[BLANK_AUDIO]. The agreement between Israel and PLO, paved the way for a peace agreement between Israel and Jordan. Israel and Jordan had essentially being enemies of, a low level of hostility for decades. But the Jordanians could never sign a separate peace agreement with Israel unless, the Palestinians had done something like that ahead of them. And indeed, in the Madrid process, Jordan and Israel had already agreed on an agenda for a peace treaty in October 1992, well before the Israeli PLO agreement. But the Jordanians would not go ahead with their agenda to turn it into a real peace treaty. Until the PLO had made their move, so as not to have the Jordanians accused of making deals with Israel behind, the backs of the Palestinians. But there were another reasons why the Jordanians moved towards peace with Israel and this also had to do with Jordan's post Gulf war strategic needs. Jordan, during the Gulf war, that is the war between Iraq and the United States over Kuwait, Jordan had refused. To side with the United States against Iraq. It did not support the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, but it refused to cooperate with the United States, against the Iraqis. That was part of King Hussein's vision of his legitimacy. It was also part of Jordan's own regard for Iraq, as a potential strategic inter-land for Jordan in its relations with Israel. But after Saddam's defeat by the Americans, Jordan. Desperately needed to move back into the Israeli-US orbit of cooperation. After not supporting the US effort against Saddam Hussein, US relations with Jordan deteriorated very rapidly. The US was actually furious with the Jordanians for not cooperating. And therefore. Making peace with Israel, was also an effort on the Jordanian part, not only to come to a strategic understanding with Israel as Israel moved ahead on Palestine, but also to come to an understanding with Israel that would pave the way for improved Jordanian/US relations. The peace treaty between Jordan and Israel, was unique. It was very different from the peace treaty. Between Israel and Egypt. And very different from the relationship that developed between Israel and the Palestinians, or what might have been a peace treaty with Syria one day. The treaty between Israel and Jordan does not include. Any bi-lateral security arrangements. Jordan and Israel were never the worst of enemies and it wasn't really a peace treaty to put their hostility aside, but more about arranging the relationship between them and a variety of third parties. Making peace between Israel. And Jordan, had a lot to do with Israel and Iraq. Iraq was a much more dangerous enemy to Israel those days, than were the Jordanians. By coming to an agreement with Jordan, that would not allow the stationing of any potentially hostile foreign forces in Jordan, as part of the treaty was a way for Israel to ensure. That Jordan would be a stable buffer, against Iraq. That was perhaps one of the most important elements of the Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty. From the Jordanian point of view, the peace treaty was very important, because of Jordan's concerns about the Palestinians. The Jordanians over the years had developed a fear. That there were those in Israel, and maybe elsewhere to, that had the idea of transforming Jordan into the state for the Palestinian people. Those who argued, that Jordan was really Palestine. To guarantee themselves against that possibility,. The Jordanians had a clause included in the agreement with Israel. That would prevent the involuntary movement of population, from one country to the other. That is, Israel would not allow the expulsion of Palestinians. From, the West Bank or from Israel proper, to Jordan. Israel would recognize Jordan as the state of the Jordanian people, and would not consider any kind of support in the future for the idea that Jordan was Palestine. The Jordanians had great expectations from the peace treaty with Israel. They believed that the peace treaty was one of a series of agreements with Israel, that would lead to the stabilization of the region. Israel and the Palestinians saw the Jordanians believe we're on the way to the creation of a two stage reality. The region as a result would be stabilized, and Jordan, at long last, between Iraq on the one hand and between Israel and Palestine on the other. Would enjoy long term stability. The Jordanian expectations were also that the relationship with Israel would rapidly improve Jordan's economy. And then Jordan, thanks to peace with Israel, would extricate itself from its economic distress. But that could not have happened, and did not indeed, materialize. So the Jordanians, after a number of years, though maintaining the peace treaty with Israel, was somewhat disappointed. By it's real results. After all the most important for the Jordanians, was that the Israelis and the Palestinians would come to a stable agreement. So the Jordanians believed a stable agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Would secure Jordan, from the possibility of facing the undesirable of consequences of an Israeli, Palestinian confrontation. The Jordanians constantly feared that if there ever were to be a massive Israeli, Palestinian confrontation, it would the, be the Jordanian who would bear the brunt of the consequences. And therefore, the fact that Israel and the Palestinians never really managed to to complete their negotiations, as expected at Oslo, was a great disappointment for the Jordanians.
