Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 12/2008

PolicyWatch #1400: Amman Warms to Hamas

Matthew Levitt, David Schenker

August 2008

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Abstract

This PolicyWatch is the first part of a two-part series on Hamas.

Last week, Jordan's minister of information publicly confirmed that senior Jordanian officials have been meeting with Hamas in an effort to "solve pending security issues." These talks represent a significant shift for Amman, since relations between Jordan and the Palestinian group had been frozen for two years, following the arrest of three Hamas members in the kingdom on terrorism and weapons charges. Although the decision to renew contacts with Hamas suggests that Amman remains concerned with Hamas-related activities in the kingdom, the timing also highlights domestic and regional pressures on King Abdullah and the Jordanian government.