The peace treaty between Jordan and Israel, signed at the Aqaba-Eilat border crossing (October 1994), was preceded by a meeting of King Hussein and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in Washington three months earlier when the two leaders proclaimed an end to the state of war between their countries.
Although de facto at war with each other for 46 years, Israel and Jordan had maintained secret contacts and concluded mutually beneficial agreements throughout that entire period. The 1991 Madrid Conference led to public bilateral talks, culminating in a formal treaty (1994) in which both countries have undertaken to refrain from acts of belligerency, to ensure that no threats of violence to the other will originate within their territory, to endeavor to prevent terrorism and act together to achieve security and cooperation in the Middle East by replacing military preparedness with confidence-building measures. Other provisions include agreed allocations from existing water resources, freedom of passage for nationals of both countries, efforts to alleviate the refugee problem and cooperation in the development of the Jordan Rift Valley. The international boundary delineated in the treaty has replaced the 1949 cease-fire lines and is delimited with reference to the British Mandate boundary (1922-48).
With the ratification of the peace treaty, full diplomatic relations were established and, since then, the relationship between Israel and Jordan has been moving forward steadily.
The basis for implementation of the Israel-Jordan peace treaty was established with the signing and ratification of 15 bilateral agreements in economic, scientific and cultural spheres. These treaties are to serve as the foundation of peaceful relations between Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The most significant expression of the peaceful relations is QIZ. (Qualifying Industrial Zones) which enables Jordan, via cooperation with Israel, to export to the U.S. quota-free and tariff-free commodities worth some $200 million. Israel is also cooperating with Jordan in two agricultural projects and in public health.
King Abdullah II, who succeeded his father in March 1999, visited Israel in April 2000. Following the outbreak of Palestinian violence (September 2000) in the territories, relations with Jordan cooled and Jordan recalled its ambassador.
In June 2003, King Abdullah II hosted a summit in Aqaba with President Bush and with Prime Ministers Sharon and Abu-Mazen. In April 2004, King Abdullah II visited Prime Minister Sharon at his residence in the Negev.
Bilateral Cooperation Grows
A joint Israeli-Jordanian exercise to practice responding to pollution in the Red Sea was staged on November 22, 2004, in the Eilat-Aqaba Bay. Israel sent 14 ships, members of the water-pollution-unit in Eilat, and workers of the Environment Ministry to participate.
In 2005, bilateral cooperation increased as officials met to discuss a variety of issues including cooperation in fighting the spread of bird flu. Jordanian exports to Israel grew and Jordan’s ambassador returned to Israel after a five-year absence to protest Israel’s policies in the territories.
American based company Noble Energy inked a deal with Jordanian National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) in late 2014 to supply Jordan with $15 billion in gas from Israeli oil fields over a 15-year period. Noble Energy owns 39% of the Israeli Leviathan oil field, located off the coast of Israel in the Mediterranean Sea about 80 miles west of Haifa. Jordan will receive the gas through a terminal that will be opened in mid-2015. Jordanian officials are skeptical about relying on foreign sources for so much of their oil needs; according to the chair of the Jordanian Senate Energy Committee “Jordan should focus on local resources. We should never be dependent on external resources”.
Senior Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian representatives signed a $900 million water sharing agreement in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on December 9, 2013, that was heralded as a milestone of cooperation between all parties involved. The agreement was made official at The World Bank Headquarters and was signed by H.E. Minister Silvan Shalom for Israel, H.E. Minister Hazim El-Naser for Jordan and H.E. Minister Shaddad Attilifor for the Palestinian Authority. Within the MoU are three major regional water sharing initiatives that will support the management of scarce water resources in the region and contribute to the development and discovery of new water resources. The agreement includes plans for the construction of a pipeline connecting the Red Sea and the Dead Sea and an 80 million cubic meter sea water desalination plant in Aqaba on the Red Sea to provide water that will be shared between the three represented entities. Israel will buy half of this desalinated water at cost, to be shared with the Palestinians, and the rest will be sent to Jordan. The Red Sea and the Dead Sea will be linked by a pipeline and water from the Red Sea will be pumped into the Dead Sea, because the Dead Sea has been found to be receding at a rate of one meter per year. The agreement also provides for increased sales of water to Jordan from Israel’s Like Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee, beyond the amount specified in the 1994 peace agreement. All parties involved finalized the agreement on February 26, 2015, and in March 2016 it was announced that the pipeline should begin operating in 2017.
Following tense weeks of riots in Jerusalem surrounding access to the Temple Mount and the al-Aqsa Mosque, on November 1 2014 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in secret with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Jordan’s capital city of Amman. During the meeting Netanyahu and King Abdullah discussed security at the Temple Mount and the al-Aqsa Mosque: members of the Jordanian Waqf Authority are stationed at the al-Aqsa Mosque and help provide security. The purpose of this meeting was to coordinate security measures at the holy site between the Jordanian Waqf Authority and the IDF. A few days after the meeting, Prime Minister Netanyahu called King Abdullah and assured him that the Jordanian special status at the Temple Mount will not change due to recent developments. Both leaders called for an immediate cessation of late 2014’s violence surrounding access to the Temple Mount. Following this meeting, US Secretary of State John Kerry met with the two leaders in Jordan and stated that everyone involved was interested in de-escalating the situation.
In response to violence at the Temple Mount, Jordan recalled their ambassador from Israel on Wednesday November 5, 2014, for the first time since Jordan and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1994. The streets of Jordan filled with protestors on November 6 and 7, calling for the government to scrap its peace deal with the Israelis in light of the recent tensions surrounding the al-Aqsa Mosque. Sheikh Hamam, the leader of the government opposition Muslim Brotherhood party called for the destruction of the Israeli embassy in Jordan “along with everyone in it”. Three months later, in early February 2015, Jordanian officials announced that they would be sending their ambassador back to Israel, due to calmed tensions surrounding access to the Temple Mount.
The Islamic State brutally murdered captured Jordanian Pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh by burning him alive in a cage in January 2015 and released the video footage of the killing in February. Jordan responded with swift justice in the form of air strikes and other displays of their military capabilities, and Israeli officials used the opportunity to forge closer ties with Jordan. The day after the release of the execution video, Prime Minister Netanyahu called Jordanian King Abdullah and expressed his sincere condolences, calling al-Kasabeh’s killing “barbaric cruelty.”
Israel gifted Jordan a fleet of U.S. supplied Cobra combat helicopters in July 2015, in a sale that was approved and facilitated by the United States. Israeli security officials confirmed that Jordan would receive approximately 16 of the helicopters, primarily to provide border security. These helicopters have been added to Jordan’s fleet of 25 Cobra helicopters currently in service.
In September 2015 Israel announced plans to construct a fence along the Israel-Jordan border, to combat the flow of refugees fleeing Syria and other neighboring countries. Netanyahu stated during a press conference that, “we have seen today what happens when countries lose control of their borders.”
The Israel-Jordan Committee for Security and Transportation met on October 27, 2015, to discuss the beginnings of the “Jordan Gate” project. The project will be a joint industrial zone encompassing factories on the Jordanian side and a logistical and shipping complex on the Israeli side approximately six kilometers from the Jordan River crossing. In addition to deepening economic collaboration between Israel and Jordan, this project is going to create thousands of job opportunities for residents.
One hundred and seventy-two Jordanians began work in Eilat hotels in November 2015, strengthening economic and tourism ties between the two countries. A cooperation agreement reached between Israel and Jordan in June 2014, after three years of negotiations with 10 Israeli ministries, provided for the hiring of up to 1,500 Jordanians in the Israeli tourism industry who will then return to their homes across the border following their shifts. Five hundred Jordanian workers were crossing the border to work in Eilat hotels by mid-December 2015, and by mid-2016 it is expected that up to 1,300 Jordanians will be employed in the Israeli tourism industry. These workers trek two-hours to and from work each day, but higher pay and benefits in Israel compared to Jordan make it worthwhile. It was announced on April 6, 2015, that Israeli authorities would allow an additional 500 Jordanians to cross the border daily and work at Israeli hotels in Eilat.
Pilots from the Royal Jordanian Air Force participated in training with the Israeli Air Force during a “working visit” to Israel during December 2015. The trip was not publicized by either country, and news of the collaboration was only released following the conclusion of the visit. A Jordanian pilot was discharged from their Air Force after he reportedly did not wish to participate in the training and raised a commotion about working with Israelis.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin spoke at Jordan’s 2016 Independence Day Reception, praising the close relations the countries and their leaders have had over the recent years. Rivlin stated that “Jordan has long been a unique example of a strong state, and a moderate state... Israel is proud to be Jordan’s partner and to stand at Jordan’s side, in promoting stability and quiet to our entire region. Over the last year, your kingdom has played a critical role in dealing with the violence in Jerusalem which is holy to all of us. The special role that Jordan carries in Jerusalem will remain strong as it is today, and the state of Israel is fully committed to ensuring this status will not change.”
Work began in late July 2016 on a 30km section of security fence on the Israeli-Jordanian border, stretching from Eilat to the Samar sand dunes. At an estimated cost of $300 million NIS, the project includes roads, observation towers, military operations bunkers, and a special security system for the currently under construction Ilan Ramon Airport near Timna.
A group of Jordanian Generals secretively visited Israel in September 2016, with the trip being announced only after its conclusion. The delegation of 12 Jordanian Generals met with Israeli military experts and attended a conference at the Netanya Academic College on natural resource preservation.
On the same day that the General’s secret trip was announced, the Jordan Electric Power Company finalized negotiations for Israel’s Leviathan consortium to supply it with $10 billion in natural gas until 2031. Under this deal Israel will become Jordan’s largest gas supplier, providing the Kingdom with an estimated 45 million cubic meters of gas from the Leviathan field.
Israel began covertly supplying natural gas to Jordanian state-owned companies Arab Potash and Jordan Bromine in January 2017. The natural gas is technically being sold to Jordan through a third-party American company, NBL: Eastern Mediterranean Marketing.
On July 23, 2017, a 17-year old Palestinian worker named Mohammed al-Juwaida arrived at the Jordanian apartment of an off-duty Israeli Embassy security guard to install furniture. Al-Juwaida stabbed the security guard in the back with a screwdriver during the furniture installation, and then the victim shot and killed the attacker with his service weapon. The owner of the apartment was injured by stray gunfire and succumbed to his wounds later in a hospital. Immediately following the altercation, the Israeli security guard made his way to the Embassy where he worked and reported the situation. Jordanian security forces were deployed to the area, and all Israeli diplomats were ordered to arrive at the embassy compound to prepare for an urgent evacuation back to Israel. Less than 12 hours after the incident all Israeli diplomatic personnel were ready and preparing to head back to their home country, but Jordanian officials did not agree to let them leave until they interrogated the security guard who shot the alleged attacker. The Israelis refused, arguing that the guard was an accredited diplomat, exempt from interrogation and detention under the Vienna Convention. After many back-and-forth calls between Israeli and Jordanian officials without making progress, the evacuation was called off. The diplomats were allowed to return to Israel the following day, after Israel agreed to remove controversial metal detectors at the Temple Mount that were opposed by Jordan. The Israeli Embassy in Jordan was closed until further notice.
Six months after the Embassy incident, on January 19, 2018, the Israeli Embassy in Jordan reopened and resumed full activity.
Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli emergency service workers participated in a series of joint disaster response drills in Southern Israel during October 2017.
In 2019, a research center opened in Bern, Switzerland, that will be staffed by scientists in a variety of fields, including oceanography, biology, genetics, ecology and geology, from all the countries bordering the Red Sea. The center will study the effects of climate change, agriculture, urbanization, illegal fishing and industrial waste on Red Sea corals. This cooperation between Israel, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan is unprecedented.
Tourism & Trade
Since 2009 Israel has seen a dramatic increase in the number and percentage of tourists visiting from Arab countries, signaling a warming of relations between Israel and the moderate Arab world despite the looming possibility of a nuclear Iran. Over 250,000 individuals have come to visit Israel since 2009 from Arab and majority Muslim countries, including 81,000 individuals from Jordan. Other Arab countries that contributed to this increased tourism in Israel are Indonesia (124,000 tourists), Malaysia (23,483), Saudi Arabia (38), The United Arab Emirates (168), and Qatar and Oman (147).
Israel and Jordan have formed a mutually beneficial relationship following 1994’s formal treaty between the two countries. The total trade in 2013 between Israel and Jordan amounted to $366 million, which shows that the relationship is going strong 20 years after the initial treaty.
Sources: Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
Carol Migdalovitz, “Israel: Background and Relations with the United States,” DC: Congressional Research Service, (July 26, 2006),
Mohammad Ghazal, “Israel gas deal will save Jordan $700 million annually,” The Jordan Times, (September 25, 2014);
Barak Ravid and Jonathan Lis, “Netanyahu assures Jordanian King Abdullah: Temple mount status quo won't change,” Haaretz, (November 6, 2014);
“Kerry, in Jordan, tries to ease tension over Jerusalem holy site,” Los Angeles Times, (November 14 2014);
“Israel sees sharp rise in tourists from Arab states,”Ynet News, (November 16 2014);
Elise Labott, “Israel bolsters ties to Jordan as ISIS looms,” CNN, (February 6, 2015);
Suleiman Al-Khalidi, “Jordan, Israel agree to $90 million red sea-dead sea project,” Reuters, (February 26, 2015);
“Israeli cobras gifted to Jordan for border security,” Ynet News, (July 23, 2015);
“Israel-Jordanian joint committee convened to advance 'Jordan gate' project,” IMRA, (October 28, 2015);
Revital Levy-Stein, “172 Jordanians Start Working in Eilat Hotels,” Haaretz, (November 5, 2015)
Ariel Ben Solomon, “Israel-Egypt look to increase tourism ties; Jordan guest worker program progresses,” Jerusalem Post, (December 1, 2015)
“Jordanian air force pilots pay 'working visit' to Israel,” Times of Israel, (December 17, 2015);
Hedy Cohen, “Israel-Jordan gas pipeline to begin operating in 2017,” Globes, (March 10, 2016);
“Israel to hire 500 Jordanian day workers for Eilat hotels,”Albawaba Business, (April 6, 2016);
“President Rivlin addresses Jordanian Independence Day reception,” Israel MFA, (May 31, 2016);
“Work underway on Israel-Jordan border fence,” Globes, (July 27, 2016);
Itamar Eichner, “Delegation of Jordanian Generals Visits Israel,” YNet News (September 27, 2016);
“Israel consortium signs ‘historic’ 15-year, $10b gas deal with Jordan,” Times of Israel (September 26, 2016);
Israel Quietly Begins Exporting Natural Gas to Jordan Amid Political Sensitivities, Haaretz (March 2, 2017);
Israel-Jordan Embassy Crisis Ends: Diplomats Evacuated, Cross Border Into Israel, Haaretz, (July 24, 2017);
Israel, Jordan, Palestine hold disaster-response drills, Al-Arabiya, (October 24, 2017);
Israel Confirms Deal Reached With Jordan, Embassy Will Immediately Resume Full Activity, Haaretz, (January 19, 2018);
Zafrir Rinat, “Israeli Scientists Join Colleagues From Sudan, Saudi Arabia to Save Red Sea Corals,” Haaretz, (June 6, 2019).