Scientific project will use cutting-edge technology while promoting diplomacy in the Middle East.

The Middle East's first particle accelerator has officially been inaugurated in Allan, Jordan, in a ceremony attended by King Abdullah II and Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO.

According to UNESCO's press release on Tuesday, the official name of the facility is Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East, or SESAME - the password used in Ali Baba's time to open the gates to unimaginable treasures.

The $90m laboratory's mission is: "Enabling world-class research in its members in subjects ranging from biology and medical sciences through materials science, physics and chemistry to archaeology."

It aims to build "scientific and cultural bridges between neighbouring countries, promoting mutual understanding and tolerance through international cooperation, and fostering a regional community of scientific users who will work together".

SESAME is located 35km north of Jordan's capital, Amman, and was built emulating the institutional structure of CERN - the world's largest particle accelerator in Switzerland.

The project aims to provide state-of-the-art technological equipment to researchers in the region, helping stem brain drain to northern countries.

The need for an international synchrotron light source was first identified in the 1980s by renowned scientists such as Nobel Laureate Professor Abdus Salam. In 1995, the Middle East Scientific Cooperation group (MESC) started organising meetings and advocate for the cooperation project.

In 1997, MESC took up one proposal from scientist German Gustav-Adolf Voss, who suggested using components from a facility in Berlin that would soon be decommissioned in order to start a project in the Middle East. The German government agreed under the condition of UNESCO patronage.

SESAME was formally founded in 2004 and today the project has eight full member states and 17 observers. </s> Jordan's King Abdullah II on Tuesday formally launched an international research center whose members include experts from around the world including arch-rivals Iran and Israel.

The International Center for Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East, known by the acronym SESAME, "is the first research center of its kind in the region," said the royal court.

SESAME council president Chris Llewellyn Smith said the center, located in Balqa province just northwest of Amman, would be the world's first solar-powered accelerator.

"The center is expected to attract a large number of scientists from the region," Smith said, adding it had "so far received 55 scientific research projects on the use of nuclear accelerators."

SESAME was set up on the model of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) -- Europe's top physics laboratory -- and construction work on the $100 million center started in 2003.

It was developed under the auspices of UNESCO and officially came into existence in April 2004.

Jordan was chosen from among five countries for the project, which was funded mostly by the member countries and the European Union.

The project's website says that SESAME is a "third-generation" synchrotron light source aimed at promoting "scientific and technological excellence in the Middle East."

Its mission is to "prevent or reverse the brain drain by enabling world-class scientific research in subjects ranging from biology, archeology and medical sciences."

SESAME also seeks to "build scientific and cultural bridges between diverse societies, and contribute to a culture of peace through international cooperation in science," the website says.

Among the project's members are arch-rivals Israel and Iran, in addition to Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Turkey and the Palestinian Authority.

Despite their deep hostilities, experts from Israel and Iran have served two-year terms as vice presidents of the SESAME council.

In 2010, one Iranian member of SESAME, Majid Shahriari, was killed in Tehran, with Iran accusing Israel of assassinating the nuclear scientist.

Seyed Mahmoud Reza Aghamiri served as vice president from December 2011 to May 2014 when Eliezer Rabinovici, a physics professor at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, replaced him.

Members Cyprus and Turkey also do not have diplomatic relations, like Iran and Israel.

The center also has 17 observers, who have an advisory role and include the European Union, China and the United States.

The Jordanian king was given a tour of the facility on Tuesday and was briefed on the technology used there, the royal court said in a statement.

Synchrotron uses a high-resolution X-ray to delve below the surface and identify minute details.

The centre has three accelerators that can propel electrons up to 2.5 billion electron volts.

The chairman of the Jordan Atomic Energy Agency, Khaled Toukan, "pointed to the political, technical and financial challenges that faced the project's task force," the statement added. </s> Image copyright KATE STEPHENS Image caption The synchrotron is a particle accelerator that essentially acts as an extremely powerful microscope

In a rare show of unity in the Middle East, an advanced research centre to be shared by the troubled region has opened in Jordan.

Despite political tensions and rows, countries usually hostile to each other are jointly supporting the venture.

Its name is Sesame - Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East.

The facility hosts a synchrotron, a particle accelerator that acts as a powerful microscope.

Researchers including Iranians, Israelis and Palestinians - who would never normally meet - will now use the machine together.

Sesame is a play on the famous phrase "Open Sesame" and is meant to signal a new era of collaborative science.

By generating intense beams of light, synchrotrons provide exceptionally detailed views of everything from cancerous tissue to ancient parchments to plant diseases.

