"An honourable peace, a balanced peace, a peace that will last": Signing the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan

ג.1 | The first stage - September 1993 to April 1994

1. The Bi-Lateral Peace Negotiations, Israel-Jordan Track, Common Agenda (in English); Washington, September 14, 1993

A 7768/3

One day after the signing of the Declaration of Principles with the Palestinians at the White House (the “Oslo I Agreement”), the Jordanian delegation to the talks in Washington and the Israeli delegation signed an agreed agenda for continuing negotiations, in the anticipation that the final result would be a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan.

2. Minutes of a Meeting of the Team dealing with the Negotiations with Jordan; Jerusalem, December 29, 1993

A 8081/17

A team led by the Government Secretary, Elyakim Rubinstein, discussed delays in the negotiations with Jordan. The Jordanians were very angry at the leaking of details of Foreign Minister Shimon Peres’ meeting with King Hussein [in November 1993]. It seems that they are not ready to negotiate a peace treaty at this point.

3. Elyakim Rubinstein, the Government Secretary and Head of the Delegation for Negotiations with Jordan, Jerusalem, to Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Yitzhak Rabin, Jerusalem; April 4, 1994

MFA 10987/13

A report on talks with the head of the Jordanian delegation, Fayez Tarawneh, and with Aaron Miller of the American peace team. They reported on contacts between the Jordanians and the Americans to solve the problem of the US naval blockade of Aqaba to enforce the sanctions on Iraq, and on public opinion in Jordan on this and other issues related to negotiations with Israel.

4. Arie Zohar, the Deputy Government Secretary, Jerusalem, to Elyakim Rubinstein, the Government Secretary and Head of the Delegation for Negotiations with Jordan; Jerusalem; April 26, 1994

A 8081/18

A proposal to reach a package deal with Jordan at the political level, based on mutual concessions (trade-offs) and identifying the important issues for each side.

 

ג.2 | 2. Breakthrough and a historic meeting in Washington, May - July 1994

5. Elyakim Rubinstein, the Government Secretary and Head of the Delegation for Negotiations with Jordan: Note for the Record – Jordanian Issues in Talks with the Americans; [Jerusalem], May 2, 1994

G 10477/6

Secretary of State Warren Christopher gave Prime Minister Rabin details of the agreement reached with Jordan regarding the naval blockade. His opinion and the opinion of the members of the American team on the prospects for progress in the talks with Jordan. According to Aaron Miller, they are currently focusing on Syria and the Palestinians.

6. Elyakim Rubinstein, the Government Secretary and Head of the Delegation for Negotiations with Jordan: Note for the Record; [Jerusalem], May 19, 1994

A 7704/2

A summary of conversations with American officials on 17 May. Rubinstein and the deputy head of the Mossad (the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations) Efraim Halevy gave a group of State Department officials (and later Dennis Ross, the special envoy to the Middle East) details about the agreements they had reached with the Jordanians for progress towards a peace treaty and the transfer of the talks from Washington to the region. They presented the Americans with a summary paper [probably in advance of Prime Minister Rabin’s meeting with King Hussein].

7. Micky Harari, Arab Affairs Department 2, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem, to Israel’s Representations Abroad; June 9, 1994

MFA 8606/3

A summary of the results of the Israeli-Jordanian-United States trilateral meetings and the Israeli-Jordanian bilateral meetings in Washington on June 6-7, 1994. For the first time, the Jordanians agreed to a public meeting with Israel in the region. Analysis of their considerations and their willingness to move towards a peace agreement with Israel.

See also A 8078/11 for an English summary of the trilateral meetings issued by the State Department and English documents on the bilateral meetings.

8. Ruth Yaron, Media Counsellor, Israel Embassy in Washington, to the North American Department, the Centre for Political Research and the Press Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem; June 21, 1994

MFA 10987/13

King Hussein’s statement about the negotiations with Israel at a press conference in Washington. The reporters were impressed by the king’s determination to move forward in the Jordanian channel, regardless of  progress in the other channels. He emphasized the importance of restoring Jordanian sovereignty over its land.

9. Aharon Leshno Yaar, Counsellor for Middle East Affairs, Israel Embassy in Washington, to Uri Savir, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem; June 24, 1994

MFA 10987/14

A summary of King Hussein’s conversation with President Clinton in Washington, as described by a National Security Council official. The president emphasized that the United States wants to help Jordan, but needs the king to take a significant public step. Hussein agreed in principle to the president’s proposal that he meet publicly with Prime Minister Rabin in Washington. The Administration, for its part, will work to ease Jordan’s debts and even recommend their cancellation, at the appropriate time. Hussein submitted a list of requests for military aid.

