Jordan vs. Israel

1949 - 1994

Core issue: Non-recognition of Israel as an independent state by Jordan

Type of conflict ending: Peaceful thawing

The frozen conflict between Jordan and Israel began in 1949, after the end of the Arab-Israeli War. Jordan participated in the war Israel's independence in 1948, alongside Syria, Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon. After the Israeli victory, an armistice agreement was signed between Jordan and Israel on April 3, 1949, including the demarcation of borders. Since then, the territorial disputes over East Jerusalem and the West Bank have remained at the core of the conflict.

Jordan annexed the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1950. In 1956, Jordan offered Egypt to open a new front against Israel, but this, eventually, did not materialize. In 1967, Jordan and Egypt signed a mutual defense treaty against Israel. Armed clashes between Jordan and Israel resumed in 1967, when Jordan joined other Arab countries and invaded Israel. The results of the Six-Day War were disastrous for Jordan as Israel conquered East Jerusalem and West Bank. The West Bank constituted the economic center of Jordan and its loss was substantial for the kingdom. A further consequence was also the major migration of refugees to Jordanian territory. A ceasefire agreement was eventually signed. Even though Jordan, during peace talks, offered to recognize Israel's sovereignty in exchange for the West Bank, Israel refused. Jordan and Israel initially accepted United Nations Resolution 242 with its main provision to return the occupied territories alongside no further militarized violence, however Israel refused to implement the territorial hand-over.

After Jordan lost control of the West Bank to Israel in 1967, Palestinian fighters moved their bases to Jordan and stepped up their attacks on Israel and Israeli-occupied territories. Jordan intended to suppress PLO activities on its territory after relations deteriorated as the PLO acted outside the governance of the Jordanian state on its territory and was involved in attempted assassinations of the Jordanian king. Syria attempted to help the PLO by deploying tanks to Jordan but to no avail. Palestinian fighters were eventually driven out of Jordanian cities and left for Lebanon and Syria.

Jordan also joined the Arab coalition in war in 1973, but its stance was very reluctant in the beginning. Jordan did not fight from its borders but entered the war in the Golan Heights alongside the Syrian and Iraqi armies. Its intention was to show its incentives for a peaceful co-existence with its Arab neighbors. Even though militarily Israel won, its citizens were shocked by the consequences. Eventually, a ceasefire was agreed upon by Jordan and Israel.

In 1988, Jordan dropped its claims to the West Bank, which was seen as a move towards peace. In 1991, Jordan attended the Madrid Conference, which did not result in a satisfactory conclusion for both conflict actors. In the following year of 1994, Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty which ended the state of war. Jordan promised not to allow a foreign army to use its territory to attack Israel and acknowledged the right of Israel as an independent state. Hence, the core issue was resolved through peaceful thawing.

Sources

Bickerton, I. J., 2009. The Arab-Israeli Conflict: A History, London: Reaktion Books.

Cooley, J. K., 2005. An Alliance Against Babylon: The U.S., Israel, and Iraq, London: Pluto Press.

Hinnebusch, R., 2017. "Revisiting the 1967 Arab-Israel war and its consequences for the regional system", British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 44 (4), 593-609.

Luis, W.R. and A. Shlaim, 2012. The 1967 Arab-Israeli War: Origins and Consequences, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Mitha, Farooq, 2017. "The Jordanian-Israeli Relationship: The Reality of Cooperation", Middle East Policy Council. Accessed 24 October 2019: https://mepc.org/jordanian-israeli-relationship-reality-cooperation

Spyer, J., 2004. "An Analytical and Historical Overview of British Policy Toward Israel", Middle East Review of International Affairs, 8 (2), 80-102.

"UCDP - Uppsala Conflict Data Program: Israel: Palestine", 2019. Accessed 5 October 2019 <https://ucdp.uu.se/#conflict/234>