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Munqeth Mehyar is the Jordanian Director of EcoPeace/Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME), a regional organization bringing together Palestinian, Jordanian, and Israeli environmentalists working for peace and the environment. FoEME was founded in 1994 with offices in ‘Amman, Bethlehem, and Tel Aviv. The Good Water Neighbors project was launched in 2001 as a model project for environmental peacemaking. For more information, visit www.foeme.org.
Discussions of transboundary water issues in regions of the developing world other than the Middle East have tended to focus on development potential and poverty reduction. However, with respect to the Middle East, much of the media coverage and a sizable portion of scholarly writing have been devoted to “water conflicts.” Given the current amount of water available per capita, the high rate of population growth, and the high levels of interstate tension and conflict in the region, images of “water wars” do not seem far-fetched.
The Jordan Valley is a lush, wetland ecosystem that is the biological heart of the Middle East region at large. As the meeting point of the Asian, African, and European continents, the valley is at the crossroads of biodiversity. In addition to the unique flora and fauna, the valley is one of the world’s most important migratory pathways for birds. Over 500 million birds migrate from Europe to Africa twice a year, dependent on the Jordan Valley as a stopping ground on their long journey.
