The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem has a focus on natural justice, by which I mean, “justice for nature.”
It is often overlooked that the plants and animals, and the fragile eco-system which they comprise, are among the many direct victims of the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
A truly Palestinian liberation theology, such as Sabeel promotes, is also concerned about liberation for the land, for the waterways, for the plants, and for the native animals of Palestine.
Such a vision has deep roots in the jubilee theology of the Jewish scriptures which requires the fields to be rested every 7 years and all debts waived every 50 years.
The violation of the land is thus a double tragedy as it betrays the Prophets as well as the Creator.
ARIJ’s mission is promoting sustainable development in the occupied Palestinian territories and the self-reliance of the Palestinian people through greater control over their natural resources. ARIJ aims to assess alternative options, policies, and strategies to conserve natural resources, which can be used as the basis for formulating recommendations and informing strategic decision making to improve the management of these resources and assist in their sustainability
Specifically, the institute aims to augment the local stock of scientific and technical knowledge and to introduce and devise more efficient methods of resource utilization and conservation, improved practices, and appropriate technology.