Arava Institute for Environmental Studies

Last updated
Arava institute new logo web1.png
MottoNature knows no borders
TypeSemester or year-long; undergraduate & graduate
Established1996 (1996)
Affiliation Kibbutz Ketura
Academic affiliation
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Officer in charge
Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed
Academic DirectorDr. Jessica Schäckermann
Location
D.N. Hevel Eilot
,
8884000
,
Israel

29°58′3.36″N35°4′15.24″E / 29.9676000°N 35.0709000°E / 29.9676000; 35.0709000
CampusRural
LanguageEnglish
Website arava.org
Arava Institute for Environmental Studies
The Arava is a long desert valley in a natural rift located between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, a northern extension of the Red Sea. Greatrift.jpg
The Arava is a long desert valley in a natural rift located between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, a northern extension of the Red Sea.

The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies is an academic studies and research institute located in Kibbutz Ketura on the Israeli side of the Arava Valley. [1] The Arava Institute's stated mission is to advance cross-border environmental cooperation in the face of political conflict. [2]

Contents

Students and academic programs

Students at the Arava Institute live on Kibbutz Ketura while taking classes in sustainable development, water management, environmental law, economic policy, environmental science, and other topics in environmental studies. Classes are taught in English. Members of the faculty are often guest lecturers from universities, both in Israel and abroad, or professionals in fields such as public policy and water management.[ citation needed ]

Since its founding in 1996, by Alon Tal [ citation needed ], the Arava Institute has hosted over 800 graduate and undergraduate students of various nationalities, including Israeli Jews, Israeli Arab, Palestinian, Jordanian, Egyptian, Tunisian, Moroccan, European and American students.[ citation needed ]

Lecture on the ecology of coral reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba, 2018 AIES-lecture-2018.jpg
Lecture on the ecology of coral reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba, 2018

AIES students can participate in semester and year-long programs accredited through Ben-Gurion University as well as two master's degree graduate programs granted by Ben-Gurion University – one in Environmental Desert Studies and the other a "Green" MBA that teaches environmental sustainability and efficiency as well as business management skills. A three-week summer course is sometimes offered to study biodiversity and environmental challenges in the Arabah Valley. The Arava Institute is considering establishing a joint Master's program with Al-Quds University, the only Arab institution of higher learning in Jerusalem.[ citation needed ]

All AIES students are required to completes a non-credit bearing Peace-Building and Environmental Leadership Seminar. [3]

Alumni

The Arava Institute has recently[ when? ] created The Arava Alumni Peace and Environmental Network (AAPEN) to bring together alumni for an annual conference held in varying locations in the Middle East, [4] as well as an online presence on Facebook, a private online network (NING), updated pages on the Arava website for alumni, and a newsletter.[ citation needed ]

Research centers

In addition to its academic programs, the Arava Institute conducts cross-border studies in four research centers:

The "Methuselah" tree Methuselah-Ketura-2018-10.jpg
The "Methuselah" tree

In addition, the Arava Center for Sustainable Development (ACSD), under the supervision of Dr. Shmuel Brenner, aims to reduce poverty, enhance sustainability and empower communities by supporting locally driven, environmentally focused development programs worldwide. One of those programs is the agricultural development program "Furrows in the Desert" in Turkana, Kenya, which intends to create greater food security to the region by building local capacity in sustainable agriculture. [10]

De-extinction projects

Although the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies is not an organization dedicated to de-extinction, the institute is known internationally for the revival, reintroduction, and discovery of plants such as the Judean date palm, an unknown Commiphora, and the frankincense tree from germination of ancient seeds found in excavations. The Judean date palm went extinct in the 1500s, while the frankincense tree was extirpated from Israel over 1500 years ago. [11] [8] The specimen of the unknown Commiphora, "Sheba", has yet to be formally described, but it is believed to be the tsori or Judean balsam, two plants with healing properties referenced in the Bible. [12]

Criticism

The Arava Institute has faced criticisms from numerous Palestinian and Anti-Zionist organizations for attempting to "normalize" the state of Israel among the region's Arab population. [13] [14] [15] Some proponents of this perspective also state that Israeli academia is indistinguishable from the Israeli government, due to its high degree of scientific and technological collaboration, especially relating to the Israel Defense Forces. [15]

Others state that the institute has failed to speak on human rights violations against Palestinians by Israel, including the forced transfers of Palestinian Bedouins from the Negeb desert where the institute is based out of. [16] The Arava Institute states that it is apolitical in this regard, which some state as being complicit to Israeli human rights abuses. [16] [17]

One of the Arava Institute's major sources of funding is the Jewish National Fund, which the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement has denounced as a major player in the displacement of Palestinians. [17]

See also

References

  1. "In The Middle East, Muslims And Jews Work In Unison To Care For The Environment". The Huffington Post. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  2. "History & Mission". Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  3. "ISRAEL - ARAVA INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (AIES)". SUNY Oneonta. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  4. "100 Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian Students Meet in 'War for the Environment'". Algemeiner.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  5. Rinat, Zafrir (2015-11-23). "Evrona Reserve's Ecology in Danger Due to Oil Spill's Damage to Trees". Haaretz. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  6. "Science, Technology and Space Ministry names Arab chemical engineer its deputy chief scientist". The Jerusalem Post . 24 March 2015. ISSN   0792-822X . Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  7. "2,000-Year-Old Seed Sprouts, Sapling Is Thriving". news.nationalgeographic.com. 2005-11-22. Archived from the original on March 24, 2015. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  8. 1 2 "After 1,500 years, frankincense returns to the Holy Land in time for Christmas". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  9. "How clear is our water?". The Jerusalem Post . 5 March 2010. ISSN   0792-822X . Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  10. "Kenya: Building peace and greening the desert in Turkana". Independent Catholic News. 2013-09-12. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  11. Issar, Arie S. (2004-08-05). Climate Changes during the Holocene and their Impact on Hydrological Systems. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-1-139-43640-3.
  12. Sallon, Sarah; Solowey, Elaine; Gostel, Morgan R.; Egli, Markus; Flematti, Gavin R.; Bohman, Björn; Schaeffer, Philippe; Adam, Pierre; Weeks, Andrea (2024-09-10). "Characterization and analysis of a Commiphora species germinated from an ancient seed suggests a possible connection to a species mentioned in the Bible". Communications Biology. 7 (1): 1109. doi:10.1038/s42003-024-06721-5. ISSN   2399-3642. PMC   11387840 . PMID   39256474.
  13. Al-Omari, Khaled (2016-10-24). التطبيع العلمي والثقافي ومقاومته في الأردن والوطن العربي [Scientific and cultural normalization and its resistance in Jordan and the Arab world]. Institute for Palestine Studies (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2024-01-30. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
  14. اللجنة الوطنية الفلسطينية لمقاطعة إسرائيل تطالب بمقاطعة مؤسسة الدامور التطبيعية [The Palestinian National Committee for the Boycott of Israel calls for a boycott of the Damour Normalization Foundation]. Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2023-12-04. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
  15. 1 2 Al-Essa, Tala (2016-06-26). "Jordanian students in Israel: Academia is a gateway to normalization". www.wattan.net. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
  16. 1 2 "Environmental Songfest: Arava Institute claims to promote peace while silent on justice". Adalah-NY . 2010-11-24. Archived from the original on 2024-07-14. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
  17. 1 2 "Breaking: Pete Seeger endorses BDS, shuns Jewish National Fund". +972 Magazine . 2011-02-28. Archived from the original on 2024-12-19. Retrieved 2025-04-08.