Jordan angry as Israel refuses to renew additional water agreement

Jordan reportedly faces a severe water shortage and needs the agreement with Israel.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Jordan is expressing anger over Israel’s continued refusal to renew an agreement that provides the kingdom with additional water supplies, with a Jordanian official saying the issue is an important part of the countries’ peace treaty.

“Water is very important for us, and it is also part of the peace agreement,” a Jordanian source close to the government told Kan News on Monday, without directly referring to the dispute over the renewal of the additional water agreement.

Israel has not renewed the agreement, whose main provisions are anchored in the peace treaty between the two countries and under which Jordan receives additional water at a discounted price, according to the report.

The agreement has not yet been signed, and sources who spoke with Kan News said there is currently no expectation that it will be renewed.

The situation has sparked anger in Jordan, and, according to sources, the kingdom may respond.

Jordan has not officially commented on the failure to renew the additional water agreement.

The official’s remarks reflect dissatisfaction on the Jordanian side with what it views as a shift in the handling of the water issue.

The report said water had remained separate from political disputes for most of the years since the peace treaty but has now become a bargaining chip from Israel’s perspective.

The report also said Jordan faces a severe water shortage and needs the agreement with Israel.

Jordan has also been working on the issue through diplomatic channels.

In March, the broadcaster reported that Jordan’s King Abdullah II conditioned a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a series of demands related to both the Palestinian issue and the renewal of the agreement providing additional water supplies to the kingdom.