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Israel and Jordan have announced they are advancing plans for a new joint industrial park across their shared border, making it easier for Israelis and Jordanians to cross both sides and work on joint projects.
The industrial park has been dubbed the “Jordan Gateway” and will use an existing bridge to connect the two countries. The plan has been approved by the Israeli cabinet only days after Prime Minister Lapid met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman.
Lapid said: “Twenty-eight years after we made peace with Jordan, we are taking the good neighbourliness between the two countries one step further. This is a breakthrough that will greatly contribute to the development and strengthening of the region”.
The original plan for the industrial park was proposed in the 1994 Israeli Jordanian-peace talks, but the Israeli cabinet have only now agreed to advance its construction. The zone will fall under the purview of the Israeli Transport Minister and similarly to Taba land crossing with Egypt, it will be run by the Israeli Airports Authority.
