Israel and the Palestinians said Thursday they reached a water-sharing deal to bring relief to parched Palestinian communities, a modest but promising breakthrough announced during the latest visit by the U.S. Mideast envoy.
"Water is a precious commodity in the Middle East.
He said Israel would sell up to 33 million cubic meters (8.7 billion gallons) of water to the Palestinians annually at a reduced rate.
A third of the water will be delivered to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Israel, the Palestinians and Jordan are discussing a number of potential water projects, including the construction of a desalination plant in Aqaba, Jordan, to serve residents of both sides of the border.
"All of us in this room proved last night that water can serve as a means for reconciliation, for prosperity, for cooperation, rather than be a cause for tension and dispute," Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi said.
President Donald Trump has tasked Greenblatt with kick-starting long-moribund peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Israeli and Palestinian officials signed an agreement Monday to provide additional electricity to Palestinian residents of the northern West Bank.
Thursday’s announcement followed a preliminary agreement signed by Israel, the Palestinians and Jordan in 2013 to build a pipeline to channel water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea and help address water scarcity in the region.
The plan calls for the construction of a 180-kilometer (111-mile) channel, along with hydroelectric and desalination plants in Jordan, with joint Israeli-Jordanian administration and financing.