Jordan Not Receiving ‘Peace Dividend’ from Treaty with Israel

Jordan’s foreign minister said ties between his country and Israel were at “an all-time low,” echoing statements made last week by King Abdullah II. Ayman Safadi contends that Amman is not reaping the expected “peace dividend” from the 1994 landmark peace treaty as the two countries “have not been able to achieve bilateral cooperation” on numerous matters. He also accused Israel of pursuing detrimental policies in the West Bank and not respecting Jordan’s role as the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. The comments came two days after King Abdullah told an audience in New York that relations with the Jewish state were at their worst point in a quarter century, although he partially attributed this to ongoing political dysfunction in Israel. Earlier this month, Amman recalled its ambassador after Israeli authorities held two Jordanian nationals under administrative detention on suspicion of terrorist activity. Jordan also recently refused to hold a joint ceremony marking the 25^th anniversary of the peace accord and failed to renew a lease agreement that had allowed Israeli farmers to access two plots of land under Jordanian sovereignty. The Hashemite kingdom has also accused Israel of abandoning negotiations with the Palestinians, while slamming growing calls by Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, to annex territories that Palestinians claim as part of a future state.