Jordan: Peace Treaty with Israel Won’t Be Affected by Nixing Land Leases

The Times of Israel reports: Jordan said Thursday it’s decision to end a pair of land leases with Israel would not affect the decades-old peace agreement between the countries, seeking to calm fears in Jerusalem that ties could be downgraded.

King Abdullah II announced Sunday that Amman would not renew an agreement to lease two parcels of land on the border to Israel for agriculture use, which it has done for the past 24 years as part of an annex of the historic peace treaty between the nations signed in 1994.

Officials in Jerusalem had expressed fears that the move signaled Jordan’s desire to effectively reduce diplomatic ties with Israel, and many saw it as a reflection of intense domestic pressure from a public that still largely views Israel as an enemy.

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