King Abdullah II of Jordan, which will receive $15 billion worth of natural gas from Israel over the next 15 years. Photo: The World Economic Forum via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Israel has signed a memorandum of understanding with Jordan that will make the Jewish state Jordan’s chief natural gas supplier.

Although a final agreement still needs to be approved by Israeli Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom, Israel has informally agreed to supply the Hashemite Kingdom with $15 billion worth of natural gas over the next 15 years from its Leviathan offshore gas field. Shalom is expected to approve the deal.

Among those present in Jordan at the negotiations over the deal were Amos Hochstein, the State Department’s special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs, and representatives of Leviathan field partners Delek Group (based in Israel) and Noble Energy (based on Houston), Globes reported.

In February, Israel signed a deal to supply Jordan with $500 million worth of gas from its Tamar offshore field.

The new deal is “a historic act that will strengthen the economic and diplomatic ties between Israel and Jordan,” Shalom said in a statement.

“At this time, Israel is becoming an energy superpower, which will supply the energy needs of its neighbors and strengthen its standing as a central source of energy supply in the region, and I welcome it,” he said.