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King Abdullah II of Jordan, on the left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Justin Lane / Abir Sultan / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock)
Ruth Eglash
Reporter covering Israel and the Palestinian territories
JERUSALEM – Jordan's King Abdullah II announced on Sunday that he was not planning to renew parts of the country's 24-year peace agreement with Israel as the people took the pressure to reprimand the Israeli government. following the displacement of the US embassy in Jerusalem and violence in Gaza.
In Israel, the announcement was received with surprise. Analysts said it was a populist movement of the king targeting opposition groups. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, did not seem upset by this announcement. He said relations with Jordan are still strong.
The agreement was signed in November 1994 between Abdullah's father, King Hussein and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin at the time.
[Tensions escalate as Israeli jets pound targets in Gaza in response to rocket fire]
The parties that Jordan wants to revoke concern two parcels of land that Jordan has leased to Israel for 25 years. The lease on the two territories – known as Baqoura and Ghumar in Arabic and Naharayim and Zofar in Hebrew – ends one year. Jordan had until Thursday to clarify to Israel that it would not renew the agreement.
"Baqoura and Ghumar are Jordanian lands and will remain Jordanian and we will exercise full sovereignty over our territory," said the king, according to a statement from the royal court.
The peace treaty with Israel is deeply unpopular in Jordan, where it is claimed that successive Israeli governments have not respected water sharing agreements. Israel's current occupation of the Palestinian territories is also a source of anger for Jordanians.
Speaking at an official memorial for Rabin, who was murdered by an Israeli citizen in 1995 because of his pressure for peace, Netanyahu downplayed Abdullah's announcement, saying that he was "deadly." he would try to negotiate an extension of the existing agreement.
He said the agreement between Israel and Jordan was a genuine peace agreement and "an important asset for both countries".
[Relationship between Israel and Jordan grows warier amid tensions in Jerusalem]
In Jordan, however, the decision to downgrade its agreement with Israel triggered celebrations. In recent months, pressure has been exerted to cancel the lease and ask Israel to return the land. Both areas are used for agricultural purposes.
Large-scale protests this weekend have urged the king to reclaim Jordanian territory. After its announcement Sunday, Jordanians opted for social media, a person describing the decision as a "historic and wise decision."
Abdullah also tweeted: "Baqoura and Ghumar have always been at the top of our priorities and our decision to end Baqoura and Ghumar's annexation of the peace treaty is based on our commitment to make all necessary decisions for the Jordan and the Jordanians. "
Over the years, there have been periods of sporadic tension between the two countries. Three years after the signing of the agreement, a Jordanian soldier killed seven Israeli schoolgirls in one of the territories under discussion. Ahmed Daqamseh spent 20 years in prison, but was released after the Jordanian legislator petitioned on his behalf.
[20 years after 7 Israeli schoolgirls were killed, some hail Jordanian shooter as a hero upon his release]
More recently, relations have been strained on the status of the flash enclosure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, called by the Jews Temple Mount, in Jerusalem and as a result of a shooting in the city. Israeli Embassy in Amman in which two Jordanian citizens were killed.
"From my point of view, it's not as dramatic as it sounds," said Shaul Mishal, a professor of Jordanian and Palestinian history and politics at Tel Aviv University. "Historically, the relationship between Israel and Jordan has existed for many years and, quite simply, Jordan can not exist without Israel."
He said that it was likely that Netanyahu would be aware of the decision in advance and that "it is primarily symbolic to win the support of the opposition".
"I am not surprised at the evolution of relations between the two countries," said Oded Eran, Israel's former ambassador to Jordan. "But Jordan faces particular challenges with water and energy, as well as the addition of 1.5 million Syrian refugees to its population. These circumstances indicate that it is in the interest of Jordan to continue to adhere to the peace treaty. "
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