Arab member states of the Board for Exploitation of the Jordan River have started work to divert the river and its tributaries, in an effort to counter Israel’s tap of the river for its Negev irrigation project, it was reported here today from Damascus.
Subhi Kahale, executive director of the board, announced the beginning of the diversion efforts and said they would last for two years. He said the board had many plans for the diversion of which some were under study and others underway.
Israel’s huge irrigation project, which taps the Jordan River through Lake Tiberias, went into full operation last June. Israel has warned the Arab countries that it would regard implementation of the diversion threats as an aggressive act.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
