In just a matter of weeks, we will mark 25 years to the signing of the peace accord with Jordan, which was preceded by limited covert ties with the Hashemite Kingdom. Peace with our neighbor to the east is different in essence from peace with Egypt. Although peace with our southern neighbor is defined as "cold" as far as bilateral ties are concerned, it has served its purpose: over 40 years without a military confrontation between the two countries.
Among other things, the forging peaceful ties with Amman was aimed at building joint projects that would benefit both countries. The Jordanian border is Israel's longest, and joint factories would help protect it. But this objective has only been partially achieved. Jordanian professional unions act to prevent there being any relationship with Israel, and the country's parliament calls day and night for the canceling of the peace agreement and the expulsion of Israel's ambassador to Amman. Jordanian media outlets are fairly critical of the accord, and the level of trust between the leaders of both countries is at a record low.
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Both countries recognize that the peace accord serves their mutual interests and is of strategic importance given the volatility of the region, yet neither has done enough to prevent a deterioration in ties.
Israel must be considerate of the kingdom's weaknesses and sensitivities, among them the Palestinian issue, the Temple Mount, Syrian refugees, and the war on terror. This obligates Jerusalem to adopt a more moderate stance and avoid unnecessary provocations. Jerusalem must also act in Washington to soften the Trump administration's position toward the kingdom; the US still does not have an ambassador stationed in Amman. Finally, we should propose joint projects in the fields of energy, technology, and science, and expand the size of Haifa Port to allow Jordan to increase its exports in light of the closure of the Syrian border.
Abdullah, too, could be a little more sensitive. He could simplify bureaucratic processes to allow Jordanian businesspeople to visit Israel. He must also respond firmly to any parliamentarian that calls to blow up the Israeli gas pipeline to Jordan. And in particular, the king must extend Israel's lease of two small areas of land, in Naharayim in the northern Jordan Valley and Ghamr in the south, as delineated in the 1994 accord, and allow Israeli farmers to continue to work their lands. He would also be wise to tone down his criticism of Israel, as he did in his most recent speech at the UN General Assembly, and make clear to his public that the peace accord serves Jordan's interests. By now, he should know that the kingdom's policy of allowing the public and extremists to "blow off steam" has slowly revealed itself to be something a double-edged
And in the short term, both countries must also urgently establish teams, led by their respective ministries of Foreign Affairs, to examine what can be done to prevent a further deterioration in ties.
