Israel to construct joint industrial zone with Jordan

Israel said Sunday it has issued a tender for the construction of a new bridge over the Jordan River, connecting Israel and Jordan, as part of a project to establish a joint industrial zone.

The so-called "Jordan Gate" project is planned to include two industrial and employment parks on each bank of the Jordan River and a bridge that will connect them.

The tender was issued through the Valley of Springs Regional Council in northern Israel, on whose land 245 dunams (24.5 hectares) of the project's 700 dunams (70 hectares) will be built.

Deputy Minister of Regional Cooperation Ayoub Kara welcomed the release of the tender, saying he hopes that the project "will greatly contribute to improving bilateral relations" and "bring about a better future for the peoples of the region."

His ministry added that the government allocated 55 million shekels (about 14 million US dollars) for the construction of the bridge, but gave no timetable for the beginning of the works.

The issuance of the tender followed a final approval for the building of the bridge, which was made during a recent meeting of the Israel-Jordan Committee for Security and Transportation.

"Jordan Gate" would be the first joint infrastructure project between Israel and Jordan, neighboring countries that signed a peace treaty in 1994.

Israeli and Jordanian factories will be built on the Jordanian side, while the Israeli facility will serve as a logistics base and an area for the transfer of goods to ports in Israel, the Ministry of Regional Cooperation said in a statement.

"The establishment of the industrial zone is intended to deepen economic and trade relations between Jordan and Israel as well as regional cooperation and stability," the statement read, adding that the industrial zone will expand employment opportunities for residents of the region.

• Officials previously said that the park would enable Israeli industrialists to employ workers under the Jordanian law, which allows a significantly lower minimum wage.

The move came amidst a bloody wave of violence in the West Bank and Israel, sparked by increased Israeli visits to the al-Aqsa mosque compound, a holy site located in a land Israel has occupied from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast War.

Relations between Israel and Jordan, which is the custodian of the site, have soured last month over violent clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli police in and around the compound.

The site is holy to both Muslims and Jews, who know it as the Temple Mount.

Two weeks ago, US Secretary of State John Kerry announced joint steps to restore calm at the site after he met with Jordan's King Abdullah and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Following the announcement, Israel eased restrictions on Palestinian access to the compound and tensions at the site have largely subsided.
  Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
8/11/15
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