Israel says it will establish joint industrial zone with Jordan

By Zain Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israel said Sunday it will accelerate the establishment of a joint industrial zone with Jordan.

“This is an initiative that will increase employment to both countries, will advance our economic and diplomatic relations, and will enhance the peace and friendship between our two countries,” Prime Minister Yair Lapid told a Cabinet meeting.

Lapid said the joint industrial zone will allow Israeli and Jordanian businessmen “to communicate directly.”

“It will create joint initiatives in trade, technology, and local industry,” he added.

Details of the joint industrial zone were finalized during Lapid’s visit last week to Jordan and his talks with King Abdullah II.

The idea of a joint industrial zone was first raised in peace talks between Israel and Jordan in 1994.

“Twenty-eight years after making peace with Jordan, we are taking our good neighborly relations another step forward," Lapid said. "This is a breakthrough that will greatly contribute to developing and strengthening the area.”

There was no comment from the Jordanian government on Lapid’s statements.

Jordan normalized relations with Israel in 1994, becoming the second Arab country to establish diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv after Egypt in 1979.

In 2020, four Arab countries – the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco – signed US-sponsored agreements to normalize relations with Israel, in what Palestinians considered a “stab in the back”.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar