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The Jordanian king made the announcement during a speech he delivered to Jordan's new cabinet on Sunday.From Sputnik:
Baqoura, also known Naharayim, is an area of six square kilometers in Jordan's northern Irbid Province, situated south of the Lake Kinneret and to the north of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. Ghumar, also known as Zofar, is another area that covers four square kilometers in the southern Aqaba Province and is located south of the Dead Sea.
According to the treaty inked by Jordan and the Israeli regime on October 26, 1994, the two pockets of land were leased to Israel for a 25-year renewable period, and the lease was automatically renewable except if one side gave a year's notice to terminate the deal.
"We have informed Israel [that we are putting] an end to the application of the peace treaty annexes regarding Baqoura and Ghumar," he said at the time, adding that Tel Aviv was "informed" regarding Amman's decision. The two areas "are Jordanian land and will remain" part of the Arab country, the king said.
Israel had controlled the two regions for over 70 years.
Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman al-Safady is expected to hold a press conference on the end of the lease on Monday.
Israel and Jordan have maintained diplomatic relations since they signed the 1994 treaty. However, many Jordanians strongly oppose ties with Tel Aviv.
Israeli Army Contradicts Jordan's King on Enclave Lands, Says Lease Extended
The Israeli military contradicted on Sunday Amman's announcement that a Jordanian enclave allowed to be used by Israeli farmers will be returned to Jordanian jurisdiction, saying the lease agreement has been extended until next April, although with new restrictions.
"In continuation of the deliberation on the diplomatic arrangements in the Tzofar enclave, security forces are protecting the area and working together with the community," the Israel Defence Forces said in a press statement cited by the Times of Israel, using the Hebrew name for the territory of Ghamr.
"The farmers' work in the enclave is continuing subject to agreements and coordination," the IDF statement added.
The military did not elaborate on the terms and conditions of the lease agreement extension.
"The Israeli foreign ministry later tweeted Tel Aviv's "regret" over Jordan's "decision to terminate the annexes" to the peace treaty, but added that "the Government of Jordan will continue to respect private ownership rights in Naharayim [Baqoura]," and that Jordan will "allow Israeli farmers to harvest the crops that were planted before the annex expired" in Tzofar (Ghamr). "
Jordan has yet to make a statement on any possible agreement.
Earlier, media reported that Israel was preparing to return the two parcels of agricultural land south of the Dead Sea, after negotiations between Tel Aviv and Amman failed to achieve a breakthrough. Amman had first announced its intention to take the land back in October 2018.
AFP reported earlier Sunday that Israeli farmers were barred from entering the Jordanian border enclaves as King Abdullah II announced "full sovereignty" over the territories.
In September, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to annex the Jordan Valley, which comprises almost one-third of the territory of the West Bank, if re-elected.
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