Establishment and demarcation of the Israel–Jordan boundary through mandate era to the 1994 peace treaty (1922–1994)

1. Transjordan separated under Article 25 plan

   Sep 16, 1922Labels: Article 25, Transjordan

   The League of Nations approved a British memorandum setting out how Article 25 of the Palestine Mandate would be applied east of the Jordan River. This created an administrative separation between "Palestine" and "Transjordan" and described a boundary running from near Aqaba up the Wadi Araba, the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, and the Yarmouk River. That mandate-era description later became the key reference point for the Israel–Jordan international boundary.

   • Transjordan Memo
   • ECF Database
   • Mandate Article 25

2. Paulet–Newcombe line approved to Al-Hamma

   Mar 7, 1923Labels: Paulet Newcombe, Al-Hamma

   Britain and France approved the Paulet–Newcombe boundary agreements that fixed the northern border of Mandatory Palestine up to Al-Hamma in the Yarmouk valley. This mattered for the future Israel–Jordan boundary because it anchored the northern end of the Palestine–Transjordan line at the Yarmouk’s junction with the (separately defined) Syria–Palestine frontier. It helped turn earlier, looser descriptions into lines meant to be mapped and marked on the ground.

   • ECF Border Text
   • Lebanese Army
   • Paulet Newcombe

3. Transjordan’s autonomy recognized by Britain

   May 25, 1923Labels: Emir Abdullah, Transjordan

   Britain recognized Transjordan’s independence under Emir Abdullah while keeping major powers like defense and foreign affairs under British influence. Even though the mandate framework remained important, Transjordan increasingly acted like a separate political unit on the east bank. This strengthened the idea that the Jordan River line was more than an administrative boundary.

   • Britannica Jordan
   • Transjordan History

4. Palestine Mandate enters into force

   Sep 29, 1923Labels: Palestine Mandate, League of

   The League of Nations Mandate system for Palestine became effective, putting Britain’s administration (and the Article 25 Transjordan carve-out) into formal operation. From this point, the Jordan River–Dead Sea–Wadi Araba line functioned as a recognized internal boundary within the mandate framework. Later negotiations would repeatedly refer back to this mandate-era boundary definition.

   • Mandate History
   • COJS Summary

5. Treaty of London sets Transjordan independence path

   Mar 22, 1946