10. Micky Harari, Arab Department 2, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem, to the Departments of the Ministry (Political Distribution); July 14, 1994

MFA 11006/4

An analysis of the Jordanian position on the border issue in preparation for the resumption of negotiations; their demand that Israel should return about 340 square kilometres of their territory, which it had taken over.

11. President William J. Clinton’s Announcement about the Expected Meeting in Washington between King Hussein of Jordan and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on July 25, 1994; July 15, 1994

11A. English version of the announcement

MFA 11006/4

12. Mickey Arbel, Director of R&D Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem, to the Head of the Director General’s Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem; July 21, 1994

MFA 9163/6

A report on the bilateral talks with the Jordanians in the working group on the water issue in Ein Evrona, July 18-19, 1994. According to Arbel, Dr. Munther Hadadin, the head of the Jordanian team, tried to extort from the Israelis achievements that went beyond previous agreements on the distribution of water, without success.

13. Record by Avi Gil of the Foreign Minister’s Conversation with President Mubarak of Egypt on July 21, 1994; [Cairo], July 22, 1994

MFA 8585/8

Minutes of a meeting, recorded by Avi Gil, head of Shimon Peres’ bureau. Peres updated the Egyptian president on the state of relations with King Hussein and on the negotiations with Jordan and the chances of their success. He requested assistance from Egypt on several points. They also discussed the need for a gesture from President Assad and the possibilities of negotiations with Syria regarding the Golan Heights.

14. Shimon Sheves, Director General of the Prime Minister’s Office, Jerusalem, to Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Yitzhak Rabin, Jerusalem; July 22, 1994

A 7765/2

Sheves dissents from the position of Noah Kinarti and the Israeli negotiating team on water, who are opposed to the idea of making a gesture to the Jordanians by transferring more water, in view of the water shortage in Israel and fear of additional demands. Sheves suggests that Rabin inform King Hussein that Israel will make a one-time gesture – the transfer of 3-4 cubic metres of extra water for the residents of Amman.

[At the beginning of August 1994, the conditions for the transfer were agreed upon with the Jordanians].

15. Joint Declaration by Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yitzhak Rabin and King Hussein of Jordan in Washington, July 25, 1994

A 412/5

Rabin and Hussein sign a declaration expressing the commitment of Israel and Jordan to move towards a peace agreement and ending the state of belligerency between them.

16. Remarks at a Public Meeting with the King of Jordan; Washington, July 26, 1994

16A. Rabin’s remarks in English

A 7704/11

Congratulations from Prime Minister Rabin to President Clinton and King Hussein.

17. Rabbi Shaar Yishuv Cohen, Haifa, to Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, Chief Rabbi of Israel, Jerusalem; July 26, 1994

GL 43553/22

Rabbi Cohen, the chief rabbi of Haifa, expresses concern about possible damage to the rights of Jews in the Holy Places in Jerusalem and the territories following the agreements with Jordan. He demands an emergency meeting of the Chief Rabbinate Council to assert these rights.

On August 8, the council met, congratulated the government on the agreement with Jordan and received with satisfaction the Prime Minister’s announcement in the Knesset about the participation of the Rabbinate in any future discussion on the fate of the Holy Places in Jerusalem (see also Document 38). At the ceremony of signing of the peace treaty on October 26, Rabbi Cohen, who had been a prisoner of war in Jordan in 1948, read a chapter from the Psalms.

 

ג.3 | 3. From the Washington Declaration to the Peace Treaty and Beyond, August - November 1994

18. Draft Position Paper on the Land of Ashdot (Kibbutz Ashdot Ya’akov Meuchad and Kibbutz Ashdot Yaakov Ihud) in Naharayim [July 1994].

 GL 17491/8

A historical overview and map clarifying the dispute regarding the land bought by Jews across the Jordan River in the Naharayim area during the British Mandate period and worked by the kibbutzim.

19. An Update on Talks with the Palestinians + Jordan; August 5, 1994

Excerpts from the record of a meeting: Elyakim Rubinstein presents to Prime Minister Rabin the first stages of the talks with the Jordanians following the Washington Declaration.

20. The Centre for Political Research, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem, Weekly Political Briefing Bulletin Distribution; August 8, 1994

MFA 11103/7

Jordan is making progress with normalization with Israel, taking steps such as the opening of the Arava border crossing, even though an official peace treaty has not yet been signed. The reaction of public opinion in Jordan and of the Palestinians and the Arab countries to these measures.

