# An Israeli defense umbrella for Jordan \*by treaty\*? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 29, 2018, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-israeli-defense-umbrella-for-jordan-by-treaty/815070 "2018-05-29T16:50:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-israeli-defense-umbrella-for-jordan-by-treaty/815070/1 "2018-05-29T16:50:42Z")
In the last few days it was revealed that Israel, Iran, Russia, and Syria apparently have been performing some intricate negotiations via adjoining rooms (an amusing detail, at least to me) in a Jordanian hotel, on who-gets-to-fight-where-or-else in Syria (see, eg, [Times Israel](https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-russia-said-to-agree-on-pushing-iran-from-syria-border/)). Who knows how much is true, but in this [Jerusalem Post article](https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Report-Israel-Iran-engage-in-indirect-negotiations-over-Syria-fighting-558519), the following throwaway line stopped me: Israel’s peace treaty with Jordan includes an Israeli umbrella of defense, which provides for Israeli military action should Jordan be threatened. Does anyone have any info on that? That Israel _does_ act as an ally in Jordanian military endeavors, when it’s interests are involved, is unquestionable. But by treaty? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-israeli-defense-umbrella-for-jordan-by-treaty/815070/2 "2018-05-29T19:32:28Z")
Hardly unusual. England & France had such treaties with Poland – that’s how WWII started when Germany invaded Poland. WWI had similar treaties involved. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-israeli-defense-umbrella-for-jordan-by-treaty/815070/3 "2018-05-29T21:59:59Z")
My guess is that the Jordanians may have felt they were sticking their necks out when signing the peace treaty, in that they were alienating many other Arab nations in the region. So the defense commitment may have been an attempt to take that off the table. In addition, it would obviously be in Israel’s interest to keep the regime which made the treaty in power as opposed to one which might reneg on it. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2018, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-israeli-defense-umbrella-for-jordan-by-treaty/815070/4 "2018-05-29T23:37:52Z")
> [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](#): > > Hardly unusual. > > England & France had such treaties with Poland – that’s how WWII started when Germany invaded Poland. WWI had similar treaties involved. They go back a lot further than that. They’ve been feature of treaties since pre-history. e.g. [From a treaty between Sparta and Persia:](http://www.livius.org/sources/content/thucydides/the-treaties-between-persia-and-sparta/) > [@](#): > > If any of the states comprised in this convention with the King attack the King’s country, the rest shall stop them and aid the King to the best of their power. And if any in the King’s country or in the countries under the King’s rule attack the country of the Spartans or their allies, the King shall stop it and help them to the best of his power . ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-israeli-defense-umbrella-for-jordan-by-treaty/815070/5 "2018-05-30T13:49:55Z")
> [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](#): > > Hardly unusual. > > England & France had such treaties with Poland – that’s how WWII started when Germany invaded Poland. WWI had similar treaties involved. I think the question comes from the assumption that an Arab nation would not wish to be seen to have formal relationships such as a defensive treaty with Israel. If it does, this simply goes to show how the lip service once paid to Arab unity has worn away. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-israeli-defense-umbrella-for-jordan-by-treaty/815070/6 "2018-05-30T16:16:25Z")
[Here](https://peacemaker.un.org/sites/peacemaker.un.org/files/IL%20JO_941026_PeaceTreatyIsraelJordan.pdf) (pdf) is the treaty, I think. I don’t see such a broad security guarantee in it. Rather, the treaty seems to call for a series of negative obligations, i.e., things that both countries agree not to do. It looks to me like both countries agree to refrain from hostile actions against one another either directly or via proxy, and to work together to combat terrorism. I do not see any affirmative obligations to guarantee the other’s security against outside attack. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2018, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-israeli-defense-umbrella-for-jordan-by-treaty/815070/7 "2018-05-30T18:05:00Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > [Here](https://peacemaker.un.org/sites/peacemaker.un.org/files/IL%20JO_941026_PeaceTreatyIsraelJordan.pdf) (pdf) is the treaty, I think. I don’t see such a broad security guarantee in it. Rather, the treaty seems to call for a series of negative obligations, i.e., things that both countries agree not to do. It looks to me like both countries agree to refrain from hostile actions against one another either directly or via proxy, and to work together to combat terrorism. I do not see any affirmative obligations to guarantee the other’s security against outside attack. I think you are correct. I can’t see any reference to any formal requirement for mutual defense. It could be that the Israelis have an informal understanding that they will defend Jordan, but it isn’t in the terms of the Peace Treaty itself.