Israel’s Bennett, Jordan's king meet secretly, make water deal

In a meeting July 8 in Jordan, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi formalized an agreement reached by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Jordanian King Abdullah last week on increasing the quantity of water Israel will sell to Jordan.
jordan water pipe
Water pours into an agricultural irrigation pool in Ghor al-Haditha, around 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of the Jordanian capital, Amman, on April 20, 2021. Experts say Jordan is now in the grip of one of the most severe droughts in its history; the country's environment ministry says it is among the world's most four water-deficient countries. - KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP via Getty Images
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Rina Bassist
@RinaBassist

The Israeli press reported July 8 that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had secretly met with Jordan's King Abdullah II in his Amman palace last week. Bennett's office did not confirm this report.

According to a former unnamed senior Israeli official, cited by Walla news, the meeting was very positive. Reportedly, Bennett informed the king at the beginning of the meeting that Israel would agree to sell the kingdom more water than the quota provided by the 1994 bilateral peace agreement. Jordan needs the deal to confront a devastating water shortage.

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