“We appreciate the technical support of the United States government regarding enhancing the security of data management and its availability to both countries,” this statement was included in the official statement issued Wednesday afternoon by the Jordanian Minister of Water, Engineer Raed Abu Al-Saud, as he announced, in the presence of the Syrian Deputy Minister of Energy, Osama Abu Zeid, the launch of what was called the joint platform for water resources management between the two countries. This indicates that, for the first time, in the name of the bilateral water management platform, a political note is being made that is distinctly political in nature, the idea being that the United States does not stop at providing political cover for the water sharing project between Jordan and Syria, but also supports and may be the supervising party for the data protection plan for those water projects.
The paradox here raises a question directly related to the overall climate of escalation in the region: Does the United States represent a reliable party, if it is present under a technical and supervisory cover for water resources management data between Jordan and Syria?
That's a difficult and complex question because it essentially echoes another rhetorical inquiry related to the US presence in the water operations room, which, politically rather than technically, implies the presence of the insidious Israeli player. Jordanians have a painful experience with "Israeli gas." Here, it's worth recalling what one of the leading water experts, Dr. Duraid Al-Mahasneh, told Al-Quds Al-Arabi early on: that the Israeli right-wing government has a long-standing and renewed passion for controlling water resources in the countries neighboring occupied Palestine.
No one knows the cost of having American expertise in the technical support track to ensure data management and availability for both countries.
Practically no one knows the cost of having American expertise in the technical support track to ensure data management and availability for both countries. However, Jordanian Water Minister Abu Saud believes that American technical support has contributed to the development of this platform, which helps provide an operational framework to enhance water sustainability.
Previously, he had spoken with commendable boldness and courage about his country's water challenges. He even hinted publicly at least twice that Israel's decision to withhold Jordan's water share, which constitutes only about 5% of Jordan's needs, had prompted his staff and ministry to seek alternatives and provide guarantees to enhance water harvesting for citizens. This implies a commitment to securing alternative water sources within the framework of a programmed action plan.
But more importantly, after the question regarding the cost of so-called American technical support to ensure data management, the launch of the water platform project between Amman and Damascus in an official event was a highly advanced political, technocratic, and bureaucratic event, as precedents are rare in such platforms, especially since the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spoke of direct orders from President Ahmed al-Sharaa to share water with Jordan.
Relations are now being institutionalized within the Amman-Damascus axis and are moving towards deep strategic paths, while the political leadership in both countries provides utmost support for all protocols agreed upon between the two governments under the umbrella of the High-Level Coordination Council. The launch of the bilateral water platform is a procedural, technical, and political precedent in relations between the two countries, meaning that some water will flow into Jordan's basins from the Syrian side. While the platform was launched to establish a joint operations room for managing and sustaining water resources, the gas exported from Jordan was the direct cause, as described by the newspaper "Ammon," of Damascus being illuminated for 48 consecutive hours for the first time since 2011.
The steps being taken in the Amman-Damascus axis are significant and unprecedented, not only in the areas of electricity supply to Syria and water sharing, but also in specific, vital sectors, including security and border coordination, transportation, and infrastructure. Regarding the water file specifically, the announcement of the launch of the bilateral platform, this time with American technical support, is an event that cannot be ignored, even in the most complex political calculations. This event signifies that the legitimate government has taken steps to bolster Jordan's water security, albeit to a limited extent, and that Damascus has decided to provide Jordan with a water allocation to replace the one publicly withheld by Benjamin Netanyahu.
The fact that Minister Abu Saudah spoke about sector governance in both countries indicates that the launch of the platform is part of an integrated strategy.
The fact that Minister Abu Saudah spoke about governance of the sector in both countries and about a coordination process for managing shared water resources indicates that the launch of the platform is part of an integrated strategy. This can only mean that the United States, albeit remotely, supports a quasi-integrated bilateral relationship between Jordan and Syria that goes beyond the normalization of relations and may even extend to electrical interconnection after coordinating the joint management of water resources. This is undoubtedly part of a broader, more comprehensive political plan.
This process coincides with renewed public praise last week for Jordan's pivotal role in regional stability, delivered by US Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack. In short, US support, albeit indirectly so far, for complementary projects between Jordan and Syria is a crucial component in the broader project of restructuring regional alliances and partnerships. It appears that both Amman and Damascus stand to benefit, as long as the US maintains the ability to exert control should any disturbances or provocations arise from what Dr. Mahasneh describes as "the troublesome Israeli neighbor."
