Understanding the rift between Jerusalem and Amman - analysis
On the security side, the situation is said to be better and the militaries in both countries are believed to regularly work together against common threats.
By JPOST EDITORIALPROTESTERS IN Amman challenge the US and Israel policies on Jerusalem. ‘A quick review of the public relationship between Israel and Jordan in the last decade reveals multiple crises,’ notes the author. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Israeli ties with Jordan have not been good for a long time. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and King Abdullah do not publicly meet and do not publicly speak. It is as if Israel’s relations with its neighbor to the East are non-existent; there is barely any trade, tourism, or diplomatic cooperation.On the security side, the situation is said to be better and the militaries in both countries are believed to regularly work together against common threats. We also know that when it comes to Israeli politicians, the King’s primary problem is Netanyahu. The King recently met with Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi has also met with his Jordanian counterpart a number of times in recent months. They are okay. Netanyahu is not.The reasons behind the tension vary. There is the Palestinian issue and lack of progress on the peace track, which the King seems to blame on Netanyahu. There is continued settlement construction which the King blames on Netanyahu. There are other issues like Jordanian concern that the Hashemite Kingdom is losing its hold over al-Aqsa Mosque as well as the way Netanyahu gave a hero’s welcome to an Israeli security guard who shot and killed two Jordanians in Amman in 2017.The origins of the latest round can be found last Wednesday when Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah had planned to visit al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount following coordination with Israel on his security.However, the prince arrived at the Israeli border with more armed guards than had been agreed on, Israeli sources said. The additional guards were not permitted to enter Israel and Hussein canceled his visit.As a result – and possibly in response – Jordan canceled the permission it had given Israel for Netanyahu’s plane to pass through its airspace on its way to the United Arab Emirates where he was supposed to meet on Thursday with the UAE leader and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.As a result, Netanyahu had to cancel what was supposed to have been a historic first visit to the UAE. It was the fourth time the visit was canceled or postponed, not exactly a positive sign when it comes to building new relations between the two countries.More concerning though, is what is happening between Israel and Jordan since a crisis will not really benefit anyone in the long term.Israel’s decision to prevent a large number of armed Jordanians from entering the Temple Mount was likely done to try and preserve an image of Israeli sovereignty over the holy site. In response, and due to the insult, the Jordanians banned Netanyahu’s plane for the same reason: if you don’t let us into your sovereign territory, we won’t let you into our sovereign territory.All of this is bad for Israel, bad for Jordan and bad for the region. One of the pillars of stability for Israel over the last few decades has been the fact that it does not face a conventional military threat from the East due to the peace it has with Jordan. As a result, Israel has been able to focus its military where it really needs to – from Gaza in the South to Hezbollah and Syria in the North.
Jordan has also gained from its peace with Israel. It improved its relations with the United States, began to purchase American military hardware and reaps benefits from the close military relationship between Jerusalem and Amman.With both countries threatened by Iran and its proxies, the two need to learn to work together and to focus on what connects them as opposed to what draws them apart.For too long, the peace between Israel and Jordan has been cold. It has existed almost exclusively on a government-to-government level with very little public expression or people-to-people exchange.Normalization between Israel and the UAE shows what is possible but also the type of investment that is needed to make it work. Israel and Jordan need to set aside their differences and reestablish common ground. They will not agree on everything, but working together will be more beneficial for our two peoples.
