Jordan, Israel recognizes water agreement; more business in the West Bank | Business and Financial Issues

Israel and Jordan signed an agreement on Thursday for the Jewish government to sell unprecedented water to the kingdom, strongly urging Jordan’s expulsion to Palestine in the West Bank.

The agreement, which was finalized at a meeting between their foreign ministers, marked a good relationship with the new Israeli government after years of alliance under former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Water relations have been a major issue for Israel and Jordan since the 1994 peace agreement, but relations between neighbors have deteriorated in recent years.

At a meeting held within Jordan’s border, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and his counterpart Ayman Safadi agreed that Israel should sell 50 million cubic meters of water to its counterpart.

An Israeli official said this would increase the annual turnover – compared between May 2021 and May 2022 – as about 50 million cubic meters had already been sold or donated to Jordan. A Jordanian official said Israel provided the kingdom with $ 30 million annually under its 1994 peace agreement.

The claims of all these governments have confirmed the sale and that the final details of the deal will be finalized in the coming days.

Gidon Bromberg, Israeli director at EcoPeace Middle East, a leading regional co-operative for Israel, West Bank and Jordan – described the sale of water as “the largest trade-off between the two countries”.

“[It] it’s a real ‘water’ experience, ”Bromberg said.

“This represents an understanding of mutual love and how countries in the region should work if we are to address the growing challenges of drinking water and national security. climate problems gifts. ”

Jordan is one of the world’s poorest countries, and experts say that the country, home to some 10 million people, has been hit by one of the worst droughts in history.

Israel, which also faces water crisis, is a world leader in salt extraction.

Palestinian trade

On Palestinian trade, both sides confirmed that Jordan’s decline in exports to the West Bank, an area that Israel has been doing since 1967, is growing from about $ 160m to $ 700m a year.

The Jordanian ambassador said in a statement that he and Lapid had also discussed the path to “just and complete peace” between Israel and the Palestinians.

“The Kingdom of Jordan is an important neighbor and friend,” Lapid said. “We will promote economic cooperation for the benefit of both countries.”

Jordan said expert groups will end the day in the coming days, and talks on setting up a foreign trade will take place between Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian officials.

Amman’s Journey

Meanwhile, Israeli media reported on Thursday that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had secretly visited Jordan last week and met with King Abdullah II at his royal residence in Amman.

This was the first meeting between Israel’s king and prime minister in five years.

Palestinian correspondents say Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met King Abdullah after meeting Bennett, Haaretz said.

The alliance grew stronger under Netanyahu, who was closed the use of Jordanian airspace earlier this year, hampering what should have been his first trip to the United Arab Emirates.

Netanyahu was instead last month by Bennett, whose organizations have shown that regular contact with Jordan is a key factor in foreign affairs.

Israel and Jordan made peace in 1994 and maintained good relations, but relations have deteriorated in recent years due to Palestinian unrest in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Israel’s expansion of Jewish settlements into war zones, and the failure of any long-term peace process.

Both Jordans and Palestinians strongly opposed the Trump administration system in the Middle East, which would allow Israel to seize up to one-third of the West Bank. Israel annexed East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 war, which Palestinian territories want as part of their future.

The announcement came just days before Jordan’s King Abdullah II visited the White House. Biden’s leaders have called on all parties to take action that will help lay the groundwork for the resumption of peace talks.