Gonen Sagy We are all part of one ecological area and we have to collaborate to maintain it for all of us well-being.

It is not that if the Israeli state will collapse the Jordanians will benefit or if Palestinians will starve Israel will do better in any way. We have to support each other in order to flourish and survive. The current atmosphere of fear, doubts and distrust between communities and people due to their religion or ethnicity is ridiculously influential on events in the Middle East. We have to stop that trend in order to take things forward. The Arava Institute is setting an example of building capacity of numerous experts, alumnus of the AIES that for one or two semesters shared a living space and together learn the environmental end cultural challenges of the Middle East. Today, hundreds of AIES alumni are located all over the Middle East, some work in humanitarian NGOs, other take place at governmental positions, some work for the UN in the Middle East and others do hands on activities for enforcing sustainability. Each in a way and understanding suited. We are now representing a minority and sometimes we feel strangers to our communities, for we chose and take unordinary path. But we all understand and know, this is the right path, we need to stay on it - for one day the rest in the Middle East will fallow. A crucial aspect that would let Palestine, Israel and Jordan forward into environmental collaboration and sustainability is social and educational programs that will create peace building between communities and people in the Middle East. Peaceful and sustainable livelihood for everyone is not only up to scientist and governmental officials to realize, for it is the everyone (all of us everywhere) that need to encourage our scientist and governmental officials and politicians to take this path. The only sustainable path there is.

Addressing the Conferences two sets of questions: Anticipated crisis is also an opportunity to reorganize better distribution of resources and social organization in the Middle East. In general, the whole human race may improve the way government and social organization of countries to adopt a sustainable life. Thousands of years ago there were groups that have adopted the method of organization by country, which helped them to maintain stability and power over time. We are constantly changing the nature and our environment, and being changed by them. And as some countries did not survive in the past because of their environmental resources depletion, so that could happen today. The important lesson is that the environment is an incredibly dynamic "Playground" and we human beings invent governmental organizations, which on the one hand enable social and cultural sustainability but on the other hand have to be tailored according to environmental

and social changes. This is relevant throughout the world and in Israel, Palestine, Jordan and the Middle East in particular. Today, virtually everyone on earth belongs - legally and culturally and by consciousness - at least to one state. In recent centuries some countries over-exploited earth resources, each in its way and by its method... In recent decades, some countries partnered in an attempt to create a balance that will allow most of the world residents a sustainable living - each in its own way and by its method... No matter if we recognize it or not, the forces of nature and the environment do not know manmade boundaries: animals, vegetation, water and air does not find it matter at all if two countries established a border between them, or if one group of people is fighting another group for independence. Laws and forces of nature continue to theirs, and when crisis materializes it affect broad circles, determined according to rivers basins, ecosystems, and soil quality and driftnet (and more ...). In many cases, effects of environmental crisis exceeds boundaries of a single country, and to better cope with, or prevent it in advance, there is a need for cooperation of number of countries. Every community and every culture may find a solution that fits her cope with an environmental crisis, it is important to understand and recognize that while one community work as a unit to solve an environmental problem, other communities have to find a solution individually over each sub-group or even a household, and in other communities the solution lies in a cooperation that includes a number of communities. In fact even today there is a crisis of water shortage in Palestine and Jordan, when people are faced with limited water supply. In Aman, the capital city of Jordan, water flows through the pipes only once a week, and sometimes a day every 2 weeks, Palestine lacks infrastructure of water pipes leading to each house and in many communities homeowners purchase water who come to them by truck and sold at an outrageous price. Without clean water infrastructure leading to the houses, there is a lack for sewage disposal and many communities in the West Bank (including several settlements) treat sewage by septic tanks through which contaminated water seeps into the groundwater, and thus increase the pressure on waterfront resources available. The countries of the region now have the knowledge and technologies needed to improve the quality of life for all residents significantly. Technology, knowledge and mechanical ability to deal with these problems exist. Yet our challenges are not faced. We can name variety of reasons to explain why situation as it is today but all and all countries in the region still have not found a way to improve it. we are slowed by social and culture dynamics of the Middle Eastern countries.

However there is room for optimism. Actions and initiatives taken by the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies show that local residents have a capacity to act in ways that improve the situation. For example, cooperation between Dr. Clive Lipchin from the AIES and Eng. Monther Hind from the Palestinian Wastewater Engineering Group, demonstrated a successful household wastewater management that can be utilized in most homes in Palestine without the need to bring all the political leaders of the Middle East to the table to agree on it Also at the political level we can see (little) positive example for the ability of the State of Israel and Arab states to cooperate on environmental issue - even in the absence of diplomatic relations at the Barcelona Convention for maintaining the marine environment and on the Mediterranean coast. First version of this Convention was written in 1976, and in 1995 signed the 27 countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea to the convention. States Parties to the Barcelona Convention, pledged to take all necessary measures to prevent the pollution of the Mediterranean Sea and protect the marine environment, while balancing the needs of the development needs of the environment and future generations. The treaty signed by: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, European Union, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey. Barcelona Convention provide point of reference for decision makers, and encourages communication and cooperation between countries in achieving sustainable livelihoods. Time has come to encourage the signing of a treaty similar for freshwater resources above and below ground in the Middle East. Convention witch will includes all states affecting aquifers and surface water reserves available to countries in the Middle East. But, can our leaders phrase such a treaty? Would they like to do it? What will be the political atmosphere towered them? Would they be reelected? Similarly, in the issue of dealing with climate change in our area of the world, we have to cooperate in order to provide better livelihood for residents of the Middle East. The Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection issued a document "assessments of climate change in Israel - review of existing knowledge, identify knowledge gaps and priority to completion." (http://www.environment.gov.il/Enviroment/Static/Binaries/ModulKvatzim/climate_change_a daptation_Israel_12_2011_2.pdf) This document of nearly 200 pages, capture more than one hundred leading Israeli scientists, each is specialist in a specific field. The document capture what is known in Israel regard about the climate change that will impact our lives in the Middle East for decades to come. The report is amazingly deep and wide-ranging. The connotations are overwhelming: Rainfall change, temperature fluctuations, the effect of sea level alteration on temperature and morbidity, the

