Progress of the Shimon Peres Regional Peace Plan

Peres' vision was that Israel becomes the supplier of water and energy to the surrounding countries, our enemies, creating a closeknit economic network that would make war against us not only prohibitive but suicidal. The Dead-Med project was to be start of this network, but failed to advance, mostly because Jordan's opposition to openly cooperate with Israel. However, Jordan is silently accepting free water from the Kinneret, feeding its capital Amman. It is faithfully guarding the common border, and fighting anti-Israel terrorism.

The coming large water supply project is the Soreq 2 desalination plant, producing 200 million cubic meters of drinking water. As with former desalination projects, this one is also managed by the Ministry of Treasure - the Otzar -, specifically by Itzig Marmelstein (pic), a young economist. As before, the role of the Water Authority is marginal. The project has to solve the difficult dilemma that the best, maybe the only feasible, proposal is Chinese, and Pompeo will punish us if we decide for the Chinese option.

We do not need additional water, we have nowhere to store it. Therefore, I assume that it is another go towards the realization of Peres' vision. The water supply situation in Jordan is catastrophic and worsening, and will have to rely on Israel. Amman is supplied water once a week, smaller cities once every two weeks. Water demand is growing (last decade it added one million Syrian refugees and the population is exploding) and much of the sources are fossil, non-replenished aquifers. Jordan is vocally against buying natural gas from Israel, yet somehow we managed to sell some to them.

Jordan's political situation is similar to Gaza, all the infrastructure investments are foreign donations. Jordanians can demonstrate and throw stones at the border fence, and can imitate Orwell's 1984 holding daily "Hate Israel" meetings, they can cry and protest life's injustice, but one day with on-off supply of electricity and water is sufficient to remind them who is who.