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25 Years Down the Road: Jordanian-Israeli Relations
Abstract
In October 2018 King Abdullah II declared that he would not renew a clause in the Jordanian-Israeli peace agreement of 1994 which allows Israeli farmers in two localities to cultivate land returned to Jordanian sovereignty. The King’s declaration was enthusiastically hailed by Jordanian public opinion and was accepted with dismay and indignation in Israel. It came after two years characterized by strained relations between the two countries including a severe crisis during which the Israeli embassy in Amman was closed for six months. This paper will show that in spite of the dramatic Jordanian move peace between the countries is strong. Both attach great value to their ties with one another; indeed one can speak of a Jordanian-Israeli strategic alliance. Recent years have seen close cooperation on issues such as ISIS, the war in Syria and the Iranian and Russian presence in that country, and the Palestinian question. Moreover, Israel plays a crucial role in Jordan’s stability by supplying it with water and gas. Nonetheless, the King’s decision not to renew the special arrangement stipulated by the treaty has an important symbolic meaning. It was this clause that testified most clearly to the good will that guided the two parties when they made peace in 1994. If Jordan does not reverse its decision before the King’s declaration comes into effect, 25-year-old hopes of building a warm peace and building closer relations between the two peoples will finally give way to sheer strategic interests, indispensable as they are. In this respect, the relations between the two countries are far cry from the ones envisioned by their late architects, King Hussein and Prime Minister Rabin. It is doubtful therefore that when Israel and Jordan mark the 25th anniversary of the peace treaty in October 2019 the event will be a joyous one; it is unlikely to be accompanied with much celebration.
Discipline
History
Geographic Area
Jordan
Sub Area
19th-21st Centuries