Now, for the first time, the Jordanian side of the sea is open to developers who are being given encouragement and incentives to build there, says Mehyar. Benvenisti and Brunsdale credit Foreign Minister Shimon Peres with helping to revive the plan. Peres, who sees it as a symbolic project for regional cooperation in the Middle East, has solicited support from European and Japanese leaders. Still, the project has a long way to go before it becomes a reality. Environmental and feasibility studies have not yet been carried out.
Designs have to be drawn up, and financing still needs to obtained.
And not everyone is enthusiastic about the project. Israel's Water Commissioner Shimon Tal has gone on record as saying he doesn't think it can work. Valerie Brachya, deputy director general for policy and planning in the Environmental Ministry, argues that first, there are serious environmental issues that need to be considered. And Tzipi Livni, the new Minister of Regional Cooperation, says there many issues must be examined before any practical steps toward implementation are taken. Environmental groups have mixed reactions to the proposal.