Amman-

The decision of Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid to expedite the implementation of the "Jordan Gateway" project, which is related to the establishment of a joint industrial zone between Jordan and Israel, has sparked controversy in Jordanian political and economic circles, especially since it came after his meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Amman this week. Past.

The talk about the Jordan gate was not separate from what is happening in the arena, as it was preceded by talk about strategic projects such as the peace railway that will link Israel - through Jordan - with Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, and the opening of Israeli ports to Arab exports to Europe and America, in addition to Saudi Arabia opening its airspace to Israeli aviation, and the internationalization of the islands of Tiran and Sanafir.

Jordanian analysts link the timing of Lapid's announcement of accelerating the implementation of the project, and the approaching date of the Knesset elections next October, which is witnessing a heated competition with former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Jordan's desire that Netanyahu not return to power, to strain relations between the two countries during the period His presidency.

A demonstration with the participation and invitation of the anti-normalization movements in Jordan and the Jordanian national campaign to drop the gas agreement (communication sites)

Jordanian lands

The "Jordan Gate" is a joint Jordanian-Israeli project, based on the idea of ​​establishing a joint industrial zone, provided that this area will be built on the lands of the Jordanian side with an area of ​​700 dunams (a dunam is one thousand square metres), while the Israeli side constitutes an internal logistical front and a base for transporting goods to Israeli ports A bridge was established between the two sides to facilitate pedestrian traffic and the transport of goods.

Officially, an official source in the Jordanian Ministry of Investment explained that the "Jordan Gateway" project is a private free zone, located near the town of Al-Mashari in the Jordan Valley area in the Irbid Governorate, northwest of the Kingdom, and the idea of ​​its establishment dates back to 1998, and the project is run by the private sector, and there are Currently, two working factories belong to the private sector.

The source confirmed - in a press statement the first day yesterday, Monday - that the project has not been completed, and that the Israeli side has faltered in its completion since then.

He added that what was reported by the media about the recent announcements of this project by Israeli officials, may be an initial step towards completing the project, which we are waiting to know more details about through official channels.

Emirati projects

The establishment of the industrial zone, according to the Israeli Ministry of Regional Cooperation, aims to deepen economic and trade relations between Jordan and Israel, and expand the scope of work possibilities for the residents of the two countries.

It will enter the industrial zone with the advantages of free trade between countries and the United States, in which it will grant exemption from customs for the products that are produced there and exported to the United States.

According to press statements by the Minister of Regional Cooperation in Israel, Issawi Freij, the UAE will build centers and warehouses on Jordanian territory and near the border, and will work to transport these goods to various regions around the world.

Freij indicated that the UAE will also lease areas to store its goods after transferring them from Haifa port, which will turn Haifa port into a major port in the region, and a gateway to transport goods to Arab and Gulf countries.

A sit-in against the continuation of agricultural normalization between Jordan and Israel (Al-Jazeera)

Economic normalization

The reason for Lapid's speech at this time - according to analysts - is due to "electoral reasons", and his quest to achieve achievements on the ground, especially since the Israeli side is able to attract industrial investments to the region with US support.

Muhammad Al-Halaiqa, the former Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister, is not optimistic about the coming of Jordanian investors to invest in that region, attributing the reason to "the suspicion of normalization with the Israeli entity, and the lack of harmonization of the nature of the agricultural area for heavy industries."

But he indicated in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that the project, if successful, would pave the way for a package of strategic projects that would integrate the economy of the Israeli entity in the Arab region, including the railway project that would link the Israeli occupation and the Arab Gulf states in the future, open the occupation ports to Arab exports, and enhance opportunities for economic peace.

Regarding the railway project, Al-Halaiqa said that the Israeli side is proceeding rapidly to implement the project, and I believe that it has reached close distances from the border areas with Jordan, but Jordan has several reservations about the project, especially with regard to its route and the start of implementation.

Netanyahu's confrontation

Politically, according to analysts, Jordan is showing its keenness to prevent the return of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to power, and is working to support the current government coalition, giving it a new opportunity to prove its ability and enhance its chances of success and return to power in the upcoming Knesset elections next October.

And former Minister of Information Samih Al-Maaytah confirmed - to Al-Jazeera Net - that there is a state of agreement between Jordan and the US administration led by President Joe Biden that Netanyahu will not return to power, as this will disrupt the peace process, and further provocations to Jordan in the Hashemite sponsorship files on Jerusalem, and expansion in settlement.

And he added, "Jordan is trying, through its relations with political and Arab forces and the ruling coalition, to enhance its chances of success, but it is not the only player in the Knesset elections. There is the Israeli voter who is the source of decisiveness in the elections."

algebraic normalization

Popularly, the coordinator of the “enemy gas is an occupation” campaign, Hisham Al-Bustani, believes that the official policies of the Jordanian authorities are determined to forcibly link the Jordanian citizen to the Israeli strategic projects in the region, without finding any option for the citizen, and the example of this is clear in the projects of importing natural gas from the Zionist entity and generating electricity for Jordanians And the project to buy desalinated water from the Zionist entity.

But on the other hand, Al-Bustani adds that the popular rejection of normalization with the Zionist entity will remain with what is available to it, whether in boycotting Zionist products such as vegetables, fruits and various goods, or refusing to partner in industrial projects with Israeli investors, for “the shame of normalization with the Zionist entity still constitutes An obsession for the Jordanians.

Al-Bustani continued - in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net - that the most dangerous thing is that "Jordan becomes a corridor for Zionist goods and goods", through a gateway to strategic economic projects that would integrate the Zionist entity in the Gulf region and neighboring countries, stressing that the so-called "economic peace" is in fact Zionist occupation of the region, and looting of its capabilities and options, with the help of decision-makers.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s speech about the Jordan Gate project coincided with the withdrawal of the Jordanian junior taekwondo team players: Maysir Al-Dahmasheh (13 years old) and Abdullah Shaheen (12 years old), from facing Israeli players at the World Championships in the Bulgarian city of Sofia, in refusal to normalize with Israel.