You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Hebrew. (January 2023)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia.
Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article.
You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Hebrew Wikipedia article at [[:he:יחסי ירדן–ישראל]]; see its history for attribution.
You may also add the template {{Translated|he|יחסי ירדן–ישראל}} to the talk page.
Israel–Jordan relations are the diplomatic, economic and cultural relations between Israel and Jordan. The two countries share a land border, with three border crossings: Yitzhak Rabin/Wadi Araba Crossing, Jordan River Crossing and the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge Crossing, that connects the West Bank with Jordan. The relationship between the two countries is regulated by the Israel–Jordan peace treaty in 1994, which formally ended the state of war that had existed between the two countries since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, and also established diplomatic relations, besides other matters. Relations between the countries get strained from time to time, usually over tensions at the Al-Aqsa mosque.[1][2] On 8 October 2020, Israel and Jordan reached an agreement to allow flights to cross over both countries’ airspace.[3]
Jordan helped Israel by intercepting Iranian drones during the strikes in Israel on April 2024.[4][5]
King Hussein lighting Rabin's cigarette at his residence in Aqaba, 1994
History
1948–1994
Between 1948 and 1994, Jordan consistently followed an anti-Zionist policy, but made decisions pragmatically. Several factors are cited for this relative pragmatism, among these being the two countries' geographic proximity, King Hussein's Western orientation, and Jordan's modest territorial aspirations. Nevertheless, a state of war existed between the two countries from 1948 until the treaty was signed.
Memoirists and political analysts have identified a number of "back-channel" and at times clandestine communications between the two countries, often resulting in certain accommodations even during times of war.
Jordan was not a member of the United Nations when the vote on the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine was taken in November 1947, but following the establishment of the state of Israel on 14 May 1948, Jordan, then known as Transjordan, was one of the Arab League countries that invaded the former Palestinian Mandate territory precipitating the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. By war’s end, Jordan was in control of the West Bank and East Jerusalem (including the Old City). It expelled its Jewish population, and formally annexed the territories in 1950. After the Fedayeen attacks from Jordan decreased after Israel's victory in the 1956 Suez War, the tense relations between Israel and Jordan following the 1948 war eased.
In the 1967 Six-Day War, Jordan aligned itself with Nasser's Egypt despite an Israeli warning, and lost control of the West Bank and East Jerusalem to Israel, but did not relinquish its claim to the territory until 1988. Jordan significantly reduced its military participation in the Yom Kippur War in 1973 against Israel. Jordan and Israel signed the Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace in 1994, normalizing relations between the two countries.
In 1970, King Hussein waged the war of Black September against the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), eventually ejecting the organization and thousands of Palestinians, who threatened Hussein's rule. During Black September, Syrian troops invaded the kingdom, threatening to further destabilize the regime. In response, the Israeli Air Force made a series of overflights over the Syrian forces, prompting them to return to Syria.[6] The war against the PLO factions may have strengthened the connections between Israel and Jordan. Some[who?] claim that Mossad warned Hussein about a Palestinian assassination attempt and that Hussein warned Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in a clandestine face-to-face meeting about Egyptian and Syrian threats prior to the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Hussein's intention was to stay out of the war.
In 1987, Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres and King Hussein tried to secretly arrange a peace agreement in which Israel would concede the West Bank to Jordan. The two signed the "Peres–Hussein London Agreement", defining a framework for a Middle Eastern peace conference. The proposal was not consummated due to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir's objection. The following year Jordan abandoned its claim for the West Bank in favor of a peaceful resolution between Israel and the PLO.[7]
In 1994, Israel and Jordan negotiated a peace treaty, which was signed by Yitzhak Rabin, King Hussein and Bill Clinton in Washington, DC on 25 July 1994. The Washington Declaration says that Israel and Jordan ended the official state of enmity and would start negotiations to achieve an "end to bloodshed and sorrow" and a just and lasting peace.[8]
On 26 October 1994, Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty, normalizing relations between them and resolving territorial disputes, including water sharing.[9] The treaty adjusted land and water disputes, and provided for broad cooperation in tourism and trade. It also included a pledge that neither Jordan nor Israel would allow its territory to become a staging ground for military strikes by a third country. The treaty was closely linked to efforts to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Following the agreements, Israel and Jordan opened their borders. Several border-crossings were erected, allowing tourists, businessmen and workers to travel between the two countries.[10] Israeli tourists started to visit Jordan, and many foreign tourists would combine visits to both countries.