ability of Israel's food production to support itself, the energy producing capacity, the Israeli sweet water economy, the IDF's preparedness to deal with activities on different climates, the migration of large populations in the country and from countries surrounding Israel, and the means of reducing the ecological footprint of the Israelis - that is how the Israelis can live in manner that will save little or prevent some of the changes expected. The report refers to the distribution of knowledge held by Israel for three circles, the first circle within the borders of the country, the second refers to the countries bordering Israel: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. Third circle refers to all countries in the world. Three things stand out from assessments of climate change in Israel - review of existing knowledge, identify knowledge gaps and priority to completion. 1. We now have more Hidden then known: We Miss a lot of knowledge about the level of preparedness regard: Immigration and conflict. Experts find it hard to speculate what will occur due to changes in climate in Israel and around, the effect of climate change on the army and all security system, the ability to use energy sources, and the patterns of energy consumption under different climate. We are missing a lot of knowledge, and on the other who can generate knowledge about the future? 2. Climate change will affect everyone. Expected migration of people due to floods, droughts Some say that already today unregistered immigration that are now entering Israel from Africa, are due to climate change and droughts. 3. Already now we can cut more than half of energy consumptions in Israel and greenhouse gases production, by converting to green building and efficient public transport. But, as Arava Institute alumni and today staff member, the thing that stand out most to me, is the need for a collaborative assessments regard climate change for the Middle East (assessments
of climate change in Middle East - review of existing knowledge as sublimate and part of the assessments of climate change in Israel)

It is not that if the Israeli state will collapse the Jordanians will benefit or if Palestinians will starve Israel will do better in any way. We have to support each other in order to flourish and survive. We are all part of one ecological area and we have to collaborate to maintain it for all of us well-being. In this respect, it would be interesting to see a joint research team includes experts from the Middle East that examines a number of options for our countries to cooperate toward better mitigating climate challenge (and water management).

Joint research teems, governmental cooperation, knowledge exchange. To some extent Palestine, Jordan and Israel already do it, though less then needed. The additional crucial - aspect that would let Palestine, Israel and Jordan forward into environmental collaboration and sustainability is social and educational programs that will create peace building between communities and people in the Middle East. Peaceful and sustainable livelihood for everyone is not only up to scientist and governmental officials to realize, for it is the everyone (all of us everywhere) that needs to encourage our scientist and governmental officials to take this path. The only sustainable path there is. We already have the knowledge and staff for peace-building among middle eastern citizens today, the AIES do peace building and sustainable education today among Jewish and Arab communities in Israel, and have the infrastructures of human and knowledge capacities to future implement peace education between Israel and other countries. The Youth Environmental Education & Peace Initiative (YEEPI) is an educational project for peace between people and between people and their environments in Israel. YEEPI is funded by the American embassy in Israel and operated by the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (AIES). Jewish and Arab Alumni of the AIES are the YEEPI Leaders, they work in pairs of high schools, every pair is made by one Jewish and one Arab high school. In most of the pairs, the high schools are located in close geographically location, with common environment. YEEPI's overall goal is to reduce tension and conflict between Jewish and Arab Israeli adolescents by advancing solutions to common environmental issues. YEEPI is not solely focused on talking about coexistence, but rather working on the issues through cooperative efforts toward sustainability. In this project, the environment is a tool to stimulate, teach and maintain effective crosscultural communication and reconciliation. The current atmosphere of fear, doubts and distrust between communities and people due to their religion or ethnicity is ridiculously influential on events in the Middle East. We have to stop that trend in order to take things forward. The Arava Institute is setting an example of building capacity of numerous experts, alumnus of the AIES that for one or two semesters shared a living space and together learn the environmental end cultural challenges of the Middle East. Today, hundreds of AIES alumni are located all over the Middle East, some work in humanitarian NGOs, other take place at governmental positions, some work for the UN in the Middle East and others do hands on activities for enforcing sustainability. Each in a way and understanding suited. We are now representing a minority and sometimes we feel as strangers to our communities, for we chose to take unordinary path. But we all understand and know, this is the right path, we need to stay on it and one day the rest in the Middle East will fallow.