‘Earth Day’ April 22nd, 2021, marks the fifth year since I first began documenting Israel’s world wonder, the Dead Sea – the lowest point on Earth; its receding water level as well as its breathtaking and enchanting landscape.

Every year that goes by, the Dead Sea continues to shrink and is currently at its lowest level in recorded history. This exemplifies the serious lack of regional water solutions and the effect it can have on the stability and water security of the region.

‘The Abraham Accords’ provides an opportunity for Israel and ME countries, especially the United Arab Emirates, to offer first-rate added value to normalization and relations between peoples, while calling for action to preserve the most precious natural resource in our region – water.

Water gives life. This natural resource has what it takes to unite our people, by creating empathy and building mutual trust.  This can be the solid human infrastructure from which we advance normalization between our nations and cultivate long-term relationships.

Today,  I feel more hopeful and optimistic in partaking in the cultivation of a new Middle East regional alliance. This vision can strengthen the Abraham Accords by fostering a new Middle Eastern regional alliance, initially formed internally through an exchange of education and

culture, and then externally by promoting regional and innovative environmental tourism for domestic and foreign visitors.

The Middle East Water Ecotourism 

“Environmental protection and sustainability are prime values that create a common story and identity…  Bilateral water-sustainability ecotourism between Israel and the United Arab Emirates can potentially showcase an effective tool to excite, educate, and inspire both local leadership as well as the youth from both countries and visitors from around the world.”

Yousif Al Nuaimi, Director of Partnerships and Special Projects, The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment

The UAE and Israel, are global leaders in water sustainability, using both ancient and modern methods for preserving nature, wildlife and the most valuable asset of the region, clean and drinkable water.

The State of Israel can adapt measures taken by the UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, which has successfully developed ecotourism of the country, reaching 20% of annual tourism. This first bilateral alliance can serve as a model to be applied to all countries in the Abraham Accords.

Ami Marom, the founder of Gulf Red Med, an Israeli non-profit advocating regional development initiatives, believes that pursuing regional ecotourism is a key factor in transforming the Middle East into a synergy-driven global economic powerhouse: “Once people from across the world will flock to our region and witness how its ancient heritage in agricultural innovations, water solutions and global trade, is juxtaposed against its newly emerging leadership role on the world stage in technological advancements in all those fields and others, we’ll know that we are experiencing a new regional golden age.

In that sense, ecotourism is both a catalyst and a litmus paper for our joint success”

Asher Fredman, the CEO of Gulf-Israel Green Ventures is managing a company that connects the Israeli and Gulf greentech and cleantech ecosystems. He believes that ecotourism is a way to advance ‘green diplomacy’ between people.

“ In order to realize the potential of Gulf-Israel water cooperation, it is necessary for our water-focused entrepreneurs, researchers and environmentalists to get to know each other… Ecotourism, which can bring together key players in the water-tech ecosystems of Israel and the Gulf, could help take water cooperation to the next level. Combining a shared passion for nature and a shared need for advanced water-tech, through tailored regional ecotours, would be an excellent way to advance people-to-people ‘green diplomacy’. While generally, bridges are for crossing water, in this case, water itself would be the bridge.”

Through a regional alliance for water sustainability, I hope to be the bridge across the Middle East, for countries in desperate need of rehabilitating and maintaining their water resources.

In addition, it will encourage and deepen relationships with neighboring countries through regional water ecotourism development.

The Dead Sea Story is a model case for inspiring this vision.

For Earth Day 2021, an International Dead Sea Photo Exhibition: ‘The Dead Sea Life’ will be displayed in Arad’s Community Center, Thursday, April 22nd, 7PM.