The Hashemite Kingdom closely monitors the actions of the right-wing Israeli government, fearing that it may be devising various strategies to gain control of Judea and Samaria, thereby jeopardizing the two-state solution.
King Abdullah is apprehensive that Israel is covertly pursuing a “Jordan is Palestine” agenda, which aims to annex Judea and Samaria while gradually pushing Palestinians eastward into Jordanian territory.
Therefore, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement on September 3rd that Israel plans to build a security fence along its eastern border with Jordan and ensure that no infiltrations occur into Israeli territory has raised alarms within the Jordanian royal house.
The Prime Minister’s intention is to construct a security fence similar to the one erected on the border with Egypt, which effectively prevented the entry of a million individuals from African countries into Israel. Netanyahu accused them of seeking to “destroy Israel.”
Israel has additional reasons for building this fence, including concerns about potential border conflicts with Jordan in the future, the infiltration of terrorist groups into Israeli territory, and the substantial arms smuggling for terrorist organizations in Judea and Samaria.
This arms smuggling has surged over the past two years, and Iran is held responsible for facilitating it through northern Jordan.
The Jordanian government has not yet issued an official response to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s announcement.
However, political officials in Jordan assert that the fence’s construction constitutes a breach of the 1994 peace agreement between Israel and Jordan and a violation of international law.
They argue that Netanyahu is manipulating border issues and the long-awaited permanent resolution of the Palestinian problem, marking a clear crossing of Jordan’s established red lines.
Jordan is deeply concerned that the construction of this new security fence could be the initial step towards the annexation of the Jordan Valley by Israel, a development that would severely undermine the two-state solution.
Consequently, Jordan intends to engage with the Biden administration on this matter, seeking to exert pressure on Israel to halt the construction of the fence.
It is worth noting that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s promise to build a security fence along the eastern border with Jordan is not a new development; it was first mentioned a decade ago.
However, it has regained relevance following a mass and violent riot by immigrants from Eritrea in the city of Tel Aviv last week.
The construction of this extensive security fence along the Jordanian border will undoubtedly be costly for the State of Israel.
Still, it is viewed as a crucial measure to enhance Israel’s security.
The Israeli government is compelled to act in accordance with its security requirements and protect its citizens.
Jordan’s continued scrutiny of Israel and its search for any reason to launch attacks necessitates effective measures within Israeli territory to prevent infiltrations and the large-scale smuggling of arms before such threats become reality.
