Lower House Tuesday session to focus on gas deal with Israel — Tarawneh

AMMAN — Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh on Sunday said MPs are unaware of the details of the Israeli gas import agreement, adding that the public has the right to know all particulars of the planned deal. 

Tarawneh said the House will hold a general session on Tuesday to discuss the issue, and MPs will take the appropriate decision once fully aware of all the circumstances surrounding the “speculated” agreement, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

“As representatives of the people, we have to deal with the planned gas imports with complete transparency,” he said, citing the sensitivity of the issue to citizens.

Last week, 78 deputies submitted a memorandum, requesting a general session to discuss the proposed agreement between the state-owned National Electric Power Company and US-based Noble Energy to buy natural gas from Israel.

In September, the government said NEPCO is expected to buy 250-300 million cubic feet of natural gas per day from Noble Energy.

During a meeting at the Professional Associations Complex (PAC) on Sunday, Jamal Gammoh, head of the Lower House Energy Committee, voiced concern over the planned gas imports from Israel, noting that the Israeli press published news items saying that Jordan will import gas worth $15 billion from Israel over a 15-year period.

In a PAC statement sent to The Jordan Times, Gammoh criticised the government’s move, noting that it comes at a time when Israel is threatening Jordan with its “substitute homeland” scheme, in addition to its assaults on Jerusalem’s holy sites and aspired status as a “Jewish state”.

Jordanian Engineers Association member Badi Rafayah described the deal as “challenging” citizens’ sentiments, noting that importing gas from Israel means imposing normalisation on all Jordanians, the statement said.