Israel, Jordan Move Ahead on Water-for-Electricity Deal

Latest Developments

Senior Israeli and Jordanian officials met in Abu Dhabi on August 14 to move forward on a trilateral water-for-electricity deal that is an outgrowth of the Abraham Accords. Representing Israel at the event were Energy Minister Israel Katz and Prime Minister’s Office Director-General Yossi Shelly, in what constituted the highest-level public Emirati engagement with the Netanyahu government since it rose to power in December.

In meetings with the Jordanian energy, water, and environment ministers, the Israeli officials discussed putting the final touches on Project Prosperity, whereby Amman will receive 200 million cubic meters of desalinated water from Jerusalem per annum and, in return, supply Israel with electricity from a UAE-sponsored solar farm in the Hashemite Kingdom. In November 2021, Israel and Jordan signed a declaration of intent for such a project, which is due to be formally launched at the COP28 conference in Dubai later this year.

The Abu Dhabi meeting was also attended by David Livingston, senior adviser to U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry — a sign of the Biden administration’s recognition of the importance of Israeli-Arab normalization.

Expert Analysis

“Three years on, the Abraham Accords continue to bear fruit for the benefit of the entire Middle East. This emerging deal will harness the best of Israeli and Emirati innovation to the benefit of Jordan. It could also help improve relations between Israel and Jordan, which remains publicly antagonistic to the Jewish state almost three decades after their landmark peace treaty.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“Jordan, which has experienced successive economic crises, needs this very badly from a financial standpoint. The deal is also a much-needed boost for normalization between Jordan and Israel. Ties between the two countries have deteriorated in recent years amidst an uptick in vitriolic anti-Israel rhetoric by the king and his inner circle. One can only hope that this three-way deal, anchored by the UAE, helps to smooth things over and reset relations between these two key American allies in the Middle East.” — Jonathan Schanzer, FDD Vice President for Research

Related Analysis

“Neither Here Nor There: Jordan and the Abraham Accords,” by Jonathan Schanzer

“Jordan’s Threat to the Middle Eastern Order,” by Jonathan Schanzer and Mark Dubowitz

“Israel Arrests Jordanian Lawmaker on Suspicion of Gunrunning,” FDD Flash Brief