Trump envoy hails Israel-Palestinian water deal

(13 Jul 2017) US President Donald Trump's Mideast Envoy Jason Greenblatt announced that Israel and the Palestinians have reached a water agreement linked to a massive planned Red Sea-Dead Sea pipeline project. Greenblatt said at a news conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday that the US-mediated deal gives the parched Palestinian territories roughly a quarter of its annual water needs at a reduced rate. Israel will start to provide the West Bank and Gaza Strip with 32 million cubic metres (42 million cubic yards) of water per year in the immediate future. That water will eventually be supplied by a desalination plant linked to Red Sea-Dead Sea pipeline. The pipeline project is expected to be completed in four or five years. The US, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators hope the deal could be a platform for future negotiations. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...