Palestinians Hold Up Water-Sharing Deal with Israel and Jordan

YERUSHALAYIM

Implementation of a regional agreement for water security and development is being held up by the Palestinian Authority, which has thus far failed to sign the agreement.

The Regional Cooperation Ministry, led by Deputy Minister Ayoob Kara, headed the Israeli delegation to a conference on water security and lasting development that was held Tuesday and Wednesday on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea and which dealt with the challenges common to all states in the region vis-à-vis the environment and water security.

In his remarks to the opening of the conference, Deputy Minister Kara noted that Israel and the Palestinian Authority – with Jordanian assistance – had recently succeeded in formulating a water sharing agreement, but said that the Palestinians were delaying the signing and thus hurting their own people.

Kara also pointed out that Israel and Jordan were partners in many fields and said that joint work would assist the residents of both countries. He noted that Israel and Jordan had common interests and common challenges, as well as common enemies, and declared that the only way to deal with them was to have a common stand. He said that Israel had taken the initiative and was advancing the opening of an additional crossing between the two countries south of the Dead Sea.

In addition to Deputy Minister Kara, MK Nava Boker, mayors and regional council chairpersons, Water Authority representatives and other officials also participated in the Israeli delegation.&

The conference was organized by EcoPeace Middle East& in cooperation with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and held under the sponsorship of Jordanian Water and Irrigation Minister Dr. Hazem El Nasser.&

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