MIDEASTENVIRONET - The Middle East Environmental Network

Al-Hayat

July 14, 2007

Ibrahim Muhammad

Visiting Amman, Doha, Dubai, Algeria, Damascus and other capitals of the Arab world, the Arab visitor's eye first catches the cities' breathtaking horizontal expansion. The most notable aspect of this development is probably the underdevelopment of the basic infrastructure that should accompany it. Furthermore, in countries such as Egypt, the Syrian coast and northern Africa, this expansion goes on at the expense of fertile agricultural lands that are rare in most Arab countries.

Continue reading "Urban development in the Arab world: disrespectful of elements of life" »

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The Palestine Center

Edited transcript of a presentation by members of the Negotiation Support Unit of the PLO’s Negotiations Affairs Department on Water
“For the Record” No. 280 (27 June 2007)

At a 14 June 2007 Palestine Center briefing, Dr. Shaddad Attili, Mr. Fuad Bateh and Mr. John Murray of the Negotiations Support Unit of the PLO’s Negotiations Affairs Department, proposed a positive-sum approach for the resolution of the water crisis in the Middle East. As for the allocation of water, both on the political and topographical level, they maintained that an equitable allocation of water is not only essential for the establishment of a viable Palestinian state but will also help restore relations with Israel and its neighboring countries. They also emphasized the dire need for clean water in Gaza and the creation of a much needed desalinization plant. Ultimately, the question of a viable and sustainable Palestinian state and the long-term interests of all the water-sharing parties—Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syrian and Palestine—depends on a sound and just resolution to the water conflict.

Continue reading ""Palestinian Water Crisis: Bilateral and Regional Perspectives"" »

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Jordan Times

Listing Jordan River among the top most endangered cultural heritage sites
in the world comes as no surprise.

The Friends of the Earth Middle East Society and the World Monument Fund,
the renowned international watchdog of cultural heritages worldwide, have
sounded the alarm about the inevitable demise of the river and showed what
protecting it from becoming altogether extinct entails.

Continue reading "Clean waters" »

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Jordan Times

Jun. 18, 2007

Paul Tate

AMMAN -- A lack of cooperation and political will among regional states is hampering efforts to address the worsening ecological condition of the Jordan River, environmentalists said on Sunday.

According to Friends of the Earth Middle East, a regional environmental organisation of Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians, poor regional water management has led to the complete demise of one of the world's most famous rivers.

Continue reading "Jordan River among world's 100 most endangered sites" »

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Jordan Times

May 26, 2007

AMMAN (JT) — The UNESCO Amman office, in collaboration with the Swedish-based NGO Life-Link Friendship-Schools (www.life-link.org), brought together school teachers from different countries in the region in a two-day workshop this week.

Continue reading "Conference involves schools in environmental programmes" »

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Haaretz / Jordan Times

February 15, 2007

By Margaret Beckett

[listserve note: published in both Jordan Times and Haaretz, unusual for the region]

All too often the news is dominated by conflict and disagreement. Then a threat of such magnitude comes along that it forcefully reminds us of our common humanity - in other words just how much all of us, whatever our background, creed or colour hold in common. For our generation that threat is climate change.

Continue reading "The threat that unites us all" »

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