In 1996, the two countries signed a trade treaty. As part of the agreement, Israel assisted in establishing a modern medical center in Amman.
2010–present
In 2010, when the government of Jordan sought permission from international governments to produce nuclear fuel for use in Jordanian power plants, Israel objected, citing the unstable political nature of the Middle East. In light of the Israeli objection the request for United States approval was denied.[11]
In a meeting with the Centre for Israel & Jewish Affairs in Canada, Jordanian King Abdullah noted that Israel, which he recognizes as a vital regional ally, has been highly responsive to requests by Abdullah to resume direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.[12] Promoting peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is a major priority for Jordan. It supports U.S. efforts to mediate a final settlement, which it believes should be based on the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, proposed by Saudi Arabia.[13]
On 23 July 2017, the deputy director of security of the Israeli embassy in Amman shot two Jordanian men.[14] The Jordanian Public Security Directorate concluded that the Israeli guard was attacked by one of the men, a 17-year-old furniture repairman, and shot at both the repairman and the building’s Jordanian owner. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the furniture repairman had been wielding a screwdriver, a claim the father of the Jordanian youth denies. Both Jordanian men died and the Israeli guard was injured as a result of the incident.[15]
On 22 November 2019, King Abdullah described Jordan's relations with Israel as being "at an all-time low", mostly because of domestic political issues in Israel.[16]
In March 2021, Jordan delayed approval of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's flight over the country on the way to the United Arab Emirates. Israel accused Jordan of doing this deliberately as a response to a dispute over Israeli entry permits for Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah's security detail for a trip to the Al-Aqsa mosque. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi accused Israel of breaching agreed terms of the trip to Al-Aqsa and accused Netanyahu of "toying with the region and its peoples’ right to live in peace for the sake of electoral and populist concerns" and "destroying the trust which is the basis for ending the conflict".[17]
In April 2021, Jordan condemned Israel for raiding the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and silencing the minaret's loudspeaker.[18] However, on 8 July of that year, reports surfaced that Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with King Abdullah in what was said to be a "very positive" atmosphere. The report, leaked by an anonymous former Israeli official, said that Bennett and King Abdullah agreed to open a "new page" in relations, after the strained relations of the past years. More specifically, it said that Israel agreed to double the amount of water they sold to Jordan. Bennett's office declined to comment on the report.[19]
In early September 2021, King Abdullah and Israeli president Isaac Herzog discussed sustainability, climate crisis, and energy in an unannounced meeting.[20] On 5 January 2022, Abdullah met with Israeli Minister of DefenseBenny Gantz in Amman.[21] They discussed regional stability and bilateral ties.[22] Abdullah stated "the need to maintain calm in the Palestinian territories"[23] and called for a two-state solution as a "comprehensive and just solution" of the conflict.[22] It was the first public hosting of an Israeli official by Abdullah in more than four years. According to observers, it was part of a reset of bilateral relations between Jordan and Israel.[24] On 30 March 2022, King Abdullah met with Israeli president Isaac Herzog in Amman.[25] They discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and bilateral relations.[26] It was the first official visit of an Israeli president to Jordan.[27]
In an interview with CNN in December 2022, after the inauguration of the new Israeli government,[28] King Abdullah warned Israel not to change the status of the Muslim and Christian holy sites and stated "If people [Israeli government] want to get into a conflict with us, we're quite prepared".[29][30]
In April 2023, Jordanian MP Imad Al-Adwan was arrested by Israeli authorities after trying to smuggle weapons and gold into the West Bank.[31]
2023 Israel-Hamas war
In October 2023, during the Israel–Hamas war, King Abdullah condemned Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip and the "collective punishment" of Palestinians in Gaza.[32] On 1 November 2023, Jordan recalled its ambassador to Israel, accusing the country of creating an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe” and “killing innocent people in Gaza”.[33] Jordan also declared that Israel's ambassador, who had departed Amman following Hamas' attack, would not be permitted to return.[34][35]
