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The Jordanians demonstrated in Amman on Friday January 17 against the import of natural gas from Israel. REUTERS / Muhammad Hamed

In Jordan, deputies voted Sunday January 19 against the import of natural gas from Israel, while a new gas pipeline connecting the two countries was put into service a few days ago. This installation allows the Jordanian kingdom, poor in natural resources, to import gas exploited in the Mediterranean Sea off the Israeli coast, but the population is against it.

With our correspondent in Amman, Jérôme Boruszewski

The king and the government are now in embarrassment. They hold on to this gas agreement concluded three years ago between Israel, Jordan and an American company. An agreement that allows the Hashemite kingdom to import $ 10 billion in natural gas for 15 years.

The executive believes that the financial arrangement is advantageous and that it will secure the country's energy supply without further swelling the public debt.

But the population is against it , mainly for ideological reasons. More than half of the Jordanians are of Palestinian origin and for it, there is no question of depending on the powerful Hebrew neighbor. Hundreds of protesters in Amman on Friday shouted anger and opposition to the gas project last Friday.

King Abdullah must now find a balance between two opposing forces: on the one hand, he must spare his relations with Israel - the two countries signed a peace agreement 25 years ago - on the other hand, he must ensure stay close to his subjects.

Last year, under pressure from the people, the sovereign announced, to everyone's surprise, that he wished to take over two villages whose lands had been loaned to Israel since the mid-1990s.