Jordan said on Thursday its commitment to upholding the 1994 peace treaty with Israel was not in question, despite ending a 25-year special land lease that has allowed Israel to use two parcels of Jordanian land along its borders.
Jordan formally notified Israel on Sunday it would not renew the deal over Baqura, known in Israel as Naharayim, in the northern Jordan Valley, and in the Ghamr area in the southern Arava Desert, where Israeli farmers have large plantations.
King Abdullah stressed that the territories were Jordanian lands and would remain so, and said the decision was made in the "national interest" at a period of regional turmoil.
The 1994 peace treaty recognized the two areas as being under Jordanian sovereignty but gave Israel special provisions to use the land and allow Israelis free access. In the Baqura area, Israeli private property rights were respected.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the deal had been conceived as a temporary arrangement from the start.
"That is why there was a time cap on it. ... We acted within the provisions of the peace treaty. This is an indication of our commitment to the peace treaty. There has never been a question of our solid commitment to the treaty," Safadi told Reuters.
Jordan is one of only two Arab states to have a peace treaty with Israel – the other is Egypt – and the two countries have a long history of close security ties. But the treaty is unpopular and pro-Palestinian sentiment is widespread in Jordan.
Safadi said the kingdom had contemplated the move for some time before the Nov. 10 deadline for notification.
Under the peace treaty, the deal would be automatically renewed unless either of the parties notified the other a year before expiry that it wished to terminate the agreement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Jordan's move and said his country would seek negotiations on the possibility of extending the arrangement.
Safadi said the kingdom was now waiting for Israel to invoke a provision in the treaty to hold consultations before the deadline.
"There will be no negotiations over sovereignty. But we will fulfill our obligation to engage in consultations to implement the termination," Safadi said.
The king's move was hailed by Jordanian parliamentarians, who have been vocal against the renewal, saying it is humiliating and perpetuates Israeli "occupation" of Jordanian territory.
Safadi said Jordan would respect its obligations toward Israelis in the peace treaty, which demarcated the borders between the two countries for the first time.
"We will fulfill our legal commitments in a manner that recognizes whatever rights there are for Israel, particularly the property rights. We will respect these rights in accordance with Jordanian laws that respect private property of non-Jordanians," Safadi said.
