[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 178 (Friday, November 16, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14658-S14659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       REGARDING DEGRADATION OF THE JORDAN RIVER AND THE DEAD SEA

  Mr. WEBB. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate

[[Page S14659]]

now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 387, which was submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 387) 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 the Palestinian Authority.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. WEBB. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider 
be laid upon the table.
  The resolution (S. Res. 387) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 387

       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 the Palestinian Authority.
       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 the Washington area in the 
     winter of 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, such as those 
     that focus on the restoration of the Jordan River;
       (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 the 
     Washington area 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.

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