If there is a concept
of power that a country like Jordan should adopt to protect its position, it is
the power of politics.
Jordan’s
geographic position, as a connecting point in the Middle East, has always been
an asset, providing it with opportunities to adopt a more active position to protect
its interests.
اضافة اعلان
The continuous
challenge coming from Syria and the current situation in Iraq present
challenges, and have done so for more than a decade now, but there are also
opportunities in these very challenges.
The problems from
Jordan’s western border shifted when the previous US administration announced
its plan to solve the Palestinian issue with the so-called deal of the century.
There is no doubt that Jordan, at the time, saw in then US president Donald
Trump’s vision and Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu a real threat, but a
change in personnel does not necessarily mean a change in position.
US President Joe
Biden has not necessarily changed the vision, but perhaps the approach. On his
recent visit to the Middle East, Biden insisted that peace talks between
Palestinians and Israelis are important, but they might not happen soon. This
suggests that the status quo will be maintained for the moment, but that
creates opportunities to improve practical outcomes through economic
development and logistics facilities.
Peace with the
Arabs is an appealing idea to both Israelis who will always seek to expand
normalization with Arab countries and, by default, put an end to the
Palestinian issue, and to any American administration that will see in any
peace treaty between Israel and any Arab country some sort of victory in this
long-standing and complicated conflict.
It is important to capitalize on the country’s strategic assets, as any peace deal with Arab countries will remain a peace of choice, while for Israel, peace with Jordan and Egypt should always be viewed as an imperative strategic issue.
Therefore, for
Jordan there was a chance to improve relations with the Israeli side when
Netanyahu exited, but practically speaking, the situation will oblige any
Israeli government to adopt an approach similar to his, especially amid the
ongoing political instability and elections that do not result in a clear
winner.
This change in
personalities and administrations, then, does not remove the threat to Jordan,
which needs to revise its policy of engagement with the Palestinian issue.
Influencing the
political scene and being an active party should be Jordan’s main strategic
objectives, when it comes to Hamas, for example, and the need for
re-engagement, regardless of whether Egypt, a Jordanian ally, is already
dealing with the movement, particularly since Jordan has historically been the
closest to Hamas.
The same applies
to the Palestinian Authority; Jordan needs to diversify its channels of
dialogue and maximize mutual interests with all parties.
When it come to
Israel, which Jordan has had a peace treaty with since 1994, in addition to
security coordination, it must take the opportunity to engage, particularly on
policies that put Jordan’s interests at risk.
It is important to
capitalize on the country’s strategic assets, as any peace deal with Arab
countries will remain a peace of choice, while for Israel, peace with Jordan
and Egypt should always be viewed as an imperative strategic issue.
Amer Al-Sabaileh is a Jordanian university professor and
geopolitical expert. He is a leading columnist in national, regional, and
international media, offers consultancies to think tanks and speaks at
international conferences on Middle East politics and developments.
Read more Opinion and Analysis
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
