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Israel has notified Jordan that it does not intend to provide the annual water quota outlined in their long-standing agreements, Maariv newspaper reported, adding fresh strain to a relationship already tested by political and regional tensions.
Maariv newspaper reported that Israel has informed Jordan it does not intend to deliver the annual water quota agreed upon between the two sides.
It added that Tel Aviv will not supply Jordan with roughly 50 million cubic meters of water stipulated under the 1994 peace agreement.
According to the newspaper, Israeli officials say the issue is a technical one related to water and pricing, while Jordan’s Water Ministry maintains that the reason is not an engineering matter.
The newspaper claimed that Jordan had previously expressed willingness to negotiate the pricing, but Israel has yet to respond.
For decades, water from Israel has helped Jordan meet its drinking water, agriculture and domestic needs. Jordan’s water deficit is severe. The country has limited domestic water resources and often depends on external supplies to meet basic needs.
Under the 1994 Wadi Araba peace agreement, Israel supplies Jordan with 50 million cubic meters of water annually from Lake Tiberias, transferred via the King Abdullah Canal to the kingdom at a rate of 1 cent per cubic meter.
In 2021, Jordan and Israel reached an additional agreement under which Israel would provide the kingdom with another 50 million cubic meters of purchased water, based on a 2010 agreement that stemmed from the 1994 treaty.
In November 2023, Amman decided to withdraw its ambassador from Tel Aviv and refused the return of Israel’s ambassador to Jordan amid the ongoing Israeli war in the Gaza Strip.
In 2021, Israel and Jordan signed a declaration of intent for a water-for-energy deal, Israel's Energy Ministry said Monday, in the first such deal between the two countries.
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