Sesame's vast white building, located amid dusty hills some 35km north of the capital Amman, makes a stark contrast to the olive groves around it.

Image copyright KATE STEPHENS Image caption Funding problems - among other issues - have led to delays on the project

The idea of a Middle Eastern synchrotron was first mooted 20 years ago but the sheer novelty of the plan and the extreme sensitivities of the region led to endless delays in finance, design and construction.

For most of the past decade, a British physicist, Prof Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith, has chaired the project through a series of obstacles.

For a start, Israel and Iran do not have diplomatic relations with each other and nor do fellow members Turkey and Cyprus

Iran has been unable to pay its share because of international sanctions on banking

Two Iranian scientists were killed in what the Iranian government said were assassinations by the Israeli secret service - one was a delegate to the Sesame Council, the other had visited Sesame

After a freak snowstorm, the Sesame roof collapsed leaving key components exposed to the elements

Now, standing in the centre of the completed - and tested - main ring of the Sesame synchrotron, Prof Llewellyn Smith admitted that he was "a bit surprised" that the venture had got so far.

"The real problem has been finding the money - the countries in this region have science budgets that you can hardly see with a microscope," he said.

Image copyright KATE STEPHENS Image caption Sesame will be the first synchrotron in the Middle East

"And there've been many times in the history of this project when a rational person would say 'let's give up' but it's so important it's kept going and here we are today."

The turning point came in 2012 when Iran, Israel, Jordan and Turkey each agreed to contribute US$5m provided that all the others did too, though the Iranians have yet to pay.

That unlocked further finance from Italy and also from the EU which funded Cern, the international particle collider in Geneva, to manufacture the magnets that guide Sesame's beams. Unesco has also provided support.

There are some 60 synchrotrons in use around the world but Sesame will be the first in the Middle East.

The aim is to provide young scientists in the region with a reason not to emigrate to Europe or America - to try to help stem the brain drain of research talent.

Dr Gihan Kamel is an Egyptian who returned to the Middle East from a synchrotron in Italy in order to work at Sesame.

She sees the facility as vital for establishing advanced science in the region enabling it to develop techniques for the early detection of cancer or for analysing key crops to improve agriculture or explore treasured documents like the Dead Sea Scrolls which are 2,000 years old.

She says that it takes time to adjust to working with people from different religions and cultures but that the result of collaboration makes it worth it.

"We are not building a paradise, it's not an ideal place," she told me.

Image copyright KATE STEPHENS Image caption The facility could help lead to key developments in medicine and biology

"But we are creating something, we are giving hope for other people for other generations."

One of the earliest movers behind the project, Prof Eliezer Rabinovici, a leading Israeli physicist, described the opening as "a very moving moment".

"People and scientists from all over the region as well as many parts of the world have demonstrated that one can work together over decades for a common goal benefitting humanity," said Prof Rabinovici.

"Today a tiny lighthouse is opened which can suggest another direction to the young generation."

This comes amid escalating tensions in the region with the war in Syria right next door to the nation hosting Sesame, Jordan.

Last month the King Abdullah of Jordan, who performed today's opening ceremony at Sesame, recently criticised Iran over its role in the Syrian conflict.

So I asked a senior Iranian scientist, Prof Mahmoud Tabrizchi, whether these tumultuous events make a collaborative project like Sesame too difficult.

"Science is different from politics," he said, describing Sesame as "the greatest event in science in the Middle East".

"Scientists are doing their job. Science is like water - it flows between the countries but it never runs out. So it is better to share with each other."

The opening ceremony was attended by royalty, ministers or senior officials from the Jordanian, Cypriot, Egyptian, Iranian, Israeli, Pakistani, Palestinian and Turkish delegations, and by the European Commissioner for research and science and the heads of Cern, Unesco and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The first research using the synchrotron is due to start shortly with a "beam-line" using infra-red light with others to follow.

And because of the high cost of electricity in Jordan there are plans for a solar farm which would make Sesame the first synchrotron to be powered by renewable energy.

Looking ahead, already discussions have started about copying the Sesame model by building similar synchrotrons in other parts of the world including Africa and Central America.

Follow David on Twitter. </s> While Jared Kushner presumably slaves over a way to bring peace to the Middle East, a group of Middle Eastern physicists in Jordan might already have the answer.

It’s not a traditional peace agreement in any way, but the method works under the premise that friction from opposing sides can sometimes lead to radical breakthroughs. The Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) opened Tuesday — the Middle East’s first particle accelerator. And it has paired Israeli and Arab scientists working side by side in a way diplomats might only dream of.

