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Israel and Jordan secretly resume negotiations on Dead Sea Canal project

December 29, 2017 at 12:53 am

View the Dead Sea, north of Ein Ged on 13 Otcober 2017 [Ayman Ameen/Apaimages]

According to the  Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, Israel and Jordan are conducting negotiations to move the “Bahrain Canal” project despite the unresolved diplomatic crisis between the two countries in the wake of the embassy incident in Amman.

On Thursday, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation stated that Amman and Tel Aviv are conducting secret negotiations and that technical teams from both countries are pursuing talks despite the fact that the parties had threatened to freeze the project.

The “Bahrain Canal” project, which is shared by Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan, aims at digging canals linking the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea in order to pump sea water through channels, tunnels and pipelines into Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted a knowledgeable source which stated that “the project was postponed because the tender was not implemented yet, but there are negotiations and dialogue between the parties,” stressing that the reason behind this is the crisis between the countries and the closure of the embassy.

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“The project is important not only for Jordanians but also for Israel,” said Tzachi Hanegbi, minister of regional cooperation in the occupation government.

“Israel’s interest in the project is similar to Jordan’s, but before publishing the tender and starting to work on the ground, it is necessary to resolve the disputes between the professional departments that still exist,” clarified Tzachi.

Hebrew sources have claimed that the Jordanian authorities sent an urgent message to the Israeli Foreign Ministry asking for an official response about the position of Tel Aviv concerning the Dead Sea Canal, which is known as the “Bahrain Canal.” Israel has already informed Jordan of its decision to freeze the Dead Sea Canal project until it reopens its embassy in Amman, which has been closed for three months.