Dozens of Jordanian MPs Leave Session in Protest Against Deals with Israel

Amman, MINA – Dozens of Jordanian lawmakers withdraw from a parliamentary session in protest over controversial water-to-energy deals with Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Abdel Karim al-Daghmi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, on Wednesday decided to postpone the session, which was scheduled to discuss the pact, after withdrawal resulted in the loss of the quorum, Press TV reported.

Earlier on Wednesday, Jordanian protesters gathered in front of the lower house of Jordan’s parliament in Amman to call for the cancellation of the deal.

The protesters carried banners reading “Down with shame deals with the Zionist entity” and “The water-to-energy deal is a new crime against the homeland and citizens.”

Last month, Jordan, Israel and the United Arab Emirates signed the deal in the presence of US climate envoy John Kerry. This initiative is subject to a feasibility study.

Under the pact, Jordan will supply Israel with 600 megawatts of electricity generated from a solar power plant to be built by the UAE, while Israel will provide scarce water. Jordan will get 200 million cubic meters of desalinated water in return.

After the agreement was announced, several demonstrations rocked Jordan and calls have risen to cut ties with Tel Aviv and cancel the project.

Jordan signed the so-called peace accord with Israel in 1994, but the Jordanian people are against its government and against any form of normalization of relations with the occupying regime.

Most Arabs oppose normalization and support the Palestinian cause. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)