Israel's Energy Minister, Yisrael Katz, was in Abu Dhabi on Monday discussing "optimal ways" to advance the UAE-brokered water-for-electricity project between Israel and Jordan with his counterparts.
"The sides discussed the optimal ways to advance the final stages of the regional Prosperity Initiative," a release said. As per the plan, Israel will sell Jordan 200 million cubic meters of desalinated water annually in exchange for purchasing green electricity from a UAE-built solar field in Jordan.
Katz, slated to become foreign minister within the year, is the first Israeli minister to visit the UAE since the Netanyahu government came to power in December.
As per a revised memorandum of understanding inked by the three nations in the previous November at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, concrete advancements must be achieved by the upcoming COP28 conference scheduled for November in Dubai.
At COP28, Israel, the UAE, Jordan and the US are expected to sign a binding agreement. The release said the final details of that agreement were decided on at the meeting.
The MOU was based on a proposal by the NGO EcoPeace.
Who attended the meeting?
The meeting was attended by Katz, Prime Minister's Office Director-General Yossi Shelley, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Jordanian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Dr. Saleh A. Al-Kharabsheh, Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation Muhammad Jamil Musa Al-Najjar, Jordanian Minister of Environment Muawieh Khalid Radaideh and US Senior Advisor in the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate David Livingston.
Others present included Energy and Infrastructure Ministry Director General Kobi Blitstein, Energy and Infrastructure Ministry Deputy Director General Barak Naftali, Israeli Ambassador to the UAE Amir Shavit, Water Authority Director Yechezkel Lifshitz, Prosperity Agreements Project Director Brig.-Gen. (Ret.) Asher Ben-Lulu and Masdar CEO Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi.
The Environment and Climate Change portal is produced in cooperation with the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The Jerusalem Post maintains all editorial decisions related to the content.
