Four consecutive years of drought have put several biblical bodies of water at risk: the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, and the Dead Sea. The AP photographer Oded Balilty spent much of last year documenting these bodies of water and the ways locals and tourists play and worship there. The AP reports that “the Sea of Galilee stands at a century low, much of the Jordan River is a fetid trickle and the Dead Sea is rapidly shrinking.” Current predictions for the remaining winter months remain drier than normal, as farmers and residents struggle to cope, and pray for rain.
Israel Enters a Fifth Year of Drought
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Read moreAn aerial photo of people enjoying a spring water pool along the Dead Sea shore near the Israeli Kibbutz of Ein Gedi on December 8, 2017. The Dead Sea, a marvel of the natural world, is shrinking after years of drought. #
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Read moreTwo youths are covered in mud during the annual Sea of Galilee swim near Tiberias in northern Israel, on September 16, 2017. #
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Read moreSwimmers participate in the annual Sea of Galilee swim near Tiberias in northern Israel, on September 16, 2017. About 10,000 swimmers of all ages took part in the 64th Sea of Galilee Crossing in memory of the late Ya'acov Hassid. #
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Read moreIsraeli Arabs take a picture of their baby with horses in the Sea of Galilee near the northern Israeli Kibbutz of Ein Gev on September 23, 2017. #
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Read moreAn aerial view of the abandoned Kalya water park on the Dead Sea shore on November 28, 2017. #
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Read moreIn this January 25, 2017 photo, a Superman statue stands discarded at the Israeli Dead Sea resort of Ein Gedi. #
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Read moreIsraelis bathe in a hot water spring on the shore of the Dead Sea near the Israeli Kibbutz of Ein Gedi, on January 1, 2017. #
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Read moreA man bathes in a spring water pool along the Dead Sea shore near Ein Gedi on April 2, 2017. #
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Read moreAn aerial view of the Jordan River estuary on the Sea of Galilee near the community settlement of Karkom in northern Israel, on December 8, 2017. #
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Read moreIsraelis tour along the Jordan River near the Israeli village of Menahemia on January 17, 2017. #
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Read moreIsraelis cross the Jordan River as part of their tour near the Israeli village of Menahemia on January 17, 2017. The Sea of Galilee, the country's main water source, already stands at a century low and the mighty Jordan River, known for its prominence in the Bible, could be best described along much of its length as a creek. #
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Read moreAn Israeli youth shows off a small fish he caught on the banks of the Jordan River near the northern Israeli Kibbutz of Kinneret on April 11, 2017. #
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Read moreSwimmers participate in the annual Sea of Galilee swim on September 16, 2017. #
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Read moreIsraelis fish in the Sea of Galilee during the Jewish holiday of Passover, near the northern Israeli town of Tiberias, on April 12, 2017. #
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Read moreTourists shower as they enjoy the Dead Sea near Kibbutz Kalya on October 16, 2017. #
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Read moreAn aerial view of sinkholes in the abandoned tourist resort of Ein Gedi on the Dead Sea shore on November 28, 2017. #
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Read moreIsraelis recite morning prayers on the grounds of an abandoned restaurant overlooking the Dead Sea near Kibbutz Kalya on October 17, 2017. #
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Read moreIsraelis jump into the Jordan River near the northern Israeli Kibbutz of Kinneret on April 11, 2017. #
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Read moreIsraeli soldiers and tourists watch as Christian Orthodox pilgrims march toward the Jordan River before a baptism ceremony. The event is part of the Orthodox Feast of the Epiphany at Qasr el Yahud, the spot where John the Baptist is said to have baptized Jesus, near the West Bank town of Jericho, on January 18, 2017. #
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Read moreA Brazilian priest baptizes a Christian pilgrim in the Jordan River at the Yardenit baptismal site in northern Israel on January 31, 2017. #
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Read moreChristian Orthodox pilgrims immerse themselves into the waters of the Jordan River during a baptism ceremony as part of the Orthodox Feast of the Epiphany at Qasr el Yahud, near the West Bank town of Jericho, on January 18, 2017. #
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Read moreA Christian Orthodox pilgrim immerses herself in the waters of the Jordan River during a baptism ceremony on January 18, 2017. #
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