Jordan after the Arab Spring, and Israel-Jordan Relations

Prof. Asher Susser, senior research fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center, and INSS senior research fellow Dr. Oded Eran, former Ambassador of Israel to Jordan, examine Jordan eight years after the beginning of the so-called Arab Spring. Among the questions they address: How has the Hashemite Kingdom weathered the turmoil, and what are the future dangers created by the Arab Spring in Jordan? Why has Jordan proved to be an island of stability despite its image of an unstable kingdom? Why, now, are there signs of criticism and resentment in the Jordanian elite, directed to the monarchy and to the King himself? Can these upset the old regime, or will Abdullah manage to meet the challenge? How do the Syrian refugees in Jordan affect Jordanian society, and will their power in numbers translate into political impact? Can they change the economic and political balance? The bilateral relationship between Israel and Jordan can seem “schizophrenic”: tight security cooperation joins cold diplomatic and civil relations. Did Israel do everything to warm up the civil sides of the relationship? Are the Jordanians still enamored with the idea of a Palestinian state in the West Bank?