Located in Allan, Jordan, just 35 kilometers from Amman, SESAME — Alibaba’s famous password — aims to promote scientific research built on the hope that its “diverse members could work together harmoniously,” said Chris Llewellyn Smith, President of the SESAME Council, at the opening ceremony. Before to heading SESAME, Smith worked at the world’s largest particle accelerator facility in Geneva, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN.

The $90 million facility was formally founded in 2004, with UNESCO’s support. While it will operate as a larger research center, SESAME’s pride and joy is its synchrotron accelerator. For almost a century, scientists have realized a good way to study particles is to fling them at things at a high speed. The particle accelerator propels electrons through the 133-meter-long ring until they near the speed of light. At such a high speed, these particles emit intense light beams that tell scientists about these certain forms of matter.

Like joint Arab-Israeli orchestras and artistic endeavors, SESAME offers a shot at reconciliation in a troubled region.

“There was never such a facility in the region until now, and this project is a scientific bridge between countries,” Nasher Sawadi, a Jordanian physicist who plans to work there told Haaretz.

“We don’t mix politics with science,” one of the project’s backers, Prof. Dincer Ulku of Turkey, also told the paper. “And the work on establishing the facility was not influenced by political issues. I believe that a person needs to be good, no matter where he comes from.”

The center includes participation from Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Pakistan, the Palestinian Authority, and Turkey.

Particle physics is not the only game in town. Among the more than 550 research requests submitted to the group are plans to study pollution in the Jordan River Valley, discover new drugs for cancer therapy, and study the chemical composition of ancient manuscripts to better date them in history.

Additionally, SESAME has one thing to put it ahead of its American and European peers. Smith says it will be the world’s first accelerator powered solely by renewable energy.

“As well as being a day for celebration, the opening is an occasion to look forward to the science that SESAME will produce,” Smith said Tuesday. </s> ALLAN, Jordan, and BELLINGHAM, Washington, May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Leaders of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, joined others in the global photonics community in congratulatingscientists and supporters from UNESCO and elsewhere on the inauguration today of the SESAME synchrotron by King Adbullah II of Jordan.

Located in Allan, Jordan, SESAME - the Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East - will engage scientists from countries throughout the region in experiments involving the study of properties of materials from rare semiconductors to viruses. Consortium members are Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Pakistan, the Palestinian Authority, and Turkey.

"We are all united in our dependence on life sustaining light," said SPIE CEO Eugene Arthurs. "Now the light from SESAME will ensure scientific interchange that offers hope for improved mutual understanding. As Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam noted, 'Scientific thought and its creation is the common and shared heritage of mankind.' We are very grateful to those who worked so hard to realize the dream of SESAME. SPIE joins the many who hope it leads to a flourishing of science in Jordan and recognition throughout the region of our shared heritage.

Science diplomacy was the theme of all talks at the inaugural ceremonies, reported SPIE Member Joe Niemela of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP).

Among the remarks, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Carlos Moedas noted that while many people talk and write about science diplomacy, he was impressed from his first visit to SESAME to see people actively engaging in it.

Science advocate Princess Sumaya bint Hassan of Jordan spoke about the need for international cooperation and goodwill in the region and how SESAME is playing a positive role in that regard.

Among other dignitaries on hand for the ceremonies were Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova, ICTP Director Fernando Quevedo, and President of the SESAME Council Chris Llewellyn Smith.

SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics, an educational not-for-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based science, engineering, and technology. The Society serves nearly 264,000 constituents from approximately 166 countries, offering conferences and their published proceedings, continuing education, books, journals, and the SPIE Digital Library. In 2016, SPIE provided more than $4 million in support of education and outreach programs. www.spie.org </s> A massive physics project 30 kilometers northeast of Amman in Allan, Jordan is seeking to bridge divisions between countries in the Middle East. Israel, Iran, Turkey, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Pakistan, Cyprus and Egypt many of which have cold diplomatic relations or none at all are working together to advance cutting-edge science in a region that suffers from significant brain-drain and political instability.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Jerusalem Post. </s> Jerusalem (CNN) Israel has installed security cameras near the entrance to one of the holiest sites in Jerusalem as tensions between Israelis and Palestinians edge higher following a violent week.

The security cameras are in addition to metal detectors placed last week at the Lion's Gate entrance to the site, known as the Temple Mount to Jews and the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims.

The metal detectors -- seen by Palestinians and Arab countries as an attempt by Israel to unilaterally exert control over the holy site -- triggered widespread protests across Jerusalem and the West Bank. The added installation of security cameras is liable to spark more protests.

