LOS ANGELES (Press Release)–On March 27, 2010 the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City, CA opened an exhibit entitled Water: Our Thirsty World. The exhibit, which is scheduled to be on display until June 13, features photographs from National Geographic and coincides with its special issue on water. The exhibit aims to “explore the causes and consider the ramifications of the world’s impending fresh water crisis” through ”environmental, social, political and cultural perspectives.”
Of the 65 photographs on display, 10 are dedicated to Israel, the only country to be negatively portrayed and attacked with false political accusations. The photo captions weave a fiction where Israel hoards water and steals from its neighbors, with photographs depicting Israelis relaxing by overflowing pools and beautiful beaches while others suffer from drought.
Israel is a world leader in water resource management and regularly shares its knowledge with nations around the world. Water is not a weapon and the Annenberg Foundation along with National Geographic had an opportunity to elevate the discourse of global water resources – instead the exhibit is used to manufacture a crude political attack against Israel. The specific Israel-related photos are attached, or you may see the exhibit online for yourself at www.annenbergspaceforphotography.org/
The Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles, Jacob Dayan, sent the following letter to the Annenberg Foundation and National Geographic:
“It has come to my attention that the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City, CA is hosting an exhibit from National Geographic called Water: Our Thirsty World which is described as ‘examining the precarious state of our world’s fresh water.’
“Access to fresh water is an issue of global importance and it deserves honest and serious attention. So it is with great disappointment that I have learned that this exhibit, which could have been used as a tool for education, is instead being used as a political tool to spread lies and misinformation about Israel’s role in international efforts to provide access to fresh, clean drinking water.
“The exhibit manufactures an outrageous fiction wherein Israel is depicted as stealing and hoarding water while her neighbors suffer from drought. This is not only false but the exact opposite is true.
- Israel, with a 75% water recycling rate, is the world’s number one water recycler. The second largest water recycler is Spain, with a rate of 12%.
- Israeli-invented Drip Irrigation helped achieve 70%-80% of water efficiency in agriculture -the highest rate in the world.
- Israel is home to the world’s largest Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant, annually producing 100 million m3 at the low cost of approximately $0.52 per m3 of water – the most cost-efficient of its kind in the world.
- Israel’s total water consumption has remained the same since the 1960s, despite a growing population, rising water requirements and increasing agricultural production.
- Since 1958, MASHAV – the Center for International Cooperation of the Foreign Ministry of Israel, has trained almost 200,000 course participants from approximately 140 countries and has developed dozens of demonstration projects worldwide in fields of Israeli expertise including water resource management.
“”This is the true story of Israel’s role with regard to water and none of these basic facts are highlighted in the Annenberg-National Geographic exhibit. Israel has a firm commitment to delivering international aid and support around the world in the areas of poverty reduction, sustainable development, disaster recovery and access to basic resources such as water. We offer not only our technology and know-how but more importantly the dedication of our people to deliver on these promises.
“It is my sincere hope that the parties involved in this unfortunate exhibit will find a way to correct this egregious error and restore dignity and respect to the mission of honest, open, and sincere discussion of the important issues that face our global society today….
The hosts of this exhibit can be contacted at:
Annenberg Foundation:
Camille Lowry
Communications Department
clowry@annenbergfoundation.org
310-209-4568
National Geographic:
Beth Foster
Communications Department
202-857-7543
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Preceding provided by Israel’s Consulate General in Los Angeles