AMMAN: Jordan reached an agreement Thursday to purchase an additional 50 million cubic meters of water from Israel and to increase its exports to the occupied West Bank from $160 million a year to around $700 million, the two countries announced in official statements.
The agreements, concluded during a meeting between their foreign ministers, signaled improved relations with Israel's new government following years of strained ties under former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid — the guiding force behind the new government formed last month — met at the King Hussein Bridge between Jordan and the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Thursday.
Jordan said technical teams will iron out the details in the coming days, and that talks on implementing the export ceiling will be held among Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian officials.
Safadi called for renewed efforts to achieve a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and for Israel to halt “illegal” measures that undermine such efforts.
He stressed the importance of maintaining the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem that is under Jordanian custodianship. He also said it would be a “war crime” to evict Palestinian families from their homes in east Jerusalem. Both issues fueled tensions that helped ignite an 11-day war in Gaza between Israel and the territory's militant Hamas rulers in May.
Lapid called Jordan an “important neighbor and partner,” and said Israel would work to strengthen ties and expand economic cooperation.
Gidon Bromberg, the Israeli director of EcoPeace Middle East, a Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli environmentalist group, said the deal marks a “dramatic increase” in water exports from Israel, which he said had not exported more than 10 million cubic meters per year until now.
He said Jordan still faces a water deficit of 500 million cubic meters a year and would have to import considerably more to ensure a continuous supply for all its needs. Jordan is one of the driest countries on earth and its water shortages are expected to worsen with climate change.
Israel and Jordan made peace in 1994 and maintain close security ties, but relations have been strained in recent years over tensions at Al-Aqsa, Israel's expansion of Jewish settlements in war-won lands and the lack of any progress in the long-moribund peace process.
Both Jordan and the Palestinians were adamantly opposed to the Trump administration's Mideast plan, which would have allowed Israel to annex up to a third of the occupied West Bank. Israel captured east Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 war, territories the Palestinians want as part of their future state.
The announcement came days before Jordan’s King Abdullah II is to visit the White House. The Biden administration has called on all sides to take steps that could help lay the groundwork for a resumption of possible peace talks.
Jordan, Israel agree to water deal, more West Bank trade
https://arab.news/9ssup
Jordan, Israel agree to water deal, more West Bank trade
- Lapid called Jordan an “important neighbor and partner,” and said Israel would work to strengthen ties
- Jordan said technical teams will iron out the details in the coming days
Saudi Arabia opens 3rd round of Exploration Empowerment Program
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, in collaboration with the Ministry of Investment, has opened applications for the third round of the Exploration Empowerment Program, part of ongoing efforts to accelerate mineral exploration in the Kingdom, reduce early-stage investment risks, and attract high-quality investment from local and international mining companies.
The third round of the Exploration Empowerment Program offers a comprehensive support package targeting exploration companies and mineral prospecting license holders.
The initiative aims to lower investment risks for projects and support a faster transition from prospecting to development.
"The program provides coverage of up to 70 percent of the total salaries of Saudi technical staff, such as geologists, during the first two years, increasing to 100 percent thereafter, in line with program requirements.
This support aims to develop talent, build national capabilities in mineral exploration, promote job localization, and facilitate the transfer of geological knowledge.
The application for the third round opened on Jan. 14, allowing participants to benefit from the Kingdom’s attractive investment environment, its stable legal framework, and streamlined regulatory structures, as well as integrated infrastructure that supports the transition from mineral resources to operational mines.
The ministry has set the timeline for the third round, with the application period running from Jan. 14 to March 31.
This will be followed by the evaluation, approval, and signing of agreements from April 1 to May 31, with the eligible projects set to be announced between June 1 and July 31 of the same year.
The program stages include submitting exploration data during the reimbursement and payment phase from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30, followed by technical and financial verification of work programs and approval of the disbursement of support funds in January 2027.
The exploration data will then be published on the National Geological Database in April 2027.
The ministry emphasized that the EEP focuses on supporting the exploration of strategically important minerals with national priority. It also contributes to enhancing geological knowledge by providing up-to-date data that meets international standards, helping investors make informed decisions and supporting the growth of national companies and local supply chains.
The ministry urged companies to apply early to benefit from the program’s third round, which coincided with the fifth edition of the International Mining Conference, which was held from Jan. 13 to 15.
