Secret 1993 Meeting Sets Stage for Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty

In late October 1993 the Jordanian royal court received a request from King Hussein to meet Israel’s foreign minister Shimon Peres. The two leaders had already engaged in a series of clandestine contacts dating back to the 1987 London Agreement. Their November 1993 encounter at the king’s palace in Amman was conducted under strict secrecy; Peres altered his appearance to avoid identification. The agenda focused on regional economic cooperation—shared infrastructure, ports, aviation and road projects—as a foundation for a future peace accord.

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Efrat Duvdevani, director-general of the Center, called the dialogue a “testament for peace” and emphasized the king’s urgency, noting that Hussein felt his remaining time was limited and wanted to leave a lasting legacy of peace for future generations. Both officials highlighted the meeting’s role in shaping the October 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty, which has underpinned bilateral relations for more than three decades.

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• “My assurance that the partnership between us remains intact in no way expresses complacency; on the contrary, it is a dynamic partnership, open to creative proposals, which, from my experience, I know characterize your approach,” — Jordan's King Hussein

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• “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,” — King Hussein

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• “Our generation must make difficult decisions before we disappear, and all of this for our children. We must ensure the children's future, so we must not lose momentum. There is a contradiction between the little time available to us and the size of the opportunity before us,” — Jordan's King Hussein

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• “It is hard not to be moved when reading the documents from that historic meeting between Peres and the king of Jordan. The secret meeting reflected Peres's worldview, a man of vision who believed in our ability to change reality,” — Chemi Peres, between then-foreign minister

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• “It is a great privilege and a moral obligation to listen to the testament for peace of two great leaders, Shimon Peres and King Hussein. In the meeting, King Hussein says that his days are numbered and that peace is the most important thing they can leave to future generations,” — Efrat Duvdevani, director-general of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation

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These excerpts capture the mutual commitment expressed during the secret talks and the personal resolve of both leaders to pursue peace despite looming time constraints.

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Less than a year after the Amman meeting, Israel and Jordan signed their peace treaty in the Arava desert in October 1994, with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Foreign Minister Peres leading Israel’s delegation. The treaty has endured through periods of regional tension, serving as a cornerstone of Israel’s diplomatic framework in the Middle East. The newly released documents provide rare insight into the personal convictions and strategic thinking that helped transform a covert dialogue into a historic, lasting accord.

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