The Jordanian government expressed interest in an Israeli plan to connect the Mediterranean with the Dead Sea by an inland canal, Yediot Achronot reported yesterday. The plan calls for the digging of a canal from Haifa, through the Volley of Jezreel, to the town of Beisan all the way down to the Dead Sea.
More details on the Jordanian reaction to the plan were presented Tuesday, according to the paper, before a Knesset committee by Shlomo Gur, director of the team which is planning the project. The committee is a joint body to the Knesset Security and Foreign Affairs Committee, the Finance Committee and the Economic Committee.
According to the plan, the part of the canal between Haifa and Beisan will allow for navigation It will then link up with the Jordan River, all the way down to the Dead Sea. By taking advantage of the differences in the elevations between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea, a number of power stations can be built along the Jordan River which will allow for cheaper electricity.
Also, according to the plan, a harbor will be built in Beisan which could serve Jordan as well. Under the present situation Jordan has only one water outlet — the port of Aqaba on the Red Sea. The Beisan port would give the Jordanians access to the Mediterranean.
The plan was raised in the Knesset by former Foreign Minister Yigal Allon. The committee heard a comprehensive report Tuesday on the economic advantages of the program. Dr. Zvi Arad, of Tel Aviv University, said there was no doubt that such a project would be economically feasible for Israel.
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.
