Reference to the Northern Border, Syria, and Water in the Royal Speech
The King's speech at the United Nations this time was distinctive because it did not treat regional files as separate issues, but instead directly reconnected them to Jordanian national security. The speech signals that the common actor across all these issues is the current Israeli right-wing government. Issues like Gaza, the West Bank, displacement, and Jerusalem have a direct impact on national security, but observers see them as a constant presence in royal speeches — though this time they were phrased with more firmness and less diplomacy than usual. What was relatively new was the clear shift from the Palestinian cause as the central issue in Jordanian foreign policy toward Syria as a direct extension of Jordanian national security. The King affirmed that 'any threat to our northern border or our water security is a threat to our national security,' adding that Jordan 'will not look away' and that it will protect its security, its water, and the interests of its people.
The speech frames repeated Israeli incursions into Syria, geographic expansion, and the imposition of facts on the ground as part of an Israeli pattern working to entrench the status quo regardless of international law or UN charters. These incursions were also referenced by the Syrian president in his own speech, where President Ahmad al-Sharaa spoke of hundreds of Israeli raids, more than 1,200 incursions, and 300 arrests, and called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a return to the 1974 arrangements. The convergence of positions between Amman and Damascus regarding Israeli interventions in southern Syria suggests that the issue is no longer merely a Syrian concern, but has become a matter where Syrian security intersects with Jordanian security. The royal emphasis that Jordan will protect its borders points to matters we may not be aware of but which the King knows, given their connection to intelligence and security in general — and since the King referred to them, the threat must be real and verifiable according to the national security risk matrix.
Syria, under its new leadership, is considered a strategic partner for Jordan in security, water, energy, and all elements of strength and security. The shared concern over Israeli incursions aimed at permanence rather than withdrawal, combined with the international community's — and especially America's — turning a blind eye to these incursions, signals a danger that requires Jordanian-Syrian cooperation. This is what the King referred to in his speech when he said that Israeli policies begin with small matters that don't cause much of a stir, but that make the international community grow accustomed to them, after which these small matters develop into systematic policies aimed at normalizing the occupation of land and entrenching the Israeli presence in those areas.
As for water, it is perhaps the most sensitive element in this equation. Israel seeks to control the water basins feeding the Yarmouk basin, and this is what the speech referred to when it mentioned 'vital water sources.' Considering that Jordan and Syria achieved an important accomplishment in reaching understandings that allocate a larger share of water to Jordan from Syria — an achievement Jordan had tried to reach with the ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad throughout his rule without success — in this context, Israel does not want Jordan to obtain a quantity of water that would help it solve its problems; it wants Jordan to remain dependent on this essential resource. But it is important here to distinguish between what the royal speech establishes and what can be inferred from it. The speech does not explicitly state that the Israeli objective behind the movements in Syria is to deprive Jordan of water or keep it dependent on Israel — this is a possible analytical reading. What is established in the speech is that Israel is imposing new facts in southern Syria, that some of these are linked to vital water sources, and that Jordan considers its water security part of its national security.
Accordingly, the most important conclusion to be drawn from this section of the royal speech is that Jordan has begun treating the security of southern Syria as part of its own national security, rather than merely as one file among foreign policy files. This explains why the King joined, in almost a single sentence, the northern border, water, and national security. The question, from the Jordanian perspective, is no longer simply: what is happening in Syria? Rather, it has become: what kind of Syria will emerge on Jordan's northern border, and who will determine its security, geographic, and water arrangements?
*Dr. Emad al-Hammadin Center for Strategic Studies – University of Jordan
The King's speech at the United Nations this time was distinctive because it did not treat regional files as separate issues, but instead directly reconnected them to Jordanian national security. The speech signals that the common actor across all these issues is the current Israeli right-wing government. Issues like Gaza, the West Bank, displacement, and Jerusalem have a direct impact on national security, but observers see them as a constant presence in royal speeches — though this time they were phrased with more firmness and less diplomacy than usual. What was relatively new was the clear shift from the Palestinian cause as the central issue in Jordanian foreign policy toward Syria as a direct extension of Jordanian national security. The King affirmed that 'any threat to our northern border or our water security is a threat to our national security,' adding that Jordan 'will not look away' and that it will protect its security, its water, and the interests of its people.
The speech frames repeated Israeli incursions into Syria, geographic expansion, and the imposition of facts on the ground as part of an Israeli pattern working to entrench the status quo regardless of international law or UN charters. These incursions were also referenced by the Syrian president in his own speech, where President Ahmad al-Sharaa spoke of hundreds of Israeli raids, more than 1,200 incursions, and 300 arrests, and called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a return to the 1974 arrangements. The convergence of positions between Amman and Damascus regarding Israeli interventions in southern Syria suggests that the issue is no longer merely a Syrian concern, but has become a matter where Syrian security intersects with Jordanian security. The royal emphasis that Jordan will protect its borders points to matters we may not be aware of but which the King knows, given their connection to intelligence and security in general — and since the King referred to them, the threat must be real and verifiable according to the national security risk matrix.
Syria, under its new leadership, is considered a strategic partner for Jordan in security, water, energy, and all elements of strength and security. The shared concern over Israeli incursions aimed at permanence rather than withdrawal, combined with the international community's — and especially America's — turning a blind eye to these incursions, signals a danger that requires Jordanian-Syrian cooperation. This is what the King referred to in his speech when he said that Israeli policies begin with small matters that don't cause much of a stir, but that make the international community grow accustomed to them, after which these small matters develop into systematic policies aimed at normalizing the occupation of land and entrenching the Israeli presence in those areas.
As for water, it is perhaps the most sensitive element in this equation. Israel seeks to control the water basins feeding the Yarmouk basin, and this is what the speech referred to when it mentioned 'vital water sources.' Considering that Jordan and Syria achieved an important accomplishment in reaching understandings that allocate a larger share of water to Jordan from Syria — an achievement Jordan had tried to reach with the ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad throughout his rule without success — in this context, Israel does not want Jordan to obtain a quantity of water that would help it solve its problems; it wants Jordan to remain dependent on this essential resource. But it is important here to distinguish between what the royal speech establishes and what can be inferred from it. The speech does not explicitly state that the Israeli objective behind the movements in Syria is to deprive Jordan of water or keep it dependent on Israel — this is a possible analytical reading. What is established in the speech is that Israel is imposing new facts in southern Syria, that some of these are linked to vital water sources, and that Jordan considers its water security part of its national security.
Accordingly, the most important conclusion to be drawn from this section of the royal speech is that Jordan has begun treating the security of southern Syria as part of its own national security, rather than merely as one file among foreign policy files. This explains why the King joined, in almost a single sentence, the northern border, water, and national security. The question, from the Jordanian perspective, is no longer simply: what is happening in Syria? Rather, it has become: what kind of Syria will emerge on Jordan's northern border, and who will determine its security, geographic, and water arrangements?
*Dr. Emad al-Hammadin Center for Strategic Studies – University of Jordan
The King's speech at the United Nations this time was distinctive because it did not treat regional files as separate issues, but instead directly reconnected them to Jordanian national security. The speech signals that the common actor across all these issues is the current Israeli right-wing government. Issues like Gaza, the West Bank, displacement, and Jerusalem have a direct impact on national security, but observers see them as a constant presence in royal speeches — though this time they were phrased with more firmness and less diplomacy than usual. What was relatively new was the clear shift from the Palestinian cause as the central issue in Jordanian foreign policy toward Syria as a direct extension of Jordanian national security. The King affirmed that 'any threat to our northern border or our water security is a threat to our national security,' adding that Jordan 'will not look away' and that it will protect its security, its water, and the interests of its people.
The speech frames repeated Israeli incursions into Syria, geographic expansion, and the imposition of facts on the ground as part of an Israeli pattern working to entrench the status quo regardless of international law or UN charters. These incursions were also referenced by the Syrian president in his own speech, where President Ahmad al-Sharaa spoke of hundreds of Israeli raids, more than 1,200 incursions, and 300 arrests, and called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a return to the 1974 arrangements. The convergence of positions between Amman and Damascus regarding Israeli interventions in southern Syria suggests that the issue is no longer merely a Syrian concern, but has become a matter where Syrian security intersects with Jordanian security. The royal emphasis that Jordan will protect its borders points to matters we may not be aware of but which the King knows, given their connection to intelligence and security in general — and since the King referred to them, the threat must be real and verifiable according to the national security risk matrix.
Syria, under its new leadership, is considered a strategic partner for Jordan in security, water, energy, and all elements of strength and security. The shared concern over Israeli incursions aimed at permanence rather than withdrawal, combined with the international community's — and especially America's — turning a blind eye to these incursions, signals a danger that requires Jordanian-Syrian cooperation. This is what the King referred to in his speech when he said that Israeli policies begin with small matters that don't cause much of a stir, but that make the international community grow accustomed to them, after which these small matters develop into systematic policies aimed at normalizing the occupation of land and entrenching the Israeli presence in those areas.
As for water, it is perhaps the most sensitive element in this equation. Israel seeks to control the water basins feeding the Yarmouk basin, and this is what the speech referred to when it mentioned 'vital water sources.' Considering that Jordan and Syria achieved an important accomplishment in reaching understandings that allocate a larger share of water to Jordan from Syria — an achievement Jordan had tried to reach with the ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad throughout his rule without success — in this context, Israel does not want Jordan to obtain a quantity of water that would help it solve its problems; it wants Jordan to remain dependent on this essential resource. But it is important here to distinguish between what the royal speech establishes and what can be inferred from it. The speech does not explicitly state that the Israeli objective behind the movements in Syria is to deprive Jordan of water or keep it dependent on Israel — this is a possible analytical reading. What is established in the speech is that Israel is imposing new facts in southern Syria, that some of these are linked to vital water sources, and that Jordan considers its water security part of its national security.
Accordingly, the most important conclusion to be drawn from this section of the royal speech is that Jordan has begun treating the security of southern Syria as part of its own national security, rather than merely as one file among foreign policy files. This explains why the King joined, in almost a single sentence, the northern border, water, and national security. The question, from the Jordanian perspective, is no longer simply: what is happening in Syria? Rather, it has become: what kind of Syria will emerge on Jordan's northern border, and who will determine its security, geographic, and water arrangements?
*Dr. Emad al-Hammadin Center for Strategic Studies – University of Jordan
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Reference to the Northern Border, Syria, and Water in the Royal Speech
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