21. Information Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem, to Israel’s Representations Abroad; August 9, 1994

A 7710/4

Prime Minister Rabin’s remarks at a press conference in Eilat after the opening of the Arava border crossing, August 8, 1994. Notes the rapid progress in relations with Jordan since the Washington Agreement.

22. Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Yitzhak Rabin, Jerusalem, to the President of the United States William J. Clinton, Washington (in English); August 16, 1994

A 7712/2 / G 8038/2

A letter of thanks to the President for his efforts for peace. For the second time an important ceremony was held at the White House marking Israeli-Arab reconciliation. The Washington Declaration was made possible thanks to diplomacy on two tracks – the role played by the United States and the direct negotiations between Israel and Jordan.

23. Pnina Herzog, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, to Ephraim Sneh, Minister of Health, Jerusalem; September 8, 1994

P 2985/9

Herzog describes a meeting with the Jordanian representative, Dr. Muhammad Rida Tawfik, at the Dead Sea Hotel in Jordan, during talks on cooperation with the Jordanians in the field of health. The parties signed a working paper, but it was made clear to the Israelis that the issues of water and borders are more urgent from the Jordanian point of view.

24. Miki Harari, Arab Department 2, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem, to Recipients of Political Digest, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; September 28, 1994

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Following the appointment of a minister for religious endowments (Wakf) by the Palestinian Authority, the Jordanian government decided to sever the administrative connection with the endowments administration in the West Bank, but will continue to bear the legal and administrative responsibility for the Muslim endowments in Jerusalem.

25. Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Jerusalem, to Foreign Minister Shimon Peres; September 30, 1994

A 7703/3

Rabin updates Foreign Minister Peres on the details of his meeting with King Hussein in Aqaba on September 29, ahead of Peres’ meeting with Prince Hassan at the White House. There are still differences of opinion between the parties regarding the borders, but a practical solution will be found. Funds must be raised to promote the development of additional water sources in order to increase the amount of water that can be transferred to Jordan.

26.  King Hussein of Jordan, Amman, to the Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Yitzhak Rabin, Jerusalem (in English); October 2, 1994

A personal appeal to the Prime Minister to meet Jordan halfway on the problems preventing the signing of the peace agreement, mainly regarding the delineation of the border in the Arava and in the allocation of water. He cannot give up an inch of Jordanian land.

27. Arab Department 2, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem, to the Israel Embassy in Washington; October 3, 1994

MFA 10987/15

On September 29, an agreement was signed between Jordan and the United States to write off part of Jordan’s debts. Other countries also agreed to write off debts in light of Jordan’s activities for peace.

28. Mark Sofer and Oded Eran, Foreign Minister’s Entourage in Washington, to Prime Minister and Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Eitan Benzur, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem; October 4, 1994

A 7765/2

Report on the trilateral meeting between President Clinton, Foreign Minister Peres and Prince Hassan in Washington on October 3. The meeting focused on economic issues, regional cooperation, including the establishment of a regional bank and joint free trade zones, and a request for assistance from the United States to create new water sources (dam building).

29. Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Yitzhak Rabin, Jerusalem, to King Hussein of Jordan, Amman (in English); October 5, 1994

Towards the conclusion of the negotiations, Rabin argues that Israel’s proposal on water comes close to answering Jordan’s needs and the talks should not be burdened with additional demands. As for the border issue, he does not seek to claim for Israel a single iota of Jordanian soil. But Israel too cannot give up its sovereignty, and the border between the two countries has never been determined. A creative and practical solution should be sought, based on the exchange of territories and a territory-water package.

30. Jordanian Position Paper in English: Non Paper on the Delimitation Problem; October 9, 1994

A Jordanian proposal for a solution to the border problem. “Our preferred position is … a formulation that reconciles Jordanian sovereignty with Israeli private ownership.” The special regime proposed in Bakura (Naharayim) cannot be permanent, but Jordan offers to extend the agreement on it for 20 years and make it renewable. As part of a permanent agreement, Jordan is ready to give Israel water from wells in Wadi Arava in exchange for the same amount from Israel in the north.

31. Elyakim Rubinstein to Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Yitzhak Rabin, Jerusalem; [October 10, 1994]

In response to the Jordanian proposal, a discussion was held with them on the possibilities for a compromise on the borders in Bakura (Naharyim) and the Arava and on the water issue.

N.B. The first page of the document is incomplete in the original.

32. King Hussein of Jordan, Amman, to Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Yitzhak Rabin, Jerusalem (in English); October 15, 1994

A 7704/1

A letter of condolence on the death of Nachshon Waxman, an IDF soldier who was kidnapped by Hamas and the attempt to free him failed.

