Jordan refuses to sign water, energy deal with Israel
Jordan refuses to sign water, energy deal with Israel/node/2410471/middle-east
Jordan refuses to sign water, energy deal with Israel
Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi said that Jordan will not sign the water-energy deal with Israel due to the Israeli war against the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7. (petra.gov.jo)
Jordan refuses to sign water, energy deal with Israel
Jordanian foreign affairs minister: Israel is ‘driving the entire region into hell’
Updated 17 November 2023
Arab News
AMMAN: Jordan will no longer be signing a water and energy deal with Israel due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, according to Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi.
The minister told Al Jazeera TV on Thursday: “The agreement should have been signed last month, but we will not sign it.”
Safadi said Israel was “driving the entire region into hell,” and highlighted tensions on Lebanon’s borders and in the West Bank.
He noted that Israeli actions in the Israel-Hamas war had created a hostile environment that prevented normal and peaceful relations, adding that while the violence continued the Jordan-Israel peace treaty would be irrelevant, “gathering dust on the shelf.”
Smugglers' boat collides with rocks as it attempted to flee pursuing as Coast Guard vessels
The boat was about to illegally transport passengers from the Syrian coast of Tartus coast to Cyprus
Updated 08 February 2026
Arab News
DAMASCUS: Syrian Coast Guard forces have arrested members of a human smuggling network operating in the western town of Tartus, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported Saturday.
Authorities pounced on the smugglers as they were about to transport passengers from the Tartus coast to Cyprus by illegal means, the state media said, citing a statement from the General Authority of Ports and Customs.
"The operation resulted in the arrest of all those involved, including the organizers of the trip," said the report, adding that the smugglers' boat attempted to escape as Coast Guard vessels surrounded it, but collided with rocks.
No details were made available on how many suspects were arrested and how many passengers were rescued. Criminal charges are being prepared against the arrested suspects, SANA said.
Headquarters of the Syrian General Authority of Ports and Customs in Damascus. (SANA photo)
New restrictions on commercial transit
In a separate move to regulate trade and border security, the ports and customs authority has issued a new policy restricting truck access at land crossings and seaports.
Commercial trucks will now only be permitted entry for loading or unloading upon presentation of an original receipt from the Ministry of Transport’s freight office.
The transfer of cargo between Syrian and non-Syrian vehicles must now take place strictly within designated customs yards at border crossings.
Trucks passing through Syria in transit remain permitted, provided they are under a mandatory customs escort between entry and exit points.
