The Dead Sea was not among the winners in the New 7 Wonders of Nature contest despite a high profile campaign on the part of the government, according to a list of provisional results released at about 9:30 p.m. Israel time on Friday.

The Dead Sea (Photo: GPO)

 Among the winners, in alphabetical order, were the Amazon of South America, Halong Bay of Vietnam, Iguazu Falls of Argentina and Brazil, Jeju Island of South Korea, Komodo of Indonesia, Puerto Princesa Underground River of the Philippines and Table Mountain of South Africa. As of Sunday, the Dead Sea, representing Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, had been trending among the top 10 finalists, and by earlier on Friday, the contest officials had announced that it was among the top 14 after voting had concluded.

“The Dead Sea is still one of the wonders of the world,” said MK Dov Khenin (Hadash), who serves as chairman of the Knesset Committee of Environment and Health. “We always knew this and the whole world will also recognize this. We have a big responsibility – the sea is in a severe condition of dehydration, deterioration and destruction,” he added.

“The real test is on the Dead Sea, and will face the government tomorrow (Sunday). It is very easy to impose on the public responsibility to send an SMS, but it is a bit harder to take real responsibility and act in defense of the Dead Sea and for its rehabilitation,” the Hadash Member of the Knesset said. “Our comprehensive bill, which produces real mechanisms of the defense of the Dead Sea, is an opportunity that we cannot miss.”

Khenin was referring to a bill that is coming to the cabinet for a vote on Sunday that he had previously submitted to the Knesset, which would provide for the future protection and rehabilitation of the Dead Sea. Green group Israel Union for Environmental Defense (Adam Teva V’Din), which was responsible for drafting the bill, also emphasized just how important passing the bill is.

“Even without the title,” Israel must work toward protecting the sea, according to a statement from Na’ama Heller, legal director of the group. “The region of the Dead Sea is in a state of continuous deterioration and if we don’t stop this dangerous process, we will lose this wonderful treasure of nature,” she said.