Jordan would like to renew negotiations with Israel on the Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal project, a pipeline program created to stabilize the Dead Sea water level by running water to it from the Red Sea.
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The subject was mentioned in a request to the Regional Development Ministry and in a meeting between Foreign Minister Gabi Askenazi and his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi.
Against the backdrop of peace agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, the Ministry forwarded the request to Regional Cooperation Minister Ofir Akunis.
According to the plan, which was first presented in 2005, hydroelectric power stations will be built between Eilat and the Dead Sea that will produce green energy that will be used to desalinate the water flowing through the pipeline. The water will be used for drinking, agriculture, and replenishing water reservoirs in Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority.
The cost of such a project could be as high as tens of billions of dollars. At this stage, the parties are planning to launch an experimental project costing about a billion dollars.
The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are involved in the project, and in light of the recent normalization, Akunis is looking to involve other Gulf States, too. The plan was presented to Bahrain's Trade Minister Zayed al-Zayani during his visit to Israel. Akunis also spoke with European Union Ambassador to Israel Emanuele Giaufret and other prominent European leaders.
"Peace agreements are an incredible and immediate opportunity to renew regional infrastructure projects," Akunis said.
"The Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal project is an opportunity to connect many countries and companies to our region, to Europe and the US and with the support of international organizations to implement projects like the Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal, which can bring water to our region and save the Dead Sea, which will disappear if we do not make an effort to rehabilitate it."
The Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal project was created on account of the significant decrease of water flow in the southern Jordan River and consequently the depleted water flow into the Dead Sea caused by the increased water usage of Israeli and Jordanian Dead Sea factories. As a result of the factories' work, the Dead Sea area has shrunk by half.
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