Israel and Jordan Sign Historic Water-Sharing Accord

In a ceremony at Aqaba, the foreign ministers of Israel and Jordan signed an accord that will see Israel supply 200 million cubic metres of desalinated water annually to its Hashemite neighbour — the single largest civilian cooperation deal between the two countries since the 1994 peace treaty.

"Water is life," said the Israeli foreign minister at the signing. "And today we choose life — together."

The agreement also includes a joint desalination plant on the Gulf of Aqaba, funded in part by the World Bank, expected to be operational by 2028. It will use Israel's Sorek B technology — the world's largest seawater reverse-osmosis plant — as a blueprint.

Israeli and Jordanian engineers have been quietly collaborating on technical feasibility for three years, according to officials briefed on the process. The political breakthrough came only in the final weeks, following back-channel mediation by the United States.

Regional Implications

Analysts say the deal could serve as a template for broader water diplomacy in a region facing acute scarcity. The UN estimates that by 2030, demand for freshwater in the Middle East will outstrip supply by 25 percent.

For Jordan, which has one of the lowest per-capita water resources in the world, the accord is existential. Population growth and the influx of Syrian refugees have strained reserves to the breaking point.

Israeli officials were careful to frame the agreement not as charity but as partnership. "We are solving this together," said the prime minister. "That is the only way it works."