New Report Says Israel’s Decades-Long Peace With Jordan Is Unraveling

King Abdullah II of Jordan  

Washington Free Beacon: Peace Between Jordan and Israel Unraveling, Report Says 

Israel’s decades-long peace with Jordan is unraveling, a development that threatens to upset a fragile regional stability that is being challenged by countries like Iran, Russia, and China, a think tank report warns.

"Since 2020, if not before then, the Jordanian peace has turned decidedly cold," according to Jonathan Schanzer, a former terrorism finance analyst at the Treasury Department who now works at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. While the relationship has been breaking down behind the scenes for some time, Jordan also began to publicly war with Israel in recent years, by refusing to sign the Abraham Accords peace agreements, attacking incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and threatening to fully abrogate the peace deal it signed with Israel in 1994.  

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WNU Editor: The report is here .... Neither Here Nor There: Jordan and the Abraham Accords (Jonathan Schanzer, FDD).

Secret Israel - Jordan Talks Underway

President Isaac Herzog (left) speaks during a conference in Jerusalem, on August 1, 2021, and Jordan's King Abdullah II (right) listens during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Amman, Jordan, on May 26, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90; AP/Alex Brandon, Pool)  

Times of Israel: Herzog secretly visited Jordan for meeting with king 

President cites ‘desire to make progress’ in the region following last week’s trip; says ties with the Palestinian Authority important for Israel’s security 

President Isaac Herzog traveled last week to Jordan for talks with King Abdullah II, the president revealed on Saturday night, in the latest sign of warming ties between the countries. 

He spent a very positive and important evening with the king at his palace, Herzog told Channel 12 and 13 primetime news. 

 “Jordan is a very important country. I have immense respect for King Abdullah, a great leader, and a highly significant regional actor,” Herzog was quoted as saying in a statement from his office. 

“In our meeting, among the things we discussed were the core issues in the dialogue between our states.” “There is a sense in the region of a desire to make progress, a desire to speak,” he added. 

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Update #1: Israeli president and Jordanian king hold secret talks (Al Jazeera)  

Update #2: Jordan's King Abdullah held secret meeting with Israel president (Middle East Eye)  

WNU Editor: Some good news from the Middle East for a change.

Jordan's King Abdullah Warns Israel Of 'Massive Conflict' If It Annexes The West Bank

King Abdullah II participates in the US Virtual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference, on 12 May (Facebook\The Royal Hashemite Court)

Middle East Eye: Jordan's King Abdullah warns of 'massive conflict' if Israel annexes West Bank

Monarch say his country is considering all options, including cancelling the 1994 Wadi Araba peace treaty

Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned the Israeli government’s plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank could lead to "massive conflict" and said his kingdom is "considering all options", including freezing or cancelling its 1994 peace treaty with Israel.

“I do not want to make any threats and create an atmosphere of controversy, but we are considering all options,” King Abdullah told the German magazine Der Spiegel, when asked about the possibility of cancelling the Wadi Araba treaty.

Jordan shares 335km of borders with Israel and the West Bank, and its security coordination is highly treasured by Israel's military and intelligence.

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WNU Editor: Jordan's King Abdullah's interview with Der Spiegel is here .... King to Der Spiegel: Recovery from COVID-19 impact depends on how smart we are in opening up sectors.

More News On Jordanian King Abdullah Warning Israel Of A 'Massive Conflict' If It Annexes The West Bank

Jordan warns Israel of 'massive conflict' over annexation -- AP
Jordan's Abdullah Warns of 'Major Clash' With Israel if Annexation Goes Ahead -- Haaretz
Jordan's King Abdullah warns of 'massive conflict' if Israel annexes West Bank -- Al Monitor
Jordanian king warns of "massive conflict" if Israel annexes parts of West Bank -- Axios
Jordan's King Warns "Massive Conflict" Coming If Israel Moves To Annex West Bank -- Zero Hedge
Jordan’s king warns Israel of ‘massive conflict’ if it proceeds with West Bank annexation plans -- RT

Jordan's King To Scrap Part Of Israel Peace Treaty On Land

Reuters: Jordan says it won't renew peace treaty land deal with Israel

AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordan said on Sunday it would not extend the 25-year deal that allows Israel to use two tracts of territory along its border just as Israel said it was still planning to negotiate an extension.

Much of the land in Baquora in the northwestern part of the kingdom and Ghumar in the south is used by Israeli farmers, some of whom were given private land ownership rights and special travel rights under a 1994 peace treaty between the two countries.

The agreement will expire next year.

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WNU Editor: The Israeli government responds .... Netanyahu vows to renegotiate deal with Jordan (Arutz Sheva).

