Jordan Gateway Project Advances After Israeli Government Approval

The Israeli government on Sunday approved moving forward with the project, proposed by Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Regional Cooperation Minister Esawi Frej. The project was first proposed during talks that led to the 1994 peace agreement between Israel and Jordan. Work toward implementing the project was put on hold in April by then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett over comments by Jordan’s prime minister praising Palestinians who attacked Israelis. Lapid met in Amman with Jordan’s King Abdullah II late last week; they discussed the Gateway project during their meeting, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office after the meeting. Construction of a bridge to connect the Israeli and Jordanian sides of the Gateway Park was completed a year ago. “The project will be advanced, developed, and operated in coordination and conjunction with the Kingdom of Jordan and with mutual agreement on the goals of the project and aspects of its operation,” the government said in a statement issued on Sunday. Prime Minister Yair Lapid called the decision to move forward with the project “a breakthrough that will contribute greatly to developing and strengthening the region.” Frej said it is “part of the major progress that we have carried out in strengthening relations with Jordan in the past year. We started with the agreement to export water in exchange for solar energy and now have this decision which takes the vision of the civil peace, not just between the countries but also between the peoples, an additional step further. The peace between us is not a peace devoid of economic and civil cooperation that enables the citizens of both countries to enjoy its fruits.”