Jordan, Israel reach agreement to provide Kingdom with 50mcm of additional purchased water

AMMAN — Jordan and Israel on Thursday reached an agreement under which Israel will provide the Kingdom with 50 million cubic metres of additional purchased water.

During a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on the Jordanian side of the King Hussein Bridge on Thursday, an agreement was completed within the Paris Protocol, which would increase Jordanian exports to the West Bank from $160 million annually to approximately $700 million annually, of which $470 million are for products according to Palestinian specifications.

The two ministers agreed that the technical teams would meet in the coming days to finalise the water agreement and discuss raising the volume of exports to Palestine between officials in Jordan, Israel and Palestine, in accordance with the Paris Protocol signed by Palestine and Israel in 1994.

They also discussed developments related to the peace process. Safadi stressed the need to mobilise efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace through the two-state solution that ends the occupation and fulfills all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, especially their right to an independent, sovereign state, with Jerusalem as its capital, on the lines of June 4, 1967 agreement, where Palestinians can live in peace and security alongside Israel in accordance with international law and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Safadi stressed the need to stop all illegal Israeli measures that undermine the two-state solution and the chances of achieving a comprehensive and just peace, which is a regional and international necessity.

He also highlighted the need to respect the historical and legal status quo in Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif, and to respect the right of Sheikh Jarrah' residents to their homes, emphasising that their forced expulsion from their homes would be a war crime according to international law.

Safadi underlined the need to maintain the comprehensive calm in the occupied Palestinian territories and the reconstruction in the Gaza Strip.

The ministers also focused on a number of vital issues pertaining to the transport and energy sectors.