The Dead Sea has been rapidly disappearing for the past 50 years, one of the world's natural wonders careening toward ecological collapse.
But in a deal signed Monday and hailed as "historic," Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority agreed on an ambitious project to begin to refill the ancient salt lake with briny water pumped from the Red Sea.
The agreement calls for the construction of a large desalination plant in Jordan, on the Gulf of Aqaba, that would suck billions of liters from the Red Sea and convert it to drinking water. The water would be shared by — and sold to thirsty customers in — Jordan and Israel. In addition, as part of the agreement, Israel agreed to increase the amount of water it sells annually to the Palestinian Authority by as much as 30 million cu. meters.