President Isaac Herzog and King Abdullah > Haim Zach / Government Press Office, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Israel and its eastern neighbour Jordan have agreed to advance a joint green energy and water deal at the COP27 UN Climate Change Conference in Egypt this week.
The agreement, brokered by the United States and UAE, involves Israel constructing a designated desalination plant to export more water to Jordan, with Jordan building a solar field to export clean energy to Israel.
The deal follows last year’s meeting at which both countries agreed to explore such a venture in the resource-poor region.
Israel’s minister for regional cooperation, Essawi Frej, attended the signing ceremony and said that the outgoing Israeli government was leaving “a legacy of cross-border cooperation that creates hope for the whole region, with states working together to advance the optimal use of natural resources”
“This legacy”, he continued, “proves the power of peace”.
The deal was also welcomed by Energy Minister Karin Elharrar, who heralded “the opening of a new page in relations between Israel and Jordan”.
The outgoing Bennett-Lapid oversaw improvements to Israel’s crucial relationship with Jordan,
including in-person meetings between former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Jordanian King Abdullah.
By contrast, former and likely future prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu oversaw frostier ties, especially over issues relating to security on the Temple Mount.
