Amid bumpy relations, Jordan has asked Israel to extend a water supply deal by an additional year, and Israel has responded by seeking to smooth overall tensions between the nations, according to a report in the Kan public broadcaster.Relations between Amman and Jerusalem have been markedly tense since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas.According to the report, Israel has replied to Jordan with a request that Jordanian officials moderate their vocal criticism of Israel, and to return their ambassadors to their respective posts.
Most Jordanian media doesn't even admit that Jordan get oil and natural gas from Israel. The only Jordanian media report on this topic I can find is framing this as "The occupation is delaying extending the agreement to double water supplies to Jordan."
In late 2021, Israel and Jordan signed a deal where Israel would provide an additional 50 million cubic meters of water a year for 65 cents per cubic meter, with the option to extend it for two additional years at a slightly higher price. It looks like the current deal will expire in December so there is plenty of time.
But a long planned agreement between Israel and Jordan, where Israel would provide even more desalinated water in exchange for Jordan providing solar energy to Israel, was scuttled by Jordan at the beginning of the Gaza war.
Moreover, Jordanian media has published lots of vicious antisemitism, and even Jordan's Foreign Minister pronounces lies about Israel every day (like "Israel has killed 30,000 civilians in Gaza." ) He also said during that same press conference that he never speaks to his Israeli counterpart.
Jordan recalled its ambassador to Israel and blocked Israel's ambassador from coming when the war was less than a month old.
Jordan is one of the most water-insecure countries in the world. Israel is not making any real profit when selling water to Jordan; it is a neighborly thing to do. Yet Jordan is not reciprocating the goodwill at all; on the contrary, it has been tacitly supporting Hamas during this war and it attacks Israel at every turn.
Israel has no obligation to continue to do Jordan any favors. If it is going to slander Israel with charges of genocide, Israel is well within its rights to say that they don't want to subject Jordan to the discomfort of having to accept evil Zionist water within its borders.
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