The UK and Jordan have formed a close partnership in response to the war in Gaza due to fears that the conflict could destabilize Amman, analysts told The Media Line.
Jordanian Armed Forces led the mission that involved nine nations to send the shipment of more than 10 tonnes of supplies, according to the UK government, which stated it was the largest amount of aid airdropped into Gaza in one day.
The UK has been delivering aid to Gaza with the help of Jordan’s Air Forces and airfields, and additional shipments could be on the way after Israel said more aid would be allowed to pass through a Jordanian land crossing.
The British government said it has worked closely with Jordanian partners to send aid and called the help “instrumental.” In February, The UK signed an agreement with a Jordanian charity, Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation, to deliver $1.26 million of British aid to Gaza.
Clive Jones, a professor of regional security focused on the Middle East at Durham University in the UK, told The Media Line that the cooperation is partly a signal to Israel that it should avoid actions that could contribute to destabilizing Jordan.
“For many Jordanians, any kind of support, help, and then demonstrations of support that they can get from the outside world, both to signal to the Israelis, but also to signal to their people that Jordan is strong, and it will cope is important,” Jones said. He added that many in Israel are also afraid of their countries’ actions negatively impacting relations with Jordan.
According to a press release by the British government, in February, the two countries gave four tonnes of supplies, including medicine, fuel, and food, to Tal Al-Hawa Hospital in northern Gaza. The supplies were bought by the UK and delivered by the Jordanian Air Force. In March, Jordan helped with another airdrop and delivery on land.
Jones said one of the top concerns for Jordan would be the war expanding, leading to more Palestinians in the West Bank fleeing to the country. Jordan has said that any effort from Israel to move Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank would be a “declaration of war.”
Thousands in the country have taken to the streets to protest against Israel, with some arguing that Jordan should take a tougher stance with Israel, which Amman has a peace treaty with.
UK-Jordan partnership
The partnership between the UK and Jordan is “a signal that whatever Israel decides to do in the West Bank, that it should not be done at the expense of either the Palestinians in the West Bank or Palestinians in Jordan and creating the political conditions which may lead to destabilizing the kingdom itself,” Jones said.
Jones said that more Palestinians in Jordan could impact the delicate balance between the country’s monarchy, which relies on tribes to support the king’s role, and the Palestinians already in Jordan. “The last thing that you need in the region right now is to destabilize Jordan, which could lead to wider regional instability,” he said.
Jones said the aid shipments allow Jordan, along with the UK, to show its Palestinian population that it is helping fellow Palestinians in need.
Part of the alliance's importance for the British government is its long-term historical connections to Jordan, whose Hashemite dynasty came to rule the country with the help of the UK.
Peter Millet, the former British ambassador to Jordan from 2011 to 2015, told The Media Line that the two countries’ historical and military ties would make them trusted allies for each other.
Among senior Jordanian officials, King Abdullah and Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah attended the UK’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, a prestigious training academy that Prince William and Prince Harry also attended.
“They know us, and we know them, and we trust them,” Millet said, adding that upholding stability in Jordan had been a priority for British governments before the war in Gaza.
He believed that Jordan’s fear of more Palestinians entering the country and changing its demographics would mean that Amman was interested in getting support from other countries.
Millet stated that Jordan also hoped to influence the British government's opinion to be more critical of Israel’s actions. However, he added that the aid shipments must have been made with Israel's tacit acceptance.