Israel has agreed to partially meet Jordan's request to extend the agreement for supplying extra fresh water, but only for six months instead of the requested five years.
For context, under the peace treaty, Israel annually supplies Jordan with 50 million cubic meters of water. In 2021, an agreement was signed to provide an extra 50 million cubic meters per year for three years, which expired in May. Jordan does not pay for this water.
Jordan requested a five-year extension, but Israel insisted on reducing inflammatory and anti-Israeli rhetoric as a condition for renewing the treaty.
On Thursday, May 16, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Eli Cohen extended the agreement with Jordan for only six months.
This decision seems to be influenced by reports of Jordanian aircraft participating in intercepting Iranian drones heading towards Israel, as well as Jordanian authorities granting permission for Israeli and American aircraft to operate in the Hashemite Kingdom to intercept the threat.
Initially, Cohen intended to extend the contract for a year, but after several meetings, he opted for a six-month extension. Cohen clarified, "Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran aim to destabilize the situation and harm Israel's relations with other Middle Eastern states. We will continue leveraging our resources to bolster Israel's position in the region."
