Abbas Going Head-to-Head against Israel to Develop Jordan Valley

The Palestinian Authority cabinet decided Tuesday to try to beat Israel at its own game and to pump money into developing the Jordan Valley, which has become the centerpiece of the latest obstacle to  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s nine-month talks aimed at a final agreement between Jerusalem and Ramallah.

The cabinet met in the village of Tubas, which overlooks the Jordan Valley, and decided to pump more than $4 million for new projects and for opening roads, the official Palestinian Authority WAFA website reported.

That probably means the European Union will cough up more money to help the Palestinian Authority lay claim to the Jordan Valley as it has done in the southern Hevron Hills, the Judean Desert and in some parts of Samaria.

“Some of the projects include developing alternative energy, purchase of tractors, tillage of agricultural lands, establishing a mobile veterinary unit and backing up the district’s main hospital,” according to WAFA.

Israeli Knesset Member Miri Regev of the Likud last introduced legislation that would annex the Jordan Valley.