Representatives of Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians to sign “historic” agreement to link Red Sea to Dead Sea

Jerusalem
(AFP) –
Representatives of Israel, Jordan and the
Palestinians will on Monday sign a "historic"
agreement to link the Red Sea with the shrinking
Dead Sea, an Israeli minister said.
Energy and Regional Development Minister Silvan
Shalom told army radio that under the agreement
to be signed at the World Bank in Washington,
water will be drawn from the Gulf of Aqaba at the
northern end of the Red Sea.
Some will be desalinated and distributed to Israel,
Jordan and the Palestinians, while the rest will be
transferred in four pipes to the parched Dead Sea,
which would otherwise dry out by 2050.
Shalom noted the economic aspects of supplying
cheap desalinated water to neighbouring states,
the environmental angle of "saving the Dead Sea"
and the "strategic-diplomatic" aspect of the deal,
being signed at a time when peace talks between
Israel and the Palestinians are floundering.
"This is a breakthrough after many years of
efforts," he said. "It is nothing less than a historic
move."
According to Yediot, the Palestinian Authority's
minister in charge of water issues, Shaddad Attili,
and Jordanian Water Minister Hazem Nasser will be
signing the agreement with Shalom.
Shalom said that following the signing, "an
international tender will be issued for the entire
project — building the desalination plant in Aqaba
and laying the first of the four pipes."
According to Yediot Aharonot newspaper, which
first broke the story, the idea dates back to the
1994 signing of a peace treaty between Israel and
Jordan.
The World Bank in 2012 published a feasibility
study report on the project.
But Friends of the Earth Middle East and other
environmental groups warned that a large influx of
Red Sea water could radically change the Dead
Sea's fragile ecosystem, forming gypsum crystals
and introducing red algae blooms.

Sent From David Aniemeka