Jordan denies extending Israel’s lease over border area

Jordan yesterday denied what Israeli media reported about the Jordanian kingdom’s approval to renew or extend Israel’s lease of Baqoura and Al-Ghamr in the Araba border area.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Affairs, Sufyan Qudah, said that the kingdom’s decision, taken in October 2018, to terminate the work at Baqoura and Al-Ghamr will not be renewed or extended.

Earlier yesterday, the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that the Jordanian monarch, King Abdullah II, agreed to extend the lease of the Araba border area to the Israeli occupation state, for an additional year.

Researcher into Israeli affairs Saleh El-Naami tweeted that the occupation army radio reported that “the King of Jordan retreated from terminating the lease of Baqoura and Al-Ghamr to Israel and extended it for an additional year, under the influence of Israeli pressure.”

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Al-Naami added that “the Israeli government has intensified its pressure on the Jordanian king.”

In November 2018, Jordan received a request from Israel to consult on a new agreement allowing Israel to keep exploiting the areas of Al-Ghamr and Baqoura.

According to the Minister of State for Information Affairs and spokesperson for the Jordanian government at the time, Jumana Ghanimat, Jordan “exercised its legal right stipulated in the peace agreement by deciding to terminate the Israeli exploitation of the two annexes, and will commit to enter into consultations to implement the resolution and protect its national rights and interests, while preserving any rights to Israel.”