In November 2023, Bisher al Khasawneh, the prime minister of Jordan, said that Jordan was considering all available options in its response to the Israeli aggression on Gaza and its subsequent consequences.[36][37] Khasawneh argued that Israel's blockade of the heavily-populated Gaza Strip could not be justified as self-defense, and criticised the indiscriminate Israeli assault, which had included safe zones and ambulances in its targets.[38][39] Jordanian residents (including the approximately 2 million Palestinian refugees and others with Palestinian roots) have staged protests against Israel's actions in Gaza, which adds pressure to the government to take action on the issue.[40] There is also evidence that there is more sympathy with Hamas among Jordanians in recent years.[41] However, Jordan's Western allies view the kingdom as a potentially vital mediator, should Israel and Hamas agree to negotiate. King Abdullah has been taking part in diplomatic meetings in Europe, aiming to secure safe passage of humanitarian aid; however, the government is also grappling with domestic problems such as inflation, unemployment, and trafficking of arms and drugs through Jordan to the West Bank. The king and Queen Rania have criticised Israel's action in Gaza, and called for a ceasefire. Queen Rania, whose family is Palestinian with roots in the West Bank town of Nablus, called on Western leaders to denounce Israel's attacks on Palestinian civilians in an interview aired on CNN in the U.S. There are fears of a huge influx of refugees into Jordan as a result of the Israel-Hamas War.[40]
Jordan has also benefited economically from the peace treaty. As a result of the treaty, Qualified Industrial Zones were developed in Jordan. In these zones, companies that use a percentage of Israeli inputs can export duty-free to the United States. As of 2010, the zones have generated 36,000 jobs, and have become the strongest engine for Jordan's economic growth. The opposition Muslim Brotherhood movement has asked the government to shut them down, but the government maintains that the zones provide jobs for thousands of Jordanians.[42][43]
Israel has facilitated Jordanian trade with Iraq and Turkey since 2013 by allowing goods to be transported by truck via the Jordan River Crossing near Beit She'an. The goods are taken to Haifa Port and shipped from there to Iraq and Turkey.[44] Previously this trade passed overland through Syria but has been disrupted by the Syrian Civil War.
According to a 2016 agreement valued at US$10billion, Israel will supply Jordan with 45billion cubic meters (BCM) of natural gas over 15 years. The gas will be supplied by a new pipeline scheduled for completion by 2020 that will stretch from the Israel–Jordan border to the Arab Gas Pipeline near Mafraq.[45] The Jordanian government maintains that procuring gas from Israel will save Jordan JD700million per year in energy costs.[46] The pipeline started its initial 3-month operation on 31 December 2019, despite heated protests by opposition groups. Local campaign coordinators against the deal criticised the high costs when the country is already receiving cheap liquified gas through a port in Aqaba, as well as additional electricity produced by solar power plants.[47]
In November 2021, Jordan and Israel signed an agreement brokered by the United Arab Emirates by which a UAE company will build a solar power plant in Jordan from which Israel will buy electricity in exchange for water from an Israeli desalination plant.[48][49]
The foreign relations of Jordan have been consistently a pro-Western foreign policy.
The history of the State of Palestine describes the creation and evolution of the State of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. During the British mandate period, numerous plans of partition of Palestine were proposed but without the agreement of all parties. In 1947, the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine was voted for. The leaders of the Jewish Agency for Palestine accepted parts of the plan, while Arab leaders refused it. This triggered the 1947–1949 Palestine war and led, in 1948, to the establishment of the state of Israel on a part of Mandate Palestine as the Mandate came to an end.
Hussein bin Talal was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Hussein was a 40th-generation direct descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of the Hashemite dynasty, who have been the reigning royal family of Jordan since 1921, and is considered a 41st-generation direct descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
AbdullahI bin Al-Hussein was the ruler of Jordan from 11 April 1921 until his assassination in 1951. He was the Emir of Transjordan, a British protectorate, until 25 May 1946, after which he was king of an independent Jordan. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Abdullah was a 38th-generation direct descendant of Muhammad.
The Israel–Jordan peace treaty, sometimes referred to as the Wadi Araba Treaty, is an agreement that ended the state of war that had existed between the two countries since the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and established mutual diplomatic relations. In addition to establishing peace between the two countries, the treaty also settled land and water disputes, provided for broad cooperation in tourism and trade, and obligated both countries to prevent their territory being used as a staging ground for military strikes by a third country.
Efraim Halevy is an Israeli intelligence expert and diplomat. He was the 9th director of the Mossad and the 3rd head of the Israeli National Security Council.
