Amid BDS protest, Jordanian parliament holds decisive discussion on Israeli gas deal

The discussion will take place after PM Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Sunday Jordan has canceled its decision to import gas from Israel.

By MAAYAN GROISMAN
Updated: FEBRUARY 16, 2016 16:48
Israel Navy missile ship patrols near Tamar gas field‏ (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Israel Navy missile ship patrols near Tamar gas field‏
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
The Jordanian parliament is expected to hold a decisive discussion on a natural gas import deal with Israel Tuesday afternoon with the participation of Jordanian BDS activists.
The Jordanian BDS movement has exerted massive pressure on the members of parliament that will participate in the discussion to convince them to oppose the gas deal. Thirty-two Jordanian MPs have already announced they will vote against the deal.
The invitation to attend the discussion, which was spread by the BDS movement on social networks, called on Jordanians to "join us in the parliamentary discussion about the planned gas deal with the Zionist entity tomorrow at 15:30. Your participation will strengthen our resolve and the decisiveness of the MPs opposing the deal."
The discussion will take place after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Sunday in his affidavit to the High Court of Justice to defend his natural gas policy that Jordan has canceled its decision to import gas from Israel.
However, Netanyahu's remarks are not viewed as reliable by Jordanian BDS activists since they came after a secret meeting held between senior Jordanian officials and representatives of Noble Energy a few weeks ago.
The general coordinator of the national campaign for the cancelation of the Israeli gas import deal, Dr. Hisham Bustani, told the Jordanian newspaper al-Ghad on Tuesday that "we are still waiting for the Jordanian government to confirm Netanyahu's declaration."
According to Bustani, "If Jordan has indeed canceled the gas deal with Israel, it is an important step that assures Jordan's security and puts an end to the financing of Zionist terrorism from citizens' pockets."