An Israeli official said on Monday that the Red-Dead Canal, a project to bring water from the Red Sea to the evaporating Dead Sea, could benefit the entire Middle East.
The remarks were made by Israeli Minister of Infrastructure Binyamin Ben-Eliezer on the sidelines of the Euro-Med Ministerial Conference on Water, which kicked off on Monday at the Dead Sea shores, Jordan.
Jordan may benefit the most, ensuring the survival of the Dead Sea "would serve the nations" of the region, he said, highlighting the need for the canal and the linked construction of a desalination plant.
According to Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation Raed Abdul Saud, water deficit in Jordan exceeds 500 million cubic meters.
The water project is expected to provide Jordan with 500 million cubic meters of water annually, and pump water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, which expert said has been retreating at the rate of a meter a year.
A feasibility study is undergone by the World Bank on the scheme.
The water conference was originally slated for October 28th at the Dead Sea, but it was delayed twice before a new date was set in coordination between Jordan and Union for the Mediterranean.