Jordan, Israel at peace — barely

By FRIDA GHITIS

In a world where so many claim to value peace above all else, a recent anniversary passed with less attention than it deserved. Oct. 26 marked 15 years since one of the great triumphs of peacemakers in a region where peace scores too few victories. In 1994, the leaders of Israel and Jordan came together at their shared Araba border crossing near the Red Sea and signed a treaty proclaiming, “Peace is hereby established between the State of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.”

The anniversary did not go unnoticed, but it’s hard to speak of a celebration. In the upscale neighborhood of Shmeisani in Amman, the Jordanian capital, protesters representing professional associations and Islamist groups set fire to Israeli flags, calling for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and the revocation of the peace treaty.

In Jerusalem, the Truman Center for the Advancement of Peace at Hebrew University held a conference to mark the occasion. High-ranking Jordanian officials excused themselves, saying they had previous engagements. In the United States, President Barack Obama noted the date, optimistically calling it “a reminder that peace is always possible despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles.”

The enemy

An article in a Jordanian daily said 80 percent of Jordanians consider Israel the enemy. The disheartening figure adds credibility to even more-alarming results from a poll commissioned by the Israel Project. It found that fewer than 25 percent of Jordanians believe Israel has the right to exist, and 75 percent say it “is not necessarily here to stay as a Jewish state.” Pollsters noted that in three decades in the business they had never seen a level of rejection comparable to the one they found among Jordanians toward Israel.

The feeling is not mutual.

A few months ago I boarded a Royal Jordanian flight from Amman to Tel Aviv. Under the peace deal, regular flights link the two countries. I sat next to an Israeli woman on a layover from a trip to Asia. With excitement she told me about the Jordanian officials who regularly visit her telecommunications company in Israel for training and cooperative programs.

I had spent more than a month in Jordan this time. I had spoken with many Jordanians, a majority of whom are Palestinians, and had looked at the local newspapers with their daily diet of anti-Israel material. I knew that this was peace without love.

Among some people, anti-Israel sentiment will never change. For others, however, it stems partly from frustration with the stalled peace process and anger at Israeli tactics, portrayed with unrestrained gore in the Arab media. But there is another powerful element.

In Egypt and Jordan, the two countries that have made peace with Israel, the unelected governments fear their people, and most of the people despise Israel. In order not to antagonize the population, the governments go along and even fan the flames of resentment. Arab governments act as if they are ashamed of having made peace.

Value of peace

Arab governments do nothing to stop rumors about sinister Israeli plots. Instead, they conceal much of the valuable cooperation and trade that does take place, downplaying the value of peace while boasting of their defiance and rejection of improving ties. Their actions encourage popular rejection of peace. A few days ago, for example, a breast-cancer charity organized a major event in Egypt to promote regional cooperation to fight the disease. The Egyptian government blocked Israeli scientists from attending.

The sense of promise for a shared future of “normal” relations has evaporated — at least for now. Amazingly, peace has survived — at least until now.

This is, indeed, the coldest kind of peace. And yet, it is a peace to cherish. Losing it would inflict immeasurable damage and suffering. Progress in pursuit of Israeli-Palestinian peace is needed, but to reverse the trend and strengthen peace both Israel and its two non-enemy Arab countries should work purposefully to safeguard it, helping each other’s population understand the pressures and dilemmas faced by the other.

After all, peace is truly a terrible thing to waste.

X Frida Ghitis writes about global affairs for The Miami Herald. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.