The new Dead Sea Research Institute will coordinate the work of four separate research bodies in Israel and Jordan that are working on the area from the Arava to the Jordan Valley, and are carrying out advanced studies for the benefit of the local population and neighboring peoples.
A dedication ceremony was held on Tuesday at the Masada National Park Visitor’s Center for the new Dead Sea Research Institute, in which Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian Authority scientists will work together to study the Dead Sea in order to find ways to rehabilitate it and the region around it.
The institute was established under the aegis of the International Cooperation Ministry, which invested NIS 4 million.
The institute will coordinate the research that is currently being done on the Dead Sea, boost interest and define a list of priorities. It will also serve to increase the study and teaching of various disciplines associated with the Dead Sea, assist in carrying out studies in the area and be a regional center for researchers and students.
Deputy Regional Cooperation Minister Ayoub Kara said that the institute would coordinate the work of four separate research institutes in Israel and Jordan that are working on the area from the Arava to the Jordan Valley, and are carrying out advanced studies for the benefit of the local population and neighboring peoples.
“This place serves as a symbol of the deep desire of the Israeli people for cooperation with our neighbors in joint research, progress and development in order to improve life in general and our common life in particular,” said Kara “The Dead Sea, the preservation of which we are currently fighting for, is an historic source for heritage, tourism and raw materials used by the entire world in technological, agricultural and medical developments.”
The Regional Cooperation Ministry is advancing several projects to raise awareness for the Dead Sea with our neighbors, especially the canal between the seas which, in a few years, will raise the level of the Dead Sea by millions of cubic meters of water and supply freshwater to the peoples of the region.
Studies carried out by the institute will concentrate on issues such as: Climate and environmental medicine and health; Dead Sea studies which include flora and fauna, environment, geology, archaeology and heritage; natural resource, environmental and community management and regional-international cooperation, as well as bio- and nano-technology.
By: Max Gelber, United with Israel