Jordan and the Annexation of the West Bank
The tentative ceasefire in Gaza may have come at the price of the West Bank. As of January 21, 2025, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced a new military operation against “terrorism” in Jenin, the latest in escalations of Israeli violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. But in addition to finally killing the nominal two-state solution, what would be the effect of West Bank annexation for Israel’s treaty partner, Jordan?
Since Jordan reached a peace deal with Israel in 1994, the kingdom has emerged as a strong American partner, yet the U.S.–Jordanian relationship has become increasingly uncertain as the United States continues to provide unconditional support for Israeli military actions under both Biden and Trump.
Join us to discuss the situation in Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank with Marwan Muasher, one of the Jordanian officials responsible for orchestrating the Jordan-Israel peace treaty, and Bruce Riedel, who was a member of President Clinton’s peace process team on loan from the CIA when the treaty was signed. Annelle Sheline, research fellow at the Quincy Institute, will discuss her recent brief, “Jordan on the Edge.” Steven Simon, senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute who was also a member of the Clinton administration’s Middle East team, will moderate the conversation.
The conversation will take place on Monday, February 3rd from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Eastern Time.
Program
Entities
Panelists
Marwan Muasher
Marwan Muasher is vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment, where he oversees research in Washington and Beirut on the Middle East. Muasher served as foreign minister (2002–2004) and deputy prime minister (2004–2005) of Jordan, and his career has spanned the areas of diplomacy, development, civil society, and communications. In 1995, Muasher opened Jordan’s first embassy in Israel. From 1997 to 2002, he served in Washington again as ambassador, negotiating the first free-trade agreement between the United States and an Arab nation. He then returned to Jordan to serve as foreign minister, where he played a central role in developing the Arab Peace Initiative and the Middle East roadmap. He is the author of “The Arab Center: The Promise of Moderation” (Yale University Press, 2008) and “The Second Arab Awakening and the Battle for Pluralism” (Yale University Press, 2014).
Bruce Riedel
Bruce Riedel is a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and an instructor at Washington College. He served thirty years in the Central Intelligence Agency serving overseas in the Middle East and Europe as well as eight years in the National Security Council at the White House for four Presidents. A graduate of Brown, Harvard and the Royal College of Defense Studies in London, he is the author of nine books. His book “Jordan and America: An Enduring Friendship” was published in 2021.
Annelle Sheline
Annelle Sheline is a research fellow in the Middle East program at the Quincy Institute. She previously served as a Foreign Affairs Officer at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor’s Office of Near Eastern Affairs (DRL/NEA), before resigning in March 2024 in protest over the Biden administration’s Gaza policy. She is a senior non-resident fellow at the Arab Center of Washington DC and a non-resident fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. She holds a PhD in political science from George Washington University.
Steven Simon
Steven Simon is a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute and distinguished fellow and visiting professor at Dartmouth College. Prior to this, he was Robert E. Wilhelm Fellow at the MIT Center for International Studies and Executive Director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies for the U.S. and Middle East. From 2011 to 2012, he served on the National Security Council staff as senior director for Middle Eastern and North African affairs. He also worked on the NSC staff 1994 – 1999 on counterterrorism and Middle East security policy. His most recent book, "Grand Delusion: The Rise and Fall of American Ambition in the Middle East", was published in 2023.