Main Points of Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty

On October 26, 1994, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Prime Minister Abdul-Salam Majali signed the Treaty of Peace between the State of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the second peace treaty Israel has signed since its independence.

The peace treaty with Jordan comprises 30 articles, five annexes which address boundary demarcations, water issues, police cooperation, environmental issues and mutual border crossings, and six maps.

The main provisions of the treaty are as follows:

1. International boundary

The Agreement delimits the agreed international boundary between Israel and Jordan including territorial waters and airspace. This boundary is delimited with reference to the Mandate boundary and is shown on the maps attached to the agreement. The Agreement provides for some minor mutual border modifications which will enable Israeli farmers in the Arava to continue to cultivate their land.

The Naharayim/Baqura Area and Zofar Area will fall under Jordanian sovereignty with Israeli private land use rights. These rights include unimpeded freedom of entry to, exit from and movement within the area. These areas are not subject to customs or immigration legislation. These rights will remain in force for 25 years and will be renewed automatically for the same period unless either country wishes to terminate the arrangement, in which case consultations will be taken.

2. Security

The two parties will refrain from any acts of belligerency or hostility, will ensure that no threats of violence against the other party originate from within their territory, and undertake to take necessary and effective measures to prevent acts of terrorism. They will also refrain from joining a coalition whose objectives include military aggression against the other party. Israel and Jordan will abstain from hostile propaganda and will repeal all discriminatory references and expressions of hostility in their respective legislation.

The two countries will establish a Conference on Security and Cooperation in the Middle East (CSCME) which will be modeled after the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). This is an ambitious attempt to replace the more classical view of security by substituting the old notions of deterrence and military preparedness with confidence building measures. In due time, confidence will lead to the establishment of mutual trust and institutions aimed at preventing war and enhancing cooperation.

3. Water

Israel and Jordan have agreed on allocations of water from the Jordan and Yarmouk Rivers and from Araba/Arava groundwaters. Israel has agreed to transfer to Jordan 50 million cubic meters of water annually from the northern part of the country. In addition the two countries have agreed to cooperate to alleviate the water shortage by developing existing and new water resources, by preventing contamination of water resources, and by minimizing water wastage.

4. Freedom of Passage

Nationals from both countries and their vehicles will be permitted freedom of movement through open roads and border-crossings. Vessels from either country will have the right to passage through territorial waters, and will be granted access to ports. Negotiations are underway towards a Civil Aviation Agreement. The Strait of Tiran and the Gulf of Aqaba are considered international waterways, open to all nations for freedom of navigation and overflight.

5. Places of Historical and Religious Significance

There will be freedom of access to the places of religious and historical significance. In accordance with the Washington Declaration, Israel respects the present special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Muslim Holy shrines in Jerusalem. When negotiations on the permanent status, as detailed in the Declaration of Principles, will take place, Israel will give high priority to the Jordanian historic role in these shrines.

6. Refugees and Displaced Persons

The parties recognize the human problems caused by the conflict in the Middle East, and agree to alleviate them on a bilateral level and to try to resolve them through three channels:

• The quadripartite committee with Egypt and the Palestinians with regard to displaced persons.
• The Multilateral Working Group on Refugees.
• Negotiations in a framework to be agreed upon - bilateral or otherwise in conjunction with permanent status negotiations detailed in the Declaration of Principles.