Summer is coming, preceded by the "water holiday," namely, Shavuot (Pentecost). Also concomitant with the arrival of summer is the decrease in the level of stored or collected water in Jordan and the increase in the level of concern in one of the water-poorest countries in the world.
Since its Treaty of Peace agreement with Jordan was signed in 1994, Israel supplies water to the Hashemite Kingdom. However, the amounts transferred today are not sufficient, since the population of Jordan has grown beyond its natural growth, following waves of immigration after the war in Iraq and the events of the "Arab Spring" in Syria, which added more than one and a half million refugees.
Make no mistake: the stability of Jordan and its regime, as well as the bilateral cooperation on issues of security, economy, and national infrastructure, are strategic assets for Israel, and hence Israel’s interest in assisting Jordan in solving existential problems such as the water crisis.
Following the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab countries, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel signed a memorandum of understanding whereby Israel will provide Jordan with additional amounts of water, over the approximately 100 million cubic meters supplied annually. In parallel, Jordan will provide Israel with solar electricity and facilitate its transition to the use of green and renewable energy, which is produced, inter alia, from sun and wind, as part of the global struggle to reduce the damage caused by use of depleting energy sources. Jordan's advantages in this area are the vast desert areas, the number of sunny days per year, and the cheap production price compared to what Israel can offer.
This creates a basis for mutually beneficial cooperation, which strengthens regional stability and helps to overcome natural disasters in a region that is also saturated with political problems, which compound climate challenges, poverty, unemployment, and more.
On the Israeli side, the memorandum of understanding with Jordan and the UAE is still a long way from fulfillment, as this involves determination of the desalination site on the Mediterranean coast, determination of the water transport route toward the Sea of Galilee and/or southern Jordan (as shown on the map above by two blue lines), and the questions of finance. Without diminishing the inherent significance of these questions, the Israeli government would do well to recognize the strategic importance of the issue, since its implications go beyond Israel-Jordan relations.
Summer is coming, preceded by the "water holiday," namely, Shavuot (Pentecost). Also concomitant with the arrival of summer is the decrease in the level of stored or collected water in Jordan and the increase in the level of concern in one of the water-poorest countries in the world.
Since its Treaty of Peace agreement with Jordan was signed in 1994, Israel supplies water to the Hashemite Kingdom. However, the amounts transferred today are not sufficient, since the population of Jordan has grown beyond its natural growth, following waves of immigration after the war in Iraq and the events of the "Arab Spring" in Syria, which added more than one and a half million refugees.
Make no mistake: the stability of Jordan and its regime, as well as the bilateral cooperation on issues of security, economy, and national infrastructure, are strategic assets for Israel, and hence Israel’s interest in assisting Jordan in solving existential problems such as the water crisis.
Following the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab countries, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel signed a memorandum of understanding whereby Israel will provide Jordan with additional amounts of water, over the approximately 100 million cubic meters supplied annually. In parallel, Jordan will provide Israel with solar electricity and facilitate its transition to the use of green and renewable energy, which is produced, inter alia, from sun and wind, as part of the global struggle to reduce the damage caused by use of depleting energy sources. Jordan's advantages in this area are the vast desert areas, the number of sunny days per year, and the cheap production price compared to what Israel can offer.
This creates a basis for mutually beneficial cooperation, which strengthens regional stability and helps to overcome natural disasters in a region that is also saturated with political problems, which compound climate challenges, poverty, unemployment, and more.
On the Israeli side, the memorandum of understanding with Jordan and the UAE is still a long way from fulfillment, as this involves determination of the desalination site on the Mediterranean coast, determination of the water transport route toward the Sea of Galilee and/or southern Jordan (as shown on the map above by two blue lines), and the questions of finance. Without diminishing the inherent significance of these questions, the Israeli government would do well to recognize the strategic importance of the issue, since its implications go beyond Israel-Jordan relations.