Israel installed the metal detectors after an attack at the site in which two Israeli police officers were killed . The metal detectors may be the immediate reason for protests that have broken out across the region; it is control of the holy site that is at the heart of this outbreak of demonstrations.

- Israel installed security cameras near the entrance to Old City of Jerusalem holy site early Sunday morning.

- New decisions about security measures in the Old City could be made at a Sunday night Israeli security cabinet meeting.

- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas suspended contact, including security coordination, between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

- Four Palestinians were killed in ongoing demonstrations against Israeli security forces Friday and Saturday.

The United Nations Security Council called a meeting for Monday to discuss the latest development in the region. The Middle East Quartet, consisting of the US, Russia, the UN, and EU, issued a statement on Saturday calling on all sides "to demonstrate maximum restraint, refrain from provocative actions and work towards de-escalating the situation."

On Sunday, the Cairo-based Arab League called for an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers, scheduled for Wednesday, to discuss the latest Israeli security measures at the Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary, said Arab League spokesman Mahmoud Afifi in a statement.

"Jerusalem is a red line that Arabs and Muslims wouldn't allow to be crossed," said Arab League Chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit in a statement. "Israel is playing with fire and is risking sparking a crisis with the Arab and Muslim worlds."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has often touted improving relations with Sunni Muslim states in the Middle East, understood to mean Saudi Arabia, though Israel has no diplomatic relations with the Saudis.

On Sunday Pope Francis appealed for "moderation and dialogue" at his weekly address from St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. "I ask you to join me in prayer for the Lord to inspire in all sides proposals for reconciliation and peace," he said.

At Sunday's weekly government meeting, Netanyahu said Israel is constantly monitoring the security situation in Jerusalem and will "decide accordingly" what actions to take. A security cabinet meeting scheduled for Sunday night could bring a new decision about the metal detectors and other security measures taken in the Old City of Jerusalem.

"We are conducting this calmly, determinedly and responsibly and thus we will continue to act in order to maintain security," Netanyahu said.

President Abbas suspended all contacts between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government on Friday in protest of the metal detectors. The suspension includes the rare move of freezing security coordination, seen as a bedrock of Israeli-Palestinian relations. An Israeli military official said they are "evaluating and assessing what the declarations mean on the ground," calling it a "complex reality."

On Friday night, three Israelis were killed in their home in the West Bank settlement of Halamish Friday night when police say a young Palestinian man breached the settlement's security fence and stabbed them to death. Yosef Solomon, 70, and his son, Elad, and daughter, Chaya, died in the attack. Their funerals will take place Sunday evening.

Netanyahu said Israel would look to destroy the home of the attacker as soon as possible, a routine measure intended as a deterrent against future attacks.

The Israeli military arrested more than 20 Palestinians in an overnight sweep on Sunday near the site of Friday night's attack, according to an Israeli military official. The Palestinians were suspected of preparing attacks in the immediate future or of being members of the militant group Hamas, the official said.

Meanwhile, four Palestinians have been killed in ongoing demonstrations against Israeli security forces Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the latest Palestinian killed as Yousef Kashour, 24, from the village of el-Eizaryia. </s> JERUSALEM: Israel decided on Tuesday to remove metal detectors it had placed at the entrance to a holy site in Jerusalem's Old City and replace them with smart, less obtrusive surveillance means, a Cabinet statement said.

Israel installed metal detectors at entry points to Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem after two police officers were fatally shot on July 14, triggering the bloodiest clashes between Israelis and Palestinians in years.

The spike in tensions and the deaths of three Israelis and four Palestinians in violence on Friday and Saturday have triggered international alarm and prompted the United Nations Security Council to convene a meeting to seek ways of calming the situation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Cabinet voted to remove the metal detector gates after a meeting lasting several hours convening for a second time on Monday after it had broken off discussions a day earlier.

A statement issued after the forum of senior ministers concluded their meeting said they had decided to act on the recommendation of the security bodies and replace the metal detectors with "smart checking" means.

Reuters witnesses in the Old City saw municipal workers installing metal beams above some of the narrow stone paved streets for closed-circuit TV cameras. Israeli media said there were plans to invest in advanced camera systems.

The Cabinet statement added that it had allocated 100 million shekels (about $28 million) for the equipment and for additional police officers.

Tuesday's decision to remove the metal detector gates was an about-turn after the rightist Netanyahu, wary of being seen to capitulate to Palestinian pressure, said on Sunday the devices would stay put.