More News On Jordan's King Saying He Will Not Renew The Peace Treaty Land Deal With Israel

Jordan seeks to end Israel land lease -- BBC
Jordan cancels part of peace agreement with Israel -- AP
Jordan's king to scrap part of Israel peace treaty -- DW
Jordan plans to revoke parts of its peace treaty with Israel -- Washington Post
Jordan will not renew portions of peace treaty with Israel -- Haaretz
King Abdullah declines to renew part of Jordan's peace deal with Israel -- Jerusalem Post
Jordan tells Israel to return lands leased under 1994 peace deal -- The Telegraph
Jordan King to Abandon Part of 1994 Peace Treaty With Israel on Land Lease -- Sputnik

Israel Has Completed A 21-Mile Fence That Runs Along The Jordan Border

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the border fence between Israel and Jordan on February 9, 2016

AFP: Israel builds a unique 20ft high 'missile net' on border to defend its new airport

* The 21-mile fence runs along Israel's border with Jordan on its eastern border
* It reaches the site of a new airport being constructed in the Timna Valley
* Missile fence is designed to stop projectiles and surface-to-surface missiles

Israel has built a unique 'missile net' to defend a new airport, as part of a newly-completed segment of its eastern border barrier, a military official said Friday.

The 34-kilometre (21-mile) fence runs along Israel's border with Jordan, beginning near the Israeli Red Sea resort of Eilat and reaching the site of a new airport being constructed in the Timna Valley.

The fence, 6 metres (20 feet) high, is part of a broader strategy by Israel to surround itself by barriers, including at its southwestern border with Egypt, to prevent militants and migrants crossing the border illegally.

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WNU Editor: Will a 6 meter high border fence deter terror attacks? Off-hand .... I will say no.

An Israeli - Jordan - Egyptian Military Alliance?

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon (C) walks next to Israel's armed forces chief Major-General Benny Gantz (R) during a visit to a military base near Kibbutz Kissufim outside the central Gaza Strip May 7, 2013. REUTERS/AMIR COHEN

Reuters: Israel hints at air force cooperation with Jordan, Egypt

Israeli fighter pilots recently trained with Arab counterparts in the United States, Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said on Tuesday, referring to a joint exercise that a U.S. official described as involving Jordanian planes.

The remarks by Yaalon followed Israel's disclosure that its air force helped locate a Russian passenger plane that crashed in the Egyptian Sinai on Saturday - both rare departures from a policy of keeping Israeli-Arab military cooperation under wraps.

Bruised by an Iranian nuclear deal with world powers that it had lobbied against, and hoping to skirt deadlocked Palestinian peace talks through wider regional engagement, Israel has been hinting it enjoys burgeoning secret ties with some Arab powers.

WNU Editor: I have trouble seeing such an alliance working out. I can see them adopting a neutral relationship .... but a working military alliance .... that is probably a "bridge to far".

The Growing U.S. - Jordan Alliance

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Martin Dempsey testifies about pending legislation regarding sexual assaults in the military at a Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 4, 2013. REUTERS/Larry Downing

U.S. Mission In Jordan Could Last Years As Syria War Rages: Dempsey -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The top U.S. military officer told American troops in Jordan on Thursday that their mission to help the kingdom contain the fallout from Syria's war would likely last years, as the United States bolsters support for the key regional ally.

General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed a group of mostly U.S. planners who have arrived over the past several months as America expands assistance that now includes stationing F-16 fighter jets and Patriot missiles there.

The U.S. military has roughly 1,000 troops stationed in Jordan.

Dempsey told around 100 troops at a facility on the outskirts of Amman that they would be critical in helping anticipate and "shape" events on the ground. His comments came as fears mount over how massive inflows of refugees could undermine the kingdom's stability.

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More News On U.S. - Jordan Relations

U.S. task force in Jordan to stay for years, Dempsey says -- USA Today
US, Jordan discuss how to cope with fallout of Syria war -- FOX News/AFP
Jordan Asks for Assistance in Securing Syrian Border -- New York Times
Jordan asks for U.S. help in monitoring Syria border -- Al Arabiya
Jordan seeking U.S. help on border with Syria -- USA Today
Jordan seeks U.S. surveillance aircraft as Syria war rages -- Reuters
Jordan king, US army chief hold Mideast talks -- FOX News/AFP
Jordan gets daring on Syria -- Raed Omari, Al Arabiya
General Dempsey Warns on Syrian War -- Again -- Middle East Online

Jordan Is Permitting Israeli Drones To Spy On Syria

Photo from Israel Today

Report: Jordan Has Opened Its Air Space For Israeli Drones En Route To Syria -- Haaretz

Le Figaro report based on an interview with a Western military source based in the Middle East and has not been confirmed by anyone else; Jordanian decision reportedly made following Obama's visit to region last month.

Jordan has opened two corridors of its air space to allow unmanned Israeli drones through to monitor the situation in Syria, the French newspaper Le Figaro reported on Sunday.

The report is based on an interview with a Western military source based in the Middle East. There has been no official confirmation from any other source.

The source told Le Figaro that King Abdullah of Jordan decided to open the air space in an unusual gesture, following U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to the region last month. With such permission, Israeli would not have to fly over southern Lebanon en route to monitoring Syria.

Le Figaro said that only a restricted group of Western intelligence sources were aware of the Jordanian decision.

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Update #1: Jordan opens skies for IAF drones flying to Syria -- Jerusalem Post
Update #2: Jordan opens airspace to Israeli drones, French newspaper reports -- JTA
Update 3#: Report: Israel, Jordan working together to stop Syrian WMDs -- Israel Today

WNU Editor: Jordan is denying these claims.