Jordan–Syria relations are bilateral relations between the sovereign states of Jordan and Syria. Relations between neighbours have ancient roots as both countries are historically parts of the Levant or the region of Syria. The two states were created after the First World War from former Ottoman dominions by way of a secret bilateral agreement between Britain and France.
The Arab–Israeli conflict is the phenomenon involving political tension, military conflicts, and other disputes between various Arab countries and Israel, which escalated during the 20th century. The roots of the Arab–Israeli conflict have been attributed to the support by Arab League member countries for the Palestinians, a fellow League member, in the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict; this in turn has been attributed to the simultaneous rise of Zionism and Arab nationalism towards the end of the 19th century, though the two national movements had not clashed until the 1920s.
Jordan has been a very close ally of the United States for decades, dating back to the establishment of bilateral relations between the two countries in 1949. The country was named a major non-NATO ally of the U.S. in 1996.
There are no diplomatic relations that exist between Israel and Yemen and relations between the two countries are very tense. Yemen refuses the admission of people with an Israeli passport or any passport with an Israeli stamp, and the country is defined as an "enemy state" by Israeli law. During the Israel–Hamas war, the Houthi movement in Yemen launched a missile and drone striking campaign against Israel and ships in the Red Sea.
Egypt–Palestine relations are the bilateral relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Palestine. Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser was a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause and he favored self-determination for the Palestinians. Although the Egyptian government has maintained a good relationship with Israel since the Camp David Accords, most Egyptians strongly resent Israel, and disapprove of the close relationship between the Israeli and Egyptian governments.
A cold peace is a state of relative peace between two countries that is marked by the enforcement of a peace treaty ending the state of war while the government or populace of at least one of the parties to the treaty continues to treat the treaty with vocal disgust domestically.
Khaled Mashal is a Palestinian politician who served as chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from 1996 until May 2017, where he was succeeded by Ismail Haniyeh. He was regarded as one of the most prominent leaders of Hamas since the death of Ahmed Yassin, alongside Ismail Haniyeh.
Egypt–Jordan relations refers to the bilateral relations between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Arab Republic of Egypt. Since independence, the two nations have maintained good relations. Both countries are members of the Arab League, GAFTA, the World Trade Organization, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Council of Arab Economic Unity and the United Nations. The relationship has been quite stable with some uncertainties occurring in the 1960s and 1970s. There is a sizeable Egyptian population living in Jordan of 636,000 which is one of the largest host of the Egyptian diaspora. There are approximately 12,000 Jordanians living in Egypt.
Hashemite custodianship refers to the Jordanian royal family's role in tending Muslim and Christian holy sites in the city of Jerusalem. The legacy traces back to 1924 when the Supreme Muslim Council, the highest Muslim body in charge of Muslim community affairs in Mandatory Palestine, chose Hussein bin Ali as custodian of Al-Aqsa. The custodianship became a Hashemite legacy administered by consecutive Jordanian kings.
Jordan–Palestine relations are strong, historical, bilateral relations.
Jordan–United Kingdom relations, or Anglo-Jordanian relations, refers to the relationship between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The Abraham Accords are bilateral agreements on Arab–Israeli normalization signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and Bahrain on September 15, 2020. Mediated by the United States, the announcement of August 13, 2020, concerned Israel and the UAE before the subsequent announcement of an agreement between Israel and Bahrain on September 11, 2020. On September 15, 2020, the signing of the agreements was hosted by US president Trump on the Truman Balcony of the White House amid elaborate staging intended to evoke the signings of historic formal peace treaties in prior administrations.
Since the 1970s, there has been a parallel effort made to find terms upon which peace can be agreed to in the Arab–Israeli conflict and also specifically the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Over the years, numerous Arab League countries have signed peace and normalization treaties with Israel, beginning with the Egypt–Israel peace treaty (1979). Despite the failure to implement the Israeli–Lebanese peace accords (1983), more treaties continued with the Israeli–Palestinian peace process (1991–present), the Israel–Jordan peace treaty (1994), the Abraham Accords normalizing relations between Israel–United Arab Emirates and Israel–Bahrain (2020), the Israel–Sudan normalization agreement (2020) and the Israel–Morocco normalization agreement (2020). Moreover, numerous Arab League members established semi-official relations with Israel.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
