Hebrew media revealed that the Israeli Ministry of Energy is considering not extending the water agreement with Jordan due to Amman’s position rejecting the war on Gaza, stressing that if it is not extended, it will expire this year.
The Hebrew Broadcasting Authority said Thursday that Israel is considering “not extending” the water agreement with Jordan, due to Amman’s position rejecting the war on Gaza, expressed by senior officials, most notably Queen Rania and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.
The authority added: “The Israeli Ministry of Energy is considering not extending the water agreement with Jordan, due to the anti-Israel statements it heard from senior officials in the Kingdom, led by Queen Rania (consort of King Abdullah II) and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, regarding the war in Gaza.”
She explained, "Under the current water agreement, Israel transfers 100 million cubic meters of water to Jordan every year, instead of 50 million cubic meters of water as stipulated in the peace agreement between the two countries, in exchange for the production of electricity in Jordan for Israel."
The Hebrew Authority indicated that an agreement was reached, among other things, following the major water crisis in the Hashemite Kingdom in 2021.
She continued, "The final decision on this (not extending the agreement) has not been taken yet," indicating that "the matter depends on the development of relations with Jordan and how the Jordanians will express their position toward the war in the near future."
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation confirmed that “if the agreement is not extended, it will expire this year.”
It stated: “Among Al-Safadi’s extremist statements against Israel is his saying that nothing justifies the war in Gaza, and that the war is not self-defense, but rather a blatant aggression from Israel, and Jordan will do everything necessary to prevent the displacement of the Palestinians.”
She pointed out that "Safadi announced last November the suspension of the water agreement between Israel and Jordan following the war (on Gaza)."
The newspaper did not mention any statements made by Queen Rania regarding the Israeli war on Gaza. There was no comment from Jordan on this matter until 9:30 (UTG).
On October 26, 1994, Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty, but relations between the two sides went through several crises following the Israeli escalation in the Palestinian territories in general and Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque in particular.
Baghdad: We agreed with Washington to gradually reduce advisors to the international coalition against ISIS
The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Baghdad had reached an agreement with Washington on preparing a timetable to “initiate the gradual reduction of international coalition advisors on Iraqi soil and end the military mission of the coalition against ISIS.”
Baghdad announced that it had reached an agreement with Washington on preparing a timetable to "initiate the gradual reduction of international coalition advisors on Iraqi soil and end the military mission of the coalition against ISIS."
This came in a statement by the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs published by the official news agency (INA) on its website, on Thursday evening.
The Iraqi Ministry revealed in its statement that “the Supreme Military Committee (HMC) launched an assessment of the ISIS threat and danger, the situational and operational requirements, and the strengthening of the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces.”
The committee will undertake the task of preparing a “specific and clear timetable” that specifies the duration of the international coalition’s advisors in Iraq, and initiating the deliberate gradual reduction of its advisors on Iraqi soil and ending the military mission of the coalition against ISIS, according to the same source.
At the beginning of this January, Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani announced the formation of a bilateral committee to arrange the end of the presence of international coalition forces in the country, stressing Baghdad's "steadfast and principled" position to achieve this.
According to the agreement between Baghdad and Washington, “the committee guarantees the transition to comprehensive bilateral relations with the coalition countries, political, economic, cultural, security, and military, consistent with the vision of the Iraqi government.”
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said that these bilateral relations will be determined by the “Strategic Framework Agreement that regulates comprehensive relations between Iraq and the United States, and reflects the common desire for cooperation between the two sides in a way that achieves the interests of both countries and contributes to strengthening Iraq’s regional and international role in a manner befitting its historical status and building the best relations with the international community to serve the interests of Iraq.” The Iraqi people and their aspirations.
In this context, the statement pointed out that the two sides expressed support for the work of the committee, facilitating its tasks, and refraining from anything that obstructs or delays its work.
He explained that "maintaining the course of the committee's work and its success in achieving its mission is a national interest, in addition to contributing to preserving the stability of Iraq and the region."
The Foreign Ministry pointed out that the Iraqi government "called for the work of this committee not to be halted, faltered, or interrupted, and to work to avoid tampering with Iraq's stability to achieve special goals."
The statement stressed that "Iraq renews its commitment to the safety of the international coalition's advisors during the negotiation period in all parts of the country, to maintaining stability and preventing escalation."
There was no immediate comment from the American side on the Iraqi Foreign Ministry's statement until 15:50 GMT.
In December 2023, the Iraqi Prime Minister confirmed that his country was moving towards ending the presence of the international coalition in the country led by Washington, days after American strikes that Baghdad considered “hostile and a violation of sovereignty” on Iraqi sites.
On December 26, the White House said that the US army targeted 3 facilities belonging to the Hezbollah Brigades in Iraq, in response to an attack that hit an international coalition military base.
The international coalition against ISIS was established in September 2014 to fight the organization in Iraq and Syria, and includes 85 countries and partner organizations.