Newly disclosed documents reveal details of a clandestine meeting in November 1993 between then-Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Jordan’s King Hussein that helped lay the groundwork for the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty. The Peres Center for Peace and Innovation released the records on the tenth anniversary of Peres’s death, coinciding with a state memorial ceremony and the renaming of the Jerusalem International Convention Center in his honor.
The meeting took place at King Hussein’s palace in Amman under stringent secrecy measures, including altering Peres’s appearance to avoid identification. The documents show the dialogue between the two leaders was marked by urgency and a shared commitment to advancing peace in the region. King Hussein expressed a sense of limited time to achieve an agreement, stating, “Perhaps I have only a year or two left; I will put everything on the line.” He emphasized the symbolic and practical importance of their efforts, urging decisive action before they were gone.
The secret meeting was the culmination of years of discreet contacts between Israel and Jordan dating back to the 1987 London Agreement, during which Peres had sought to promote understanding between the two sides. A message from Peres to the Jordanian royal palace on October 26, 1993, set the stage for the encounter. Hussein reportedly viewed Peres as a creative thinker and was open to this confidential dialogue as part of preliminary efforts leading to formal peace negotiations.
During the discussions, Peres outlined his vision of regional economic cooperation that could underpin a future accord. He proposed projects involving shared infrastructure, such as ports, aviation networks, and roads designed to foster interconnected development. King Hussein reciprocated by voicing optimism for future generations, stating, “We have many dreams and hopes for the future... I share the commitment that there will be change and that the younger generations will have the opportunity to live with a sense of security, which is peace.”
The records indicate that Peres suggested drafting an informal memorandum summarizing the key points and mutual understandings for review by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, with whom Peres closely coordinated. Peres conveyed that he and Rabin were united in their pursuit of peace and felt a pressing need to accelerate the process. Hussein reinforced this urgency with an analogy: “History is like a galloping horse. Either you get on it, or you get off, and the horse will continue galloping without you.”
By the end of the meeting, Hussein and Peres had initialed a memorandum of understanding, signaling a formal commitment to continued negotiations. Less than a year later, Israeli and Jordanian officials signed the peace treaty in the Arava region, marking a significant milestone in Israeli-Arab relations. The treaty has since provided a foundation for stability and cooperation between the two countries, even through subsequent periods of regional tension.
The Peres Center characterized the 1993 meeting as a “testament for peace,” underscoring the legacy of two leaders determined to reshape the Middle East’s future. The newly published documents offer a glimpse into the personal dedication and pragmatism that helped transform a longstanding conflict into a sustained partnership.