But on top of the outbreak of violence mainly in the Jerusalem area, a Palestinian move on Friday by President Mahmoud Abbas to suspend official contacts and international criticism put pressure on Israel.



Netanyahu was further hampered following a fatal shooting incident at the Israeli embassy in Jordan on Sunday when an Israeli security guard was attacked and shot dead two Jordanians.

Jordan is the custodian of Jerusalem's Muslim holy sites, which Jews revere as the vestige of their two ancient temples and which was among East Jerusalem areas Israel captured in a 1967 war and annexed as its capital in a move not recognized internationally. </s> JERUSALEM — Israel has installed security cameras near the entrance to one of the holiest sites in Jerusalem as tensions between Israelis and Palestinians edge higher following a violent week.

The security cameras are in addition to metal detectors placed last week at the Lion’s Gate entrance to the site, known as the Temple Mount to Jews and the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims.

The metal detectors — seen by Palestinians and Arab countries as an attempt by Israel to unilaterally exert control over the holy site — triggered widespread protests across Jerusalem and the West Bank. The added installation of security cameras is liable to spark more protests.

Israel installed the metal detectors after an attack at the site in which two Israeli police officers were killed. The metal detectors may be the immediate reason for protests that have broken out across the region; it is control of the holy site that is at the heart of this outbreak of demonstrations.

– Israel installed security cameras near the entrance to Old City of Jerusalem holy site early Sunday morning.

– New decisions about security measures in the Old City could be made at a Sunday night Israeli security cabinet meeting.

– Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas suspended contact, including security coordination, between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

– Three Israelis were killed in their home in a West Bank settlement on Friday. Police say a Palestinian man stabbed them to death.

– Four Palestinians were killed in ongoing demonstrations against Israeli security forces Friday and Saturday.

The United Nations Security Council called a meeting for Monday to discuss the latest development in the region. The Middle East Quartet, consisting of the US, Russia, the UN, and EU, issued a statement on Saturday calling on all sides “to demonstrate maximum restraint, refrain from provocative actions and work towards de-escalating the situation.”

On Sunday, the Cairo-based Arab League called for an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers, scheduled for Wednesday, to discuss the latest Israeli security measures at the Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary, said Arab League spokesman Mahmoud Afifi in a statement.

“Jerusalem is a red line that Arabs and Muslims wouldn’t allow to be crossed,” said Arab League Chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit in a statement. “Israel is playing with fire and is risking sparking a crisis with the Arab and Muslim worlds.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has often touted improving relations with Sunni Muslim states in the Middle East, understood to mean Saudi Arabia, though Israel has no diplomatic relations with the Saudis.

On Sunday Pope Francis appealed for “moderation and dialogue” at his weekly address from St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. “I ask you to join me in prayer for the Lord to inspire in all sides proposals for reconciliation and peace,” he said.

At Sunday’s weekly government meeting, Netanyahu said Israel is constantly monitoring the security situation in Jerusalem and will “decide accordingly” what actions to take. A security cabinet meeting scheduled for Sunday night could bring a new decision about the metal detectors and other security measures taken in the Old City of Jerusalem.

“We are conducting this calmly, determinedly and responsibly and thus we will continue to act in order to maintain security,” Netanyahu said.

President Abbas suspended all contacts between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government on Friday in protest of the metal detectors. The suspension includes the rare move of freezing security coordination, seen as a bedrock of Israeli-Palestinian relations. An Israeli military official said they are “evaluating and assessing what the declarations mean on the ground,” calling it a “complex reality.”

On Friday night, three Israelis were killed in their home in the West Bank settlement of Halamish Friday night when police say a young Palestinian man breached the settlement’s security fence and stabbed them to death. Yosef Solomon, 70, and his son, Elad, and daughter, Chaya, died in the attack. Their funerals will take place Sunday evening.

Netanyahu said Israel would look to destroy the home of the attacker as soon as possible, a routine measure intended as a deterrent against future attacks.

The Israeli military arrested more than 20 Palestinians in an overnight sweep on Sunday near the site of Friday night’s attack, according to an Israeli military official. The Palestinians were suspected of preparing attacks in the immediate future or of being members of the militant group Hamas, the official said.

Meanwhile, four Palestinians have been killed in ongoing demonstrations against Israeli security forces Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the latest Palestinian killed as Yousef Kashour, 24, from the village of el-Eizaryia.
The first synchrotron in the Middle East, SESAME, opens in Jordan, marking a rare cooperation between Iran, Israel, Turkey, and the Palestinian Authority.