts, costs, and 
        feasibility of the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Concept in 
        comparison to alternative proposals;
            (4) encourages the Governments of Israel and Jordan, as 
        well as the Palestinian Authority, to continue to work in a 
        spirit of cooperation as they address the region's serious 
        water challenges;
            (5) urges Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority to 
        develop a comprehensive strategy to rectify the degradation of 
        the Jordan River; and
            (6) hopes the spirit of cooperation manifested by the 
        Beneficiary Parties in their search for a solution to the Dead 
        Sea water crisis might serve as a model for addressing the 
        degradation of the Jordan River, as well as a model of peace 
        and cooperation for the upcoming meetings in Washington between 
        Israel and the Palestinian Authority as they seek to resolve 
        long-standing disagreements and to develop a durable solution 
        to the Arab-Israeli crisis.
                                 <all>