Jordan’s Tightrope Walk: Strategy and Survival in the Israel-Palestine Conflict

Despite its limited resources and modest military capabilities, Jordan has long exercised outsized influence in West Asia through its central role in the Israel-Palestine conflict and its credibility as a security partner of the United States. The kingdom’s strategic interests are deeply intertwined with developments in the West Bank and Gaza due to its geography, demographic sensitivities, and custodianship over Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem. The Israel–Hamas war has intensified Amman’s anxieties over potential displacement scenario and unilateral Israeli expansionist ambitions.

This paper examines the drivers of Jordan’s foreign policy, its historical approach to the Palestinian question, its evolving engagement with Israel, and the kingdom’s diplomatic and security posture during the said war and potential post-war dynamics.

About the Author

Dr. Hirak Jyoti Das is a Research Analyst at the West Asia Centre, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi. He holds a doctorate from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, with his thesis titled “Israel’s Security Predicaments since the fall of the Mubarak Regime in Egypt.” His MPhil dissertation focused on “Israel’s Defence Industry and the Role of Arms Exports” and his Masters of Arts dissertation from South Asian University studied “India’s Foreign Policy towards Israel (1992–2012) and its Impact on Indo-Palestine Relations.”

His research expertise spans India’s foreign policy in West Asia and South Asia, Arab-Israeli conflict, post-Arab Spring states and societies and Islamist movements.