Jordan Valley, An Agricultural Plain With Key Resources

The Jewish settlement of Mechola in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank stands with Jordanian villages east of the Jordan River in the background. AFP
The Jewish settlement of Mechola in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank stands with Jordanian villages east of the Jordan River in the background. AFP
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Jordan Valley, An Agricultural Plain With Key Resources

The Jewish settlement of Mechola in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank stands with Jordanian villages east of the Jordan River in the background. AFP
The Jewish settlement of Mechola in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank stands with Jordanian villages east of the Jordan River in the background. AFP

The Jordan Valley makes up nearly a third of the occupied West Bank and is in Israel's sights to annex as it considers control of the plain, which sits between two desert mountain ranges, essential for its security.

If Israel presses ahead with annexation, the valley will mark the country's western border with Jordan, AFP reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in January described it as "vital" to Israel, vowing his government would "apply sovereignty" to the area.

For the Palestinians, such a step would destroy "all chances of peace".

The valley is home to some 65,000 Palestinians, including around 20,000 Jericho residents, according to Israeli anti-occupation organisation B'Tselem.

Israeli settlements are viewed as illegal under international law, but Washington broke with this consensus in November and said it should be up to Israeli courts to decide on their legality.

The majority of the Jordan Valley is already administered by Israel, as it forms part of the West Bank's "Area C" as outlined in the Oslo peace accords of the 1990s.

Area C covers around 60 percent of the West Bank, while Area B, which accounts for roughly 22 percent, is under Palestinian civil rule but Israeli security control.

The remaining Area A, which covers the eight major towns and cities including Jericho, is under full Palestinian control.

Lying south of Lake Tiberias and to the north of the Dead Sea, the Jordan Valley is also strategic for its agricultural land and water resources in the arid region.

But 85 percent of the valley is inaccessible to Palestinians, according to B'Tselem, while 56 percent is designated for military use.

According to AFP, Israel frequently demolishes Palestinian property built in Area C without Israeli permits, which are extremely hard to obtain.

The Jordan Valley accounts for the highest number of such demolitions in the West Bank, with some 2,400 structures levelled since 2009, according to European Union figures.



Lebanon's PM Says Country to Begin Disarming South Litani to Ensure State Presence

President Joseph Aoun met with PM Najib Mikati at Baabda palace. (NNA)
President Joseph Aoun met with PM Najib Mikati at Baabda palace. (NNA)
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Lebanon's PM Says Country to Begin Disarming South Litani to Ensure State Presence

President Joseph Aoun met with PM Najib Mikati at Baabda palace. (NNA)
President Joseph Aoun met with PM Najib Mikati at Baabda palace. (NNA)

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Friday that the state will begin disarming southern Lebanon, particularly the south Litani region, to establish its presence across the country.
"We are in a new phase - in this new phase, we will start with south Lebanon and south Litani specifically in order to pull weapons so that the state can be present across Lebanese territory," Mikati said.

Mikati's remarks followed a meeting with newly elected President Joseph Aoun at the Baabda Presidential Palace. Aoun was elected as the country's new head of state by parliament on Thursday, ending a vacancy in the presidency that had persisted for over two years.

In his address to parliament, Aoun pledged to control weapons outside the state's control, saying the government is the sole entity authorized to possess and use military force and weapons.
A ceasefire agreement that ended the 13-month-conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in November has given the Lebanese party 60 days to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon, while Israeli forces are also required to withdraw from the area over the same period.
The ceasefire agreement says Israeli forces will move south of the Blue Line “in a phased manner” within 60 days. The Lebanese army’s troops will deploy “in parallel” to the positions.