Despite the fact that the peace treaty between the two states obligates Israel to provide water, officials have not signed a renewal of the agreement.
Written by: Nadav Rapaport
Israel has refused to renew its water agreement with Jordan, violating the peace treaty between the two countries, Israeli public broadcaster Kan 11 reported on Monday.
The report said Israel has yet to sign a renewal of its expanded water supply agreement with Jordan, as the Hashemite Kingdom faces increasing pressure over its dependence on Israeli water. „The issue of water is very important to us and it is part of the peace treaty,” a Jordanian official told Kan 11, indicating that his country may react to Israel’s delay.
The report said Amman fears that Israel will use the water supply agreement as a bargaining chip in its relations with the kingdom. In March, Kan 11 reported that Jordanian King Abdullah II had tied a planned meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resolving issues related to water supply and the Palestinians.
The Israeli news outlet Ynet also reported on the delay, claiming that Israel is considering a proposal by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a trilateral summit in Abu Dhabi, which would involve the energy ministers of the UAE, Israel and Jordan. The proposed summit would address the water supply agreement as well as the revival of a UAE-backed joint Israeli-Jordanian desalination plant. Abu Dhabi is seeking to ease tensions between Jordan and its key ally Israel, which have escalated since the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip began in 2023.
„We will continue to provide Jordan with the amount of water stipulated in the peace treaty,” an Israeli official said. He added that Israel „has no obligation to provide additional amounts. If there is goodwill between the two countries, we can provide the additional water.” The official said that „we wanted to fill our reservoirs for the benefit of our farmers” after the driest year in 100 years. He also told Ynet, „Jordan needs water, but when you help your neighbors, you expect warmer relations,” suggesting that a potential summit in Abu Dhabi would be about „normalization, water and strengthening bilateral relations.”.
Jordan's dependence on Israeli water
Since the signing of the 1994 peace treaty between Jordan and Israel, water supply has become one of the most important issues between the two countries. Water shortages have increased in the Hashemite Kingdom over the years, leaving Amman vulnerable. In 1994, Israel agreed to provide Jordan with 50 million cubic meters of water per year, and the parties committed to addressing the regional water shortage. In 2021, Israel agreed to increase the supply to 100 million cubic meters per year for three years.
Since 2024, Netanyahu's government has refused to extend the agreement for more than six months, while Jordan has requested a five-year extension. Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen stated in May 2024 that Israel would "use our natural resources to strengthen Israel's regional position." In February, Jordan's Al-Mamlaka TV reported that the country was preparing measures to secure its water supply, regardless of political pressure.
Jordan has not yet commented publicly on the water dispute. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated significantly since the Gaza massacre; Jordan formally recalled its Israeli ambassador, Ghassan Majali, in November 2023. Last week, King Abdullah officially closed Majali's mission by royal decree and did not appoint a successor.
While Israel is accused of using the restriction of water supplies to the Gaza Strip as a weapon of war, reports from Kan 11 and Ynet suggest that Israel is also using water as a diplomatic tool against a relatively friendly neighbor.
The threat of global warming
The effects of global warming have made water supply a critical issue worldwide, especially in the Middle East. According to a recent UN report, „the planet has entered an era of global water stress” and „nearly three-quarters of the world’s population lives in countries with water shortages or critical water shortages.”.
According to Haaretz, Israel is the world leader in desalination of drinking water; 70-80 percent of the water supply for Israeli households comes from desalination plants. Although Israel currently produces 804 million cubic meters of desalinated water annually, last month the government approved a plan to increase the country's drinking water production capacity to 2 billion cubic meters per year by 2050.
