III 

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 meVerDate Aug 31 2005 03:39 Sep 28, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR334.IS SR334

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•SRES 334 IS 

ters 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 SeaDead 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 reducVerDate Aug 31 2005 03:39 Sep 28, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR334.IS SR334

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•SRES 334 IS 

tion. 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 conVerDate Aug 31 2005 03:39 Sep 28, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR334.IS SR334

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•SRES 334 IS 

servation, 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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) calls the world’s attention to the serious and 

3 potentially irreversible degradation of the Jordan 

4 River and the Dead Sea; 

5 (2) applauds the cooperative manner with which 

6 the Governments of Israel and Jordan, as well as 

7 the Palestinian Authority (the ‘‘Beneficiary Par8 ties’’), have worked to address the declining water 

9 level and quality of the Dead Sea and other water10 related challenges in the region; 

11 (3) supports the Beneficiary Parties’ efforts to 

12 assess the environmental, social, health, and eco13 nomic impacts, costs, and feasibility of the Red Sea14 Dead Sea Water Conveyance Concept in comparison 

15 to alternative proposals; 

16 (4) encourages the Governments of Israel and 

17 Jordan, as well as the Palestinian Authority, to con18 tinue to work in a spirit of cooperation as they ad19 dress the region’s serious water challenges; 


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•SRES 334 IS 

1 (5) urges Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian 

2 Authority to develop a comprehensive strategy to 

3 rectify the degradation of the Jordan River; and 

4 (6) hopes the spirit of cooperation manifested 

5 by the Beneficiary Parties in their search for a solu6 tion to the Dead Sea water crisis might serve as a 

7 model for addressing the degradation of the Jordan 

8 River, as well as a model of peace and cooperation 

9 for the upcoming meetings in Washington between 

10 Israel and the Palestinian Authority as they seek to 

11 resolve long-standing disagreements and to develop a 

12 durable solution to the Arab-Israeli crisis. 

Æ 


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