An unexpected plan for peace in the Middle East | Nada Majdalani

Summary

Podcast Summary: An Unexpected Plan for Peace in the Middle East | Nada Majdalani

Podcast Information:

• Title: TED Talks Daily
• Host/Author: TED
• Episode: An Unexpected Plan for Peace in the Middle East | Nada Majdalani
• Release Date: July 14, 2025

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Introduction

In the episode titled "An Unexpected Plan for Peace in the Middle East," Nada Majdalani, the Palestinian director of EcoPeace Middle East, presents a visionary approach to fostering peace and cooperation in a region beleaguered by conflict and environmental challenges. Delivered at the TED Countdown Summit 2020 in Nairobi, Kenya, Majdalani intertwines the pressing issues of climate change and geopolitical strife, proposing innovative solutions that leverage natural resources to build bridges between adversarial communities.

Climate Change as a Catalyst for Instability

Nada Majdalani begins her talk by contextualizing the compounded threats facing the Middle East. She asserts, “As the war rages in the Middle East, I sometimes wonder, are we witnessing the wrong war? Amid the loudness of bombs, famine and fear, there's a silent threat multiplying climate change” ([03:19]). Majdalani emphasizes that climate change exacerbates existing instability, acting as a magnifier of suffering and conflict. She highlights the region’s vulnerability, noting that parts of the Middle East are projected to experience temperature increases of 5 to 8 degrees Celsius and a 40% decrease in precipitation by the end of the century.

EcoPeace Middle East: A Beacon of Hope

Majdalani introduces EcoPeace Middle East, an organization dedicated to environmental peacebuilding. Founded on principles of cooperation and shared responsibility, EcoPeace is co-led by directors from Palestine, Israel, and Jordan, embodying a cross-border team that serves as the organization's strength. She reflects on her personal journey, stating, “I was exposed to various experiences and cultures, but I could never call a place home until 1994...” ([04:00]), underscoring her deep connection to the region and her commitment to fostering unity through environmental initiatives.

The Peace Triangle Initiative

Central to Majdalani’s vision is the Peace Triangle—a collaborative framework integrating Palestine, Israel, and Jordan within the India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). Launched at the G20 Summit in New Delhi in 2023, IMEC aims to boost global development through regional integration and interconnectivity. The Peace Triangle focuses on three key sectors:

1. Energy: Majdalani envisions large-scale energy production in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, exporting to Europe to meet 30% of its energy needs. She posits, “What if we add Gaza as a node for exporting renewables to Europe?” ([06:45]).

2. Water: Proposing a massive desalination plant in Gaza, the project aims to provide clean water to Gaza, the West Bank, and Jordan. This facility would also facilitate water sales to Jordan, enhancing regional interdependence.

3. Sustainable Transport for Trade: The initiative includes extending a railway from Jordan to the West Bank and Gaza, connecting to the port of Haifa in Israel. This expansion would position both Gaza and Haifa as pivotal gateways for Middle Eastern trade with Europe.

Transformative Impact and Geopolitical Security

Majdalani articulates that these projects are not merely economic ventures but also carry significant geopolitical implications. By fostering interdependence through shared resources, the Peace Triangle aims to create a security agenda that supports the two-state solution, enabling the reconstruction of Gaza in sustainable ways. She emphasizes, “The Peace Triangle is not merely an economic revolution. It comes with a geopolitical security agenda that would make the Palestinian state an achievable dream alongside the state of Israel” ([10:20]).

Challenges and Resilience

Acknowledging skepticism, Majdalani addresses the perceived impracticality of such ambitious projects amid ongoing conflict. She candidly shares the personal and professional hardships faced by EcoPeace members, stating, “Most of us at EcoPeace we are condemned of treason. We are condemned of normalizing with the enemy and our reputations are smeared” ([12:15]). Despite these obstacles, Majdalani remains steadfast in her commitment, motivated by a vision of peace and prosperity for future generations.

A Call to Action

Concluding her talk, Majdalani extends an invitation to the global audience to support and propagate the Peace Triangle vision. She passionately asserts, “We deserve peace. We deserve prosperity. It matters to you as it matters to us. We have a shared future. Our future is entangled and our survival is shared” ([14:00]). Her call underscores the interconnectedness of global communities and the collective responsibility to foster sustainable peace.

