US embassy cable - 03AMMAN5999

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005999 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA SATTERFIELD, NEA/IPA, NEA/RA LAWSON, OES/PCI 
FOR PAYNE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/16/2008 
TAGS: PREL, SENV, KWBG, IS, JO, MEPN 
SUBJECT: JORDANIAN-ISRAELI WATER FRUSTRATIONS 
 
 
Classified By: CDA DAVID HALE for Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d) 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY:  Jordanian Water Minister El-Naser expressed 
his disappointment over the past few months' behavior of his 
Israeli counterparts from the Joint Technical Water 
Committee.  Pointing the finger at Israel for dragging its 
feet on Jordanian technical requests and charging them with 
obstructing water projects that Amman wants to initiate, 
El-Naser expressed frustration with what he characterized as 
an increasingly nettlesome relationship.  Already exercised 
over apparent Israeli (and Palestinian) disinterest in the 
World Bank,s draft Terms of Reference for the feasibility 
study on the Red Sea-Dead Sea Conveyance project (septel), 
El-Naser complained of getting the run-around from the 
Israeli MFA, Water Commissioner, and Ministry of 
Infrastructure on routine bilateral water issues.  We urged 
El-Naser to continue to address Jordan,s water concerns 
directly with his Israeli partners and maintain the lines of 
communication, noting that the JWC mechanism has generally 
worked well for the past nine years.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (C)  During a September 15 meeting with visiting NEA 
Senior Science Advisor Dr. Charles Lawson and NEA Regional 
Environment Officer Paul Malik, Jordanian Minister of Water 
and Irrigation Dr. Hazem El-Naser vented about his increasing 
frustration with the members of the Israeli Joint Technical 
Water Committee (JWC) with whom he and his senior ministry 
colleagues routinely meet to coordinate water cooperation. 
El-Naser claimed that the usually constructive meetings had 
devolved into fora that were not yielding positive results. 
In fact, he charged the Israeli counterparts with obstructing 
work on Jordanian water priorities and with sowing an 
atmosphere of mistrust.  We have had "problems with the 
Israelis during the past six months," he told us. 
 
3. (C) Both El-Naser and the Secretary General of the Jordan 
Valley Authority, Zafer Alem, while conceding that "personal 
relations are very good" between them and their Israeli 
interlocutors, cited several examples of flagging Israeli 
cooperation.  Complaints of Israeli disagreements over the 
Wihdeh Dam water allocation protocol have not stopped Amman 
from proceeding with the project, but remain an unresolved 
irritant.  El-Naser repeatedly has raised with the Israelis 
their dumping of untreated effluent into the Jordan River, 
requesting them to build a wastewater treatment plant--to no 
avail.  Finally, although the 25 MCM (million cubic meter) 
water concession that Israel provides Jordan annually during 
the summer to fulfill a commitment in the 1994 peace treaty 
ultimately was delivered, El-Naser registered his concern 
that this year,s negotiations presage Israeli balking. 
 
4. (C) Jordan,s desire to capture winter floodwaters on the 
Jordan River by diverting them to the Karameh Dam has also 
met with Israeli opposition.  When El-Naser offered to divert 
further upstream at a greater cost to Jordan, the Israelis 
continued to deny approval.  COMMENT:  At least partly, we 
understand, Israeli concern stems from Jordan,s interest in 
tapping into the Jordan River in a location where the West 
Bank is on the other side of the river.  In the Jordan-Israel 
Peace Treaty, all water projects mentioned were located north 
of the point where the Green Line intersects the Jordan 
River, specifically to avoid complications arising from 
dealing with West Bank areas.  END COMMENT 
 
5. (C) Another project that is threatened by the apparent 
lack of bilateral cooperation is the development of 50 MCM of 
additional water resources for Jordan.  Although brackish 
water sources have been identified on both sides, Israel 
allegedly will not divulge detailed information on the 
sources and quality of the water it would provide, making 
Jordan fearful it is highly saline and contaminated with 
sewage.  Moreover, El-Naser claims that Israel,s 
contribution of limited brackish sources will not produce the 
stipulated 50 MCM of potable water, yet the Israelis have 
threatened to cut off the 25 MCM summer concession as soon as 
any amount of new water is produced for Jordan. 
 
6. (C) COMMENT:  This was the most agitated we have seen 
El-Naser over the Israeli-Jordanian water relationship. 
Historically, it has been a successful model of cooperation, 
with the notable exception in 1999, when tensions temporarily 
flared over delivery of Israeli water to Jordan but were 
defused with the help of U.S. intervention.  We believe that 
the current negative state of play on the RDC feasibility 
study is coloring El-Naser's view of his bilateral 
relationship with Israel.  "We are suspicious of their 
(Israeli) intentions" regarding the RDC, said El-Naser. 
Lawson encouraged the Jordanians to persevere in resolving 
technical water issues through the JWC.  On the margins of 
another meeting in Jordan on September 16, Israeli MFA 
Multilateral Peace Process Director Yaacov Keidar expressed 
surprise at the Jordanian characterization of the recent JWC 
deliberations and countered by telling us that the Israeli 
government had approved the Jordan River diversion and other 
projects and the Jordanian delegation had returned the signed 
protocol within the last few days. 
HALE