Israel and Jordan on Thursday signed a landmark agreement designed to provide the drought-plagued Jordanians with drinking water and to slow the decay of the Dead Sea.I did not see this mentioned in Jordanian media, although plenty of Arab media picked up the story.
Under the terms of the pact, a pipeline will be laid between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea and a desalination plant will be built in the Jordanian port town of Aqaba.
The agreement envisions the annual pumping of 200 million cubic meters of water from the Red Sea: 80 million will be desalinated at the Aqaba plant and Israel will get 30-50 million of that amount for use in its southern port town of Eilat and the Arava region – both desert areas with a chronic water shortage. The Jordanians will get 30 million cubes for their needs in the arid southern part of their country and an additional 50 million cubes of water for the central and northern parts of their country.
The landmark agreement was signed by Silvan Shalom, who holds the ministerial portfolios for energy and water, regional development and development of the Negev and Galilee, and Jordan's Water and Irrigation Minister Hazem Al Nasser in the presence of US envoys to the two countries.
"I'm standing here deeply moved, having put pen to paper in the signing of a historical agreement," Shalom said. "We are realizing the Zionist vision of Theodor Herzel who, as early as in the late 19th century, had predicted the need to revitalize the Dead Sea."
"This is the most important agreement since the peace treaty with Jordan," the official went on to declare. "It's the high point of a productive cooperation between Israel and Jordan that will help rehabilitate the Dead Sea and offer solutions to Jordan's water supply crisis."
According to the deal, a desalination plant will be built in Aqaba for desalinating water from the Red Sea and salty residues will be pumped into the Dead Sea, which is shrinking by one meter every year.
Also, I couldn't find a single quote from the Jordanian representative at the signing.
But at the same time, in the Jordanian parliament, representatives threatened a vote of no confidence unless Jordan expelled the Istaeli ambassador. They also expressed opposition to the Israel/Jordan natural gas deal.
There are a lot of layers to Israel's relationship with the Arab world. Too bad that the media almost exclusively concentrates on the loudmouths.