Conclusion

Nada Majdalani's presentation offers a compelling blend of environmental stewardship and peacebuilding, proposing tangible projects that harness the Middle East's natural resources to create economic interdependence and reduce conflict. By drawing parallels to the European Union's post-World War II cooperation, she illustrates how similar frameworks can transform the Middle East into a region of prosperity and mutual respect. Majdalani’s vision challenges conventional conflict resolution paradigms, advocating for innovative, resource-driven strategies that hold the promise of enduring peace.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• “As the war rages in the Middle East, I sometimes wonder, are we witnessing the wrong war? Amid the loudness of bombs, famine and fear, there's a silent threat multiplying climate change.” ([03:19])
• “What if we add Gaza as a node for exporting renewables to Europe?” ([06:45])
• “The Peace Triangle is not merely an economic revolution. It comes with a geopolitical security agenda that would make the Palestinian state an achievable dream alongside the state of Israel.” ([10:20])
• “Most of us at EcoPeace we are condemned of treason. We are condemned of normalizing with the enemy and our reputations are smeared.” ([12:15])
• “We deserve peace. We deserve prosperity. It matters to you as it matters to us. We have a shared future. Our future is entangled and our survival is shared.” ([14:00])

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Implications for Listeners

Nada Majdalani’s talk serves as an insightful exploration of how environmental initiatives can be leveraged to bridge deep-seated conflicts. For listeners unfamiliar with the intricacies of Middle Eastern geopolitics or environmental challenges, the summary provides a comprehensive overview of EcoPeace Middle East’s mission and the innovative Peace Triangle initiative. It underscores the importance of viewing climate change and conflict as interconnected issues requiring collaborative, cross-border solutions. Majdalani's message is one of hope and resilience, encouraging global audiences to support and advocate for sustainable peacebuilding efforts.

Transcript

[Elise Hu]

You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. Amid the conflict in the Middle east, another threat silently multiplies climate change. But what would happen if, instead of looking at climate and world conflict as separate, we saw them as being integrally connected? In this talk, Palestinian environmental peacemaker Nada Majdelani shared a shares how her organization is bringing together Jordanians, Palestinians, and Israelis through a vision of environmental peace building and why tapping into the region's natural resources can foster interdependence and cooperation, not conflict. This episode is sponsored by McDonald's. Okay, confession time. I love a good comeback story, especially when it's delicious and totally unexpected. Back in 2006, McDonald's released the snack Wrap and it quickly became the Go to Bite portable, crunchy, juicy perfection. Then it vanished. Gone. Poof. But the fans like me. Oh, they never gave up. I'm talking nine years of petitions, Facebook groups, memes, international snack wrap, scouting missions. People build entire identities around this thing. It was intense in the best way. And now it's back. Yes, really. Thanks to relentless sauce loving dedication, McDonald's brought back the Snack Wrap. Think crispy, juicy white meat, shredded lettuce, melty cheese, all hugged in a soft tortilla and drizzled with ranch or your pick of sauces. It was never supposed to return, but the fans made it happen. Because sometimes passion wins. And sometimes it tastes like a snack wrap. Try the Snack wrap that broke the Internet at a McDonald's near you. This episode is sponsored by Dell introducing the new Dell AI PC. Powered by the Intel Core Ultra processor, it's not just an AI computer, it's a computer built for AI. That means it's built to help do your busy work for you so you can fast forward through editing images, designing presentations, generating code, debugging code, running lots of apps without lag, creating live translations and captions, summarizing meeting notes, extending battery life, enhancing security, finding that file you are looking for, managing your schedule, meeting your deadline, responding to Jim's long emails, leaving all the time in the world for more you time and for the things you actually want to do. No offense Jim. Get A new Dell AI PC starting at [e-mail] AI PC how those ahead? Stay ahead. This message is brought to you by Apple Card. Each Apple product, like the iPhone 16, is thoughtfully designed by skilled designers. The titanium Apple Card is no different. It's laser etched, has no number, and it earns you daily cash on everything you buy, including 3% back on everything at Apple. Apply for Apple Card on your iPhone in minutes subject to credit approval. Apple Card is issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch terms and more at applecard.com.

[Nada Majdelani]

As the war rages in the Middle East, I sometimes wonder, are we witnessing the wrong war? Amid the loudness of bombs, famine and fear, there's a silent threat multiplying climate change. According to scientists. Not my own words. Climate change is a magnifier of instability and suffering. In a region like ours, already tinted and torn by pain, there's still a chance for hope. There is an untapped power to heal. Let's look at the example of the European Union post World War II. Germany and France, two bitter enemies. They chose cooperation over fighting. They signed the Coal and Steel Agreement which converted battlefields and into the European Union in the early 1950s. But what if I tell you that in the Middle east we have resources that are more powerful and more environmentally sustainable than coal and steel? We have the sun, we have the sea, and we have transformative ideas that could unlock the potential of our region into a region of prosperity for all. My name is Nada Majdelani and I'm the Palestinian director of EcoPeace Middle east and I'm here to take you on a journey of hope. To tell you a little bit about myself. I was born and raised in the diaspora. I was exposed to various experiences and cultures, but I could never call a place home until 1994 when the Oslo Peace Agreement was signed between the Palestinian Liberation Organization and Israel. It granted thousands of Palestinian families among my own the right to return to Palestine. It was such a profound emotional moment and the air was filled with hope. As a kid I joined environmental peace building organizations and activities and I encountered the first Israeli who is not a soldier, a teenager like myself who's fond of wild flowers and watching birds. And since then it was EcoPeace Middle East. My dream job. And after various trials for many years, failures, rejections, I was able finally to join. So so, lesson learned. Never stop chasing your dream. EcoPeace Middle east is a unique organization. 30 year old co led on equal footing by three co directors, Gideon Bromberg, the Israeli director, Yana Abutaleb, Jordanian and myself. I stand here representing 60 environmental peace building professionals and activists from our three nations. This cross border team is our true strength and all unique to our region. It's experience and knowledgeable to actually deal with all the challenges that we face as we are considered a climate hotspot. What does that mean? It means that many parts of our region are going to experience by end of the century an increase in temperature by 5 to 8 degrees Celsius and a decrease in precipitation by 40%. And all of this is certainly not going to stop at natural phenomena our region is also shaped by, and our reality is shaped by power asymmetry, where natural water is not equally shared, pollution doesn't recognize boundaries or checkpoints, and our ecosystem is also jeopardized and held hostage to the stagnation in the political horizon. But we at EcoPeace recognize that we live on such a tiny piece of land that is so interconnected and so vulnerable, and that it requires cooperation and shared responsibility. We at EcoPeace turn water and energy into an opportunity for mutual benefits. We train thousands of Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian young professionals every year on the principles of water diplomacy, climate change, water energy realities and negotiation skills with cross border efforts. We also provide skills and green solutions to schools, businesses and farmers. And we address the drastic humanitarian disaster and crisis in Gaza Strip. We refuse the status quo. We dream forward and we have a vision for the day. After the war, EcoPeace introduced a concept of a Peace Triangle. This Peace Triangle includes Palestine, Israel and Jordan, integrated within the India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor, also known as IMEC. IMEC was launched in the G20 Save in New Delhi in 2023 and it aims to boost global development and global economy through regional integration and interconnectivity. Our Peace Triangle Initiative focuses on three sectors and three catalytic projects in the sectors of water, energy and sustainable transport for trade. These all come based on extensive research and data and advocacy and networking with regional and international partners and experts. Let's first imagine that huge amounts of energy are produced in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt and exported to the eastern and southern parts of Europe to provide them with 30% of their energy needs. This is all aligned with the Repower Europe Initiative and also with the Euro Asia Interconnector which already is based on existing agreements between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece and between Israel and Cyprus. But what if I tell you that we add Gaza as a node for exporting renewables to Europe? Let's also imagine a large scale desalination plant in Gaza not only to provide clean and drinkable water to Gaza, but also to the west bank and to sell this water to Jordan and transfer it through the Israeli national carrier. If these projects are realized and implemented, we achieve interdependence in shared resources just similar to the coal and steel of the European Union. And finally, let's imagine our region as a conduit of goods from India, the Middle east to Europe. IMEC is all planned around a railway from the Gulf to Jordan to the port of Haifa in Israel. What if we add and extend this railway from Jordan to the west bank to the port of Gaza so that both the port of Gaza and the port of Israel of Haifa serve as the gateway of the Middle east to Europe. These projects, if realized and implemented, they will achieve not only economic prosperity. The Peace Triangle is not merely an economic revolution. It comes with a geopolitical security agenda that would make the Palestinian state and achievable dream alongside the state of Israel to achieve the two state solution. It would propel the reconstruction of Gaza into non traditional ways that would achieve regional integration and prosperity for all. Some of you might think that these are dreams that are impossible. Some of you would never see such stories of hope on mainstream media. And maybe you would think that such ideas and long term visions are also really unrealistic during the time of war. And I tell you the truth that most of us at EcoPeace we are condemned of treason. We are condemned of normalizing with the enemy and our reputations are smeared. But also each one of us has a story of grief and loss. I live in the west bank under military occupation. But I stand strong here calling for peace. I stand here for my beautiful daughters and for the children of our region. I stand here for humanity, sanity, freedom and justice. I stand here for my comrades of peace at ECOPEACE Middle east. Because we know and we believe that we all deserve better. I invite you all to share our vision. I invite you all to talk about the Peace Triangle. Tell our story that there's people in the Middle east who coexist, who refuse destruction and the killing and the loss of innocent lives. Tell the people that in the Middle east we have people who work together on concrete, bold ideas because we want to move forward. We deserve peace. We deserve prosperity. It matters to you as it matters to us. We have a shared future. Our future is entangled and our survival is shared. Thank you.

[Elise Hu]

That was Nada Majdelani at ted Countdown Summit 2020 in Nairobi, Kenya. If you're curious about Ted's curation, find out [e-mail] curationguidelines and that's it for today's show. TED Talks Daily is part of the TED Audio Collective. This episode was produced and edited by our team, Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Brian Greene, Lucy Little, Alejandra Salazar and Tonsika Sarmarnivon. It was mixed by Christopher Faizy Bogan. Additional support from Emma Tobner and Daniela Balaurazo. I'm Elise Hu. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feed. Thanks for listening.

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[Nada Majdelani]

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[Nada Majdelani]

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