Jordan: demonstrations against the water agreement concluded with Israel
The water deal signed with Israel sparks protests in Jordan.
Here, a view of the Mujib dam reservoir, Amman's main water supply source, in Madaba governorate on April 20, 2021 (Image illustration).
AFP - KHALIL MAZRAAWI
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
In Jordan, protests erupted this week against the agreement signed Monday between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the Hashemite Kingdom in Dubai.
The text in question, negotiated in secret, allows the regime of Abdallah II to exchange solar energy with the Jewish state for 200 million cubic meters of desalinated water.
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It is a potential solution to the historic drought that Jordan is going through.
But for a majority of Jordanians, any deal with Israel is unacceptable.
The demonstrators, gathered by the hundreds on several occasions this week, demand the withdrawal of the text.
►Also read: Solar energy for water: the controversial agreement between Israel and Jordan
Sitting in a park in the Weibdeh district, Rakan smokes a cigarette with his friends.
For him, as for many Jordano-Palestinians, this agreement is a betrayal.
“
I am angry, because half of the inhabitants here are Palestinians.
We exchange our electricity for their water.
But for me, this water already belongs to Palestine.
This agreement is unacceptable.
It was only concluded to extract our resources from us
, ”he said.
Pressure tactics for Israel
Beside him, Fares, from Bethlehem, nods. What really worries him is the political power that Israel can take away from this deal. “
The Israeli government now has leverage on the Jordanian government and it will backfire on us. From now on, we will do what they tell us to do because they give us water. If one government gives water to another, it can control it,
”he said.
This week, the majority of the protesters were students.
It was also in the universities that the dispute began.
“
All universities reject this agreement.
We will remain mobilized even if we know that it will always be dangerous to demonstrate in this country.
But we must resist.
Whatever the price of freedom, we will pay it
”, assures Bassal at the head of the union for the Arab Renewal.
The student assures him, he will be in the street, until the complete withdrawal of the agreement.
The opposition called for taking to the streets of Amman again this Friday, November 26, to roll back the government.
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