Four Ponds Four Ponds for Peace in the Middle East

 Stanley J. Winton

James J. Nazarowski

All Rights Reserved Copyright 2011

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The Mid-East

• Jewish homeland• Birthplace of

Christianity• Mohammed’s later

years

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The Mid-East—Hot Spot

• 3 major wars– 1946-8, 1963, 1978

• 8-10 minor wars• Continues as source of

grave concern to this very day

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Many issues in the area• Poverty• Disease• Lack of food• Lack of water• Lack of jobs• Lack of education • Conflict• Tunneling• Weapons Transport

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The World Economic Forum

•Inter-Related Nature Of Middle East Problems:This chart is lifted directly from the report published by The World Economic Forum, Global Risks 2011 Edition. We thank them for their fine work in this area.

http://www.weforum.org/issues/global-risks

…And many assets

• Access to Mediterranean Sea• Easy access to Europe, Mid-

East, North Africa• Gas line from Sinai to Israel• Israeli leadership in:

– Desalinization– Electronics– Pharmaceuticals– Medical services– Solar energy– Fertilizer– Desert land development

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The Mid-East—Where should we focus?

• Gaza small and heavily populated—50% unemployment– 120 sq miles

• Sinai, Negev, Jordan—large desert, mostly uninhabited, with capacity to support population

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Past Negotiations Failed

• Focus was on borders• Hatred at the table

Missing?…

A Constructive

Approach

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Constructive Solution…

Security

Water

JobsEgypt &Gaza

Israel

Food

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What is Four Ponds?

• Desert along the Egyptian, Israeli and Gaza border excavated to hold four ponds, similar to an interrupted canal:

• Together these ponds form an impenetrable barrier to tunneling along the border region.

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What is Four Ponds?

Pond 1: Harbor for fishing, cargo and cruise ships, and marina

Pond 2: Saltwater aqua culture; fish and shellfish ponds as food source

Pond 3: Fresh water for irrigation of vast tracts for agriculture, livestock

Pond 4: Production and storage of fresh water for drinking & sanitation

Pond 1 Pond 2 Pond 3 Pond 4

Equipment Bunker Equipment Bunker Equipment Bunker

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Economic Engines

• Employment: engineering, construction, pond management and labor, transportation, communication, finance, logistics, sales, marketing  

• Agriculture and Housing: convert large tracts of desert for agriculture, commerce, and housing 

• Food Supply: ready-made local markets for the aqua-culture and agriculture output  

• Fresh Water: worldwide demand for fresh water and shrinking availability thereof is well known and this area is in great need of fresh water

• Energy: gas energy replaced by abundant solar energy for aquaculture, agriculture, industry, commerce and residential use

• Export Opportunity: access to welcoming markets in Europe, Gulf States and North Africa

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Benefits Start Quickly

• Construction jobs immediate

• Fishing boats quickly bring hauls

• Quick ability to start aqua culture

• Use of excavated soil for breakwater, reef and terraces

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Other Benefits of Four Ponds

• Defusing animosities• Border security

improved via tunnel elimination

• Deserts become fruitful land in Sinai, West Bank, Negev, and Jordan

• Disease eliminated14

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Can it be built?

• Suez Canal– 150 years ago– Similar terrain– 10x the length of Four Ponds– Used 30,000 slaves manual labor

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Environmental Impact• In many ways, Four Ponds is

environmentalist dream:– Waste to fertilizer and feed

– Energy conservation…constant temperature allows heat pumps to provide efficient interlocking of processing heat and product refrigeration

– Use of solar energy easy as economics improve

– Spread of crops would generate “carbon credits”, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen

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Solar Energy• Effective for water

desalination.

• Along with reverse osmosis and other

technologies

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Win-Win

• Previous peace discussions stumble over maps and borders

• Four Ponds solves underlying problems of jobs, water, food and security

• Positive benefits will lead to Arab/Jew cooperation

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How will it be funded?• Billions of dollars are spent to

purchase military goods and to feed, house and clothe the poor—no plan for ending these supports

• A portion of this money could provide seed money for Four Ponds, resulting in self-sufficiency and economic independence.

• It is anticipated that private money could flow to Four Ponds as a sound investment

A small piece of the pie

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Why Now? • Window of opportunity since parties have had an agreement to negotiate• Current Hamas power is fed by poverty and disease• New governments and new attitudes across the middle east

• After decades of Middle East initiatives, envoys, accords and billions in subsidies and grants, the fundamental problems of food, water, jobs, improved living conditions and security remain unaddressed

• Saudis see popular uprising around them--need to raise standard of living and reduce aid

• U.S. should see opportunity to reduce budget deficit (military), and improve Muslim-American relations

• Growing recognition of worldwide food and water shortage in areas like Europe and China

• Israel expands arable land and reduces defense requirements

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What you can do to help...

• We are seeking sponsorship from those who can influence the outcome…

Four Ponds Four Ponds for Peace in the Middle East

www.fourponds.org