The Press in Israel | Save the Jordan, build peace

(Kvoutzat Kinneret, Israel) The pilgrim advances cautiously in the water of the Jordan, dressed in a long white tunic. Two attendants grab her by the arms and help her fall backwards, to immerse herself completely in the river. When she resurfaces, she bursts into tears of emotion. His Brazilian tour group applauds wildly.

The scene takes place in the Kibbutz of Kvoutzat Kinneret, in northern Israel, where Lake Tiberias empties into the Jordan. That day, Christians from Brazil gathered on the shore to be baptized in the river where John the Baptist, patron saint of French Canadians, would have done the same with Jesus. Many visitors fill their bottles to take home some of this water. A nearby souvenir shop also sells several vials of the precious liquid, alongside the inevitable souvenir magnets for the fridge and postcards.

Visitors come here from all over the world to see the humble waterway, which holds a central place in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim religions.

Besides the episode of the baptism of Jesus, the Bible tells that the Jewish people, after having wandered in the desert, once crossed the mythical river to enter the promised land. Muslims also honor several companions of the Prophet Muhammad who are buried on its eastern shore.

“Half the world considers this river holy. It is the holiest river on the planet! People from Germany or Brazil know it,” says Danielle Mayron, marine biologist and guide for the organization EcoPeace Middle East.

It points to the narrow stream, easy to cross on foot at this latitude. “When you compare it to the Amazon, it’s crazy! But it’s the smallest river with the biggest reputation,” she laughs.

foul water

At Kinneret, visitors can bathe in the Jordan because the river still carries clean water from nearby Lake Tiberias. But very quickly, downstream, the situation deteriorates. Many riverside communities in Jordan and Palestine discharge their sewage into the river without any treatment. Agricultural pollution, discharges from factories, slaughterhouses and fish farms as well as the dumping of household waste further worsen the situation. Returned to the Dead Sea, its final destination, the Jordan is downright revolting. It is strongly advised not to dip the toe in it.

“We have polluted it so much that we have lost many of the plants and animals that lived there,” laments Idan Greenbaum, head of the Jordan Valley Regional Council. The one for whom the water of the river was a playground in his childhood is saddened to see that today’s young people cannot experience the same pleasure.

But in a region marked by war, hostility and latent conflicts for decades, an ecological disaster like that of the Jordan can also be an opportunity: a unifying issue, which affects all populations and which makes it possible to unite enemies ancestral in order to advance a cause.

This is the bet of EcoPeace Middle East, a tripartite organization which brings together Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian environmentalists and which has made the rehabilitation of the Jordan River one of its priority objectives. With unexpected success.

Jordan and Israel were in a state of war from 1948 to 1994. Their relations often remain difficult and their leaders frequently shoot each other arrows. In the neighboring West Bank, where the Jordan also flows, the clashes with the Israeli army have been particularly deadly for the Palestinians.

EcoPeace Middle East is based on the idea of ​​bringing together all these beautiful people to save a river: a way of working both for the environment and for peace. “We are helping all parties create a healthier river. We all constantly work together. It’s very unique,” ​​says Danielle Mayron.

Israeli environmentalists turned to the courts a few years ago to force their government to stop dumping sewage into the river. Today, a brand new wastewater treatment plant sits in a field near the Jordanian border. The water that comes out is not perfectly clean, but it is of good enough quality to be used in agriculture. The goal is to eventually reuse it in the fields and eventually stop dumping it into the river.

Heavy machinery also excavated the hyperpolluted black mud from the bottom of the stream.

At the same time, Jordanian members of EcoPeace Middle East are lobbying their own government, and Palestinian members are lobbying the Palestinian Authority, highlighting the work already done on the Israeli side. “We can each influence our governments. In this way, we can foster more peace and more cooperation between us,” says Ms.^me Mayron.

Overcome the wounds of the past

Idan Greenbaum’s family history had not necessarily predestined him for such cooperation.

“I lost my uncle. He died 55 years ago. He was a farmer. He left to work in the cotton field on his tractor. A Palestinian terrorist laid a mine on the way. He was the father of two young girls. It affected me growing up,” he says.

“But I understood,” he continues. There is no other way. We have to cooperate and find a way to live side by side. »

And there is no bigger problem than water, especially in such an arid region. “Water is the source of life,” he adds.

Last November, on the occasion of COP27 in Egypt, Israel and Jordan signed a historic agreement in which the two countries undertake to rehabilitate the river. Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation, Mohammed al-Najjar, told the official Petra news agency that the agreement would improve living conditions and provide “more water for residents on both sides of the river”. , including the Palestinians”. It is a question of reducing agricultural discharges and improving water treatment, in addition to developing protected areas.

Potential tourist windfall

Local governments all have their eyes on the tourist windfall that could come with cleaning up the waters. A study published by EcoPeace Middle East quantifies the potential revenues in billions of dollars. The interest is not limited to the religious heritage of the region. Near the baptism site of Kvoutzat Kinneret, there is a prehistoric archaeological site where some of the oldest traces of the emigration of Homo erectus out of Africa were discovered.

In the same small section where the water of the Jordan remains clean, a small resort, with canoes, swimming, bike paths and picnic areas, has been developed. Residents and tourists stop there to drink tea and stroll along the water’s edge.

“It’s an example of what the Jordan could be, all the way to the Dead Sea!” », rejoices Danielle Mayron.

“It’s bigger than us,” she concludes. We may be guardians of this place, but billions hold it sacred. »