AMMAN — The ‘
energy-for-water’
mega project that Jordan is yet to confirm and sign alongside the UAE and
Israel is being met with mixed reactions, and is seen as objectionable by some
groups, including experts, and analysts, who say it would give Israel a window
to control the region.
اضافة اعلان
The project, envisaged to be
signed on Monday in Dubai, entails building a desalination plant on the
Mediterranean coast to provide Jordan with water in exchange for a solar farm in
the Jordanian desert that would provide clean energy to Israel. Commentators
who spoke with
Jordan News believe this is an attempt by Israel to control Arab
states.
The
Islamic Action Front (IAF) said in a press statement issued on Saturday that the agreement poses a threat
to Jordanian sovereignty as it puts the vital sectors of the water and energy
in Israel’s hands. Moreover, the agreement, the IAF said, goes against the
Jordanian people’s longstanding stance against all forms of normalization with Israel.
The IAF contended that the
agreement would violate the Jordanian Constitution, namely Article 33, which
states “Conventions and agreements which would affect the state’s Treasury or
the Jordanian people’s public and private rights shall not take effect unless
approved by the Parliament. Also, any secret terms in a convention or agreement
shall not contradict the public terms whatsoever.”
Political analyst Labeeb
Qamhawi told
Jordan News that he did not see any rationale in including
Israel in this agreement, as it would lead to no added value except for normalization
with Israel, “and a chance to control us”.
“The funder, being the UAE, is
an Arab country, and so is the beneficiary, which is Jordan, so why would
Israel take part in the plan?” questioned Qamhawi, who views Israel as the
greatest beneficiary.
Qamhawi added that the project
could very well be a part of an extensive scheme that would link Israel with
regional strategic plans, and “consequently lead to Israel becoming part of the
Arab world.”
Amer Shoubaki, an energy
expert, said in an interview with
Jordan News that “successive Jordanian
governments have not prioritized the issue of water security, despite the fact
that Jordan has been suffering from water shortage for decades.” If governments had prioritized water in
developmental plans, he added, the water shortage crisis would have been resolved
years ago. “But, that is not the case.”
Shoubaki argued that “Israel could
become hostile to Jordan at any moment, and consequently threaten to cut off
the Kingdom’s water supply,” pointing out that Jordan is in no place to venture
into any new risky projects, particularly as the water crisis worsens each year. Furthermore, Shoubaki believes that the
project will not solve the root cause of the water problem Jordan faces, but
only serve as a temporary solution.
“Any desalination plant must
operate under the management and oversight of the concerned country,” Shoubaki
said, in order for that country to be able to ensure that “the water is safe
for human consumption, and that it meets the quality and safety standards.”
According to the US news
website Axios, a solar farm will be built by Masdar, a UAE government-owned
alternative energy company. The plan calls for the solar farm to be operational
by 2026 and will be designed to produce 2 percent of Israel's energy by 2030,
with Israel paying $180 million per year — divided between the Jordanian
government and the Emirati company.
In a bid to address a
persisting water shortage, Jordan bought 100 million cubic meters from Israel
this year in addition to 55 million cubic meters that it gets under the 1994 Jordan-Israel
Peace Treaty. According to water and energy experts, Jordan needs an estimated
1.3 billion cubic meters of water annually to cover the needs of the various
sectors.
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