33. Minutes of a Government Meeting, Jerusalem; October 17, 1994 (001wjx5 – 55)

On the return of Prime Minister Rabin and Foreign Minister Peres from Amman, after talks that ended in the signing of a draft peace treaty with Jordan, Rabin explains to the ministers the main issues in dispute and the solutions found. It was decided that the special regime in Naharayim and Zofar in the Arava would remain in force for 25 years. He describes the dramatic talks with King Hussein and the help received from members of the Israeli delegation for the talks, led by Elyakim Rubinstein. Peres presents the considerations that led the king to reach strategic decisions about peace.

34. Gabi Kadosh, Mayor of Eilat, to Eitan Haber, Director of the Prime Minister’s Office, Jerusalem; October 19, 1994

A 7704/13

The signing of the peace agreement with Jordan is a historical event that is of great importance to the city of Eilat. The mayor wants to organize a joint visit to the city by the Prime Minister, President Clinton and King Hussein. He suggests that the treaty be signed on an antique desk from his office.

35. Shifra Goren, Beer Sheva, to the Government Secretariat, Jerusalem; October 23, 1994

A 7704/1

A message of encouragement from the writer, whose late husband, Zvi Goren, was among those who escorted convoys to Jerusalem during the War of Liberation and a member of the Mixed Armistice Commission with Jordan after the war. Eitan Haber, head of the Prime Minister’s Bureau, thanked her on behalf of Prime Minister Rabin who expressed the hope “that the act of peace is worthy of the memory of your husband, the late Zvi Goren”.

36. Elyakim Rubinstein, Legal Adviser to the Defence Establishment and Head of the Israeli Delegation for Negotiations with Jordan, to Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Yitzhak Rabin, Jerusalem; [October] 31 (sic) [should be November] 1994

A 7704/1

Arrangements for the opening of the Jordan crossing (Sheikh Hussein Bridge) and the exchange of ratification documents with Jordan on November 10, 1994.

37. Elyakim Rubinstein, Legal Adviser to the Defence Establishment, Tel Aviv, to Nili Arad, Director of the Supreme Court Department, Ministry of Justice; November 4, 1994

G 10477/8

In response to a petition to the Supreme Court by the Temple Mount Loyalists movement against the peace treaty with Jordan, Rubinstein explains that the clause in the treaty on Jerusalem is based on the wording in the Washington Declaration. As the Prime Minister told the Knesset after the declaration, on August 3, 1994, there will be no change in the status quo on the Temple Mount or damage to the rights of the Jews or the status of Israel in Jerusalem.

38. King Hussein of Jordan, Amman, to Efraim Halevy, Deputy Head of the Mossad (in English); November 15, 1994

A 7703/6

Thanks Efraim Halevy, his “good and trusted friend”, for his good wishes on the occasion of the King’s birthday and for his role in achieving the long-awaited peace.

39. Memorandum from Harry Knei Tal, Political Planning Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Israel-Jordan Relations, Towards Greater Realism; Jerusalem, December 27, 1994

MFA 8615/3

In the author’s opinion, the expectations that Israel-Jordan relations would become a model of a warm relationship were exaggerated. He recommends that Israel take action in the United States so that the economic fruits of peace can be felt. Jordan’s economic strengthening should be seen as an important component of Israel’s national security.

40.  Yaakov Rosen, Israel Chargé d’Affaires in ​​Amman, to the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Peace, the Head of the Centre for Political Research, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem; January 10, 1995

MFA 9163/6

After a month’s stay in Amman, Rosen reviews the influence of the Palestinian element of Jordanian identity. The Palestinian community has been well absorbed in the economy, but the problem of the displaced persons from 1967 has not yet been resolved.

 Appendix: Nadav Anar, Jerusalem, to Arie Zohar, Deputy Secretary of the Government, Jerusalem: Excerpts from a Conversation between Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and King Hussein of Jordan in 1975; November 24, 1992

A 8084/3

 During the talks with the Jordanian delegation in Washington on the border issue, a member of Prime Minister Rabin’s staff found a record of a conversation between Rabin, Defence Minister Shimon Peres, and Foreign Minister Yigal Allon with the King and Jordanian Prime Minister Zaid Al-Rifaei, on October 17, 1975. He attached to his letter a photocopy of relevant pages of the conversation in English. The participants discuss the Jordanian claim that the Israeli border fence encroaches on Jordanian territory and, together with Israeli agricultural activity in the area, poses a threat to the construction of a road by the Jordanians.