Events Leading to the1970 Jordanian Civil War

Jordan's Slide Into War and its Request to Israel for Military Help

Feb 21, 2009

During 1970, Jordan, its monarch King Hussein and the Hasemite regime stood on the brink of disaster as the country slid towards civil war.

Following the 1967 Arab Israeli war, Jordan lost great swathes of their country to the victorious Israelis. East Jerusalem and the West Bank, previously part of Jordanian territory were now in Israeli hands resulting in many thousands of Palestinians fleeing to Jordan, swelling the refugee population to around two million.

Palestinian Refugees

Over the following three years, the Palestinian refugees, deeply unhappy about losing their homes and angry over continuing talks between Jordan and Israel that came to nothing, became very restless.

Despite Jordanian efforts to secure their border with Israel the number of incidents involving fedayeen (in Arabic means self-sacrificers) crossing the border to attack Israel increased. Israel responded by shelling fedayeen bases in Jordan.

In Jordan the fedayeen were widely seen as freedom fighters taking the fight to the enemy while the Jordanian monarchy was ineffectual.

Writer Avi Shlaim in his book Lion of Jordan said: “The harder Israel struck at the fedayeen, the more popular the latter became in Jordan and the greater was the threat they posed…”

Nasser's Regime

Towards the end of 1969 the situation in the Middle East generally deteriorated. Israel mounted bombing raids inside Egypt with the aim of removing Nasser’s regime and started shelling fedayeen positions, in the Jordanian town of Irbid, from theGolan Heights.

In 1970 the growing power of the Palestinians in Jordan allowed the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) to develop a political and economic organisation within the country. Its authority, rather than Jordan’s, to act on behalf of all Palestinians was de facto. In essence the Palestinians formed a state within Jordan.

Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO)

Although the Palestinians were gathered loosely together under the PLO umbrella they were in fact part of quite separate groups which included Yasser Arafat’s Fatah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Increasing power in Jordan spawned growing self-importance and the palestinians drove round Jordanian towns, like an army of occupation, in vehicles bristling with weapons and ignoring the normal rule of Jordanian law.

The growing anarchy put Hussein in an almost impossible position. If he set the army against them he would isolate his Palestinian residents and turn the rest of the Arab world against him. As Hussein dithered the situation grew worse.

In February Hussein went to Cairo to discuss the situation and managed to extract a promise from Nasser to try to persuade the Palestinians to ease off on Jordan.

Buoyed by Nasser’s cooperation Hussein returned home and tried to rein in the out-of-control Palestinians. Hussein’s demand that they must stop carrying weapons in public and carry identity cards like everyone else was angrily ignored.

Israeli Support

The world watched nervously as Jordan continued the descent into chaos. In desperation Hussein turned to America and Israel for support.

He sent a message via Washington to Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban with three questions:

“Does Israel agree to avoid taking advantage of the opportunity of Hussein having to thin down his forces on the border to deal with subversive elements at home.

“Can Israel agree to avoid responding to provocations by the terrorists, who will try to carry out attacks while Jordanian forces are being thinned down…?

“Can Hussein count on Israeli forces to assist him should the forces of neighbouring countries come to the aid of the Palestinian terrorists while he tries to knock the out?”

“In case of terrorist provocations on the Jordanian border, Israel will respond vigorously.

“Israel is willing the discuss the question of assisting Jordan, should the need arise.”

It was an extraordinary communication and the very fact that Israel was willing to assist Jordan if attacked by other countries (Syria and Iraq) showed the importance it placed on a stable eastern border.

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