Netanyahu criticises Jordan water deal, says Israel gets 'nothing in return'

Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday criticised his successor Naftali Bennett for recently striking a deal that would see Israel give Jordan more water, "without anything in return."

"Precisely in these days, while Jordan is strengthening its relations with Iran, Bennett today doubled the amount of water transferred by Israel to Jordan, without obtaining any political return to Israel," the scandal-stricken former premier said in a tweet.

Israel and Jordan - who signed a peace treaty in 1994 - agreed earlier this year that the Jewish state would sell Amman 50 million cubic metres of water, doubling what it already supplies.

The additional water will come from the Sea of Galilee.

Jordan is one of the world's most water-deficient countries, and while Israel is also hot and dry, desalination technology has opened opportunities for selling freshwater.

The water deal comes after bilateral relations had cooled under Netanyahu. Bennett, who took over in June, has made strengthening ties with Amman a priority.