Representatives of Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority are ready to sign an historic agreement that will link the Red Sea to the Dead Sea by a pipeline.
The project, known as the Two Seas Canal, will carry 100 million cubic meters of water a year from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, helping to slow the desiccation of the Dead Sea.
The project will include a seawater desalination plant in Aqaba, the fresh water from which the parties will share. ,
"This is a historic measure, a breakthrough which realizes a dream of many years. It is nothing less than a historic move. We have here politically important strategic cooperation between that Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority," Israeli Minister of Energy and Water Resources Silvan Shalom said as he announced the signing of the agreement on Monday at the World Bank in Washington.
Silvan will sign the agreement with the Palestinian Authority's minister in charge of water issues, Shaddad Attili, and Jordanian Water Minister Hazem Nasse.
He particularly noted the economic aspects of obtaining cheap water, the environmental aspect of "saving the Dead Sea," and diplomatic aspects of signing a deal as peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority appear to make no progress.
Under the agreement, water will be drawn from the Gulf of Aqaba off of Eilat in Israel's south. Some will be desalinated and distributed to Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians, while the rest will be transferred in four pipes to the Dead Sea.
Estimates say the Dead Sea is on pace to dry out by 2050. The surface of the Dead Sea lies some 427 meters (1,400 feet) below sea level, and water would naturally flow to it from the Red Sea.
Shalom said that following the signing, "an international tender will be issued for the entire project -- building the desalination plant in Aqaba and laying the first of the four pipes." Within a year, international tenders will be published for the construction of the pipeline in Jordanian territory along the Arava valley.
The project will be completed in four to five years, the report said. The Red Sea-Dead Sea canal is expected to cost $250-$400 million (180-290 million euros, to be raised from donor countries and philanthropic sources as well as a cash injection from the World Bank.