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The newly formed Israeli-Palestinian Projects Group is sponsoring a special presentation, given by Liora Meron, this Wednesday evening, August 21, 2013, at 7:30 pm at the Boulder Jewish Community Center, 3800 Kalmia Ave, Boulder Colorado.
Liora Meron, Architect and Co-Chair of the Kidron Valley/Wadi El Nar Planning Team, will discuss the Israeli/Palestinian cooperative effort to clean up and restore an ancient waterway which runs from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. This project includes collaboration with archeologists, environmentalists, engineers, and governmental agencies. In addition to her presentation, Ms. Meron will answer questions from the audience.
Ms. Meron will also outline ways in which professional and lay Boulder residents can participate in this important environmental and bridge building project.
Joint cooperative projects between Israelis and Palestinian Arabs are unusual and infrequent, even though there is a great need for them. This particular project offers the possibility of cleaning a deeply fouled waterway in Israel and the Palestinian territories, and an opportunity for people in Boulder to become involved in a non-political project that promotes peaceful cooperation.
The Kidron Valley-Wadi El Nar Basin Master Plan is a unique cross-boundary cooperative effort designed to restore and enrich one of the most important — and most polluted — river valleys in the Middle East. The 28-kilometer-long Kidron/Nar Valley runs from the center of Jerusalem out to the east through Palestinian villages and eventually into the Dead Sea.
The project Master Plan encompasses ecological, historical, cultural, physical, economic an dgeograpical elements agreed upon by Israelis and Palestinians that serve the best interests of the Valley and its diverse residents. Ms. Meron will discuss some of the challenges, and the needs for environmental and social cooperation in a much-disputed part of the world.
No charge for admission. For more information, please contact Beth Ornstein or Bill Cohen at boulderipprojects@gmail.com.
It has been 20 years since the public opening of the Oslo Peace process and longer if one counts the process going back to the 1967 Six Day War. The best hope for peace between Israelis and Palestinians is small steps of cooperation and mutual involvement on the ground, allowing direct contact between Israelis, Palestinians and Jews coalescing around mutually advantageous projects. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement takes an approach directly opposite to this.