Posted on 06/18/21
| News Source: i24
Jordan has decided not to participate in a high-profile joint project with Israel and the Palestinian Authority to dig a canal connecting the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, public broadcaster Kan reported Thursday.
According to anonymous sources, Amman decided to end the joint pipeline project, assessing that there was “no real desire on the part of the Israelis” for the plan, which had stagnated for several years, and not progressed forward.
According to Kan, Jordan would now focus on an internal project of pumping water from the Red Sea and desalinating it at a plant in the Gulf of Aqaba.
However, even if donors are found to fund this internal water supply project, its construction could take five or six years, and the kingdom will have to continue to purchase some 50 million cubic meters of water from Israel per year, provided as part of the 1994 peace agreement between the two countries.
The Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal project, which enjoyed the enthusiastic backing of former president Shimon Peres, has long been delayed by bureaucratic hurdles, funding difficulties, and environmental objections. Recently, Israel’s lack of a functioning government for the last two years and diplomatic relations with Jordan at one of their lowest ebbs has meant the project has been further relegated.