Since its establishment, Jordan has been a major link in the arc of nations surrounding Israel, and Israel’s relations with Jordan are more complex than the relations it has with its other neighbors. During the War of Independence in 1948, Jordan seized control of the West Bank of the Jordan River and East Jerusalem, and found itself ruling the Palestinians – refugees from the State of Israel and those in the West Bank. Jordan’s annexation of the West Bank turned the Hashemites, the kingdom’s rulers, into a minority in their own land. The fact that in 1967 Jordan lost control of the territories it had conquered in 1948 does not negate its interest and involvement in what happens there, especially East Jerusalem. The 1994 Jordan-Israel peace treaty serves the interests of both nations, though the Jordanian regime is under constant internal pressure to curtail and downplay its relations with Israel.
Over the past decade, the complexity of Jordan’s demographic and economic situation has been exacerbated by the problem of the Syrian refugees, who apparently will not return to their homes any time soon. The Hashemite regime will have to confront the economic and legal ramifications of this new reality.
The research at INSS tracks developments in this arena while maintaining contact with parties in the Israeli government and elements in Jordan, and presents proposals for promoting relations between the two nations.
