Jordan won’t renew lease for land on border with Israel agreed in 1994 treaty
Around 30 Israeli farms are said to be affected after King Abdullah II announces the 25-year deal for 405 hectares of land won't be renewed
Jordan has said it will not renew the lease of 405 hectares of water-rich Jordanian land to Israeli farmers, agreed as part of the 1994 Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty.
Israeli leaders reacted calmly to an announcement from King Abdullah II, following months of pressure on him to end the 25-year lease next year, saying it would seek to negotiate it. The move will affect 30 Israeli farms.
The land is in two areas – Naharayim, in the north of the Jordan valley, and Tzofar, an enclave in the southern Arava region. It includes a man-made ‘Island of Peace’ and a hydroelectric power plant.
Abdullah said: “We have informed Israel of an end to the application of the peace treaty annexes regarding al-Baqura and al-Ghumar.” He said the decision was “based on our keenness to take all that is necessary for Jordan and Jordanians… Al-Baqura and al-Ghumar are Jordanian land and will remain Jordanian.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the peace treaty was “an agreement of true peace,” adding: “We will enter into negotiations with Jordan to extend the existing agreement, but the entire agreement from a comprehensive perspective is important and dear to both countries.”
The move was criticised by Eyal Blum, head of Central Arava Regional Council, who said it would hurt Israeli farmers, but Abdullah has been under mounting pressure at home, with mass protests in recent months due to the country’s economic strains.
Price rises, an unemployment rate of 20 percent and the burden of harbouring 1.4 million Syrian refugees have led to tension over Israel’s use of the land, exacerbated earlier this year when an Israeli security guard shot and killed two Jordanian citizens at the embassy in Amman, the capital.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
