First Deputy Speaker of the Jordanian Parliament, MP Abdul Rahim Maayah, acknowledged in a recent television interview that Jordan and its citizens benefit from the country's peace agreements with Israel.
Rahim Maayah said that canceling these agreements without finding alternative solutions for gas and water supply to Jordan would be illogical. He also said that if only Syria would open its dams and allow water to flow into Jordan, then it would not need Israeli water.
The comments were made in a December 21, 2023, interview on Yarmouk TV and translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
"Let's assume that our government tears up all agreements [with Israel]—what's next? Who will stand to lose? The [Jordanian] citizens. Us. Israel will say to you: You don't want it? Fine, whatever. Therefore, I want to protect the citizens," said Rahim Maayah.
The interviewer then said, "The citizens would lose the Israeli gas, but would win their dignity and freedom" to which Rahim Maayah replied, "In what way does Israel benefit from us, aside from the energy?"
When the interviewer suggested that Israel would be isolated and Jordan “would become the nightmare of the occupation”, Rahim Maayah said, "Do the Israelis rely only on Jordanian energy? I want to protect my people. I don't want to be swept [away] by emotions. I am not saying these agreements should not be canceled, but they should be canceled only when we can offer the Jordanian public alternatives to these agreements. It is really necessary for us to find alternatives. If we cannot find alternatives, it would mean the government has failed."
"When we reach a point where we can deal with this matter, these agreements will be disregarded. If we do not benefit from them, we will throw them away. When we have no water and our Syrian brothers do not open the dams…Who is stopping the water if not our Syrian brothers? If they let the water flow, we won't need the Israeli water,” he added.
Jordan in 1994 became the second Arab country, after Egypt, to sign a peace deal with Israel. However, the country’s parliament, which is made up mostly of Islamists, remains anti-Israel and its members have more than once called to annul the peace treaty.
In 2017, the Jordanian parliament approved a proposal to establish a committee to reevaluate all formal ties with Israel, including the peace agreement. The authority to cancel the peace agreement, however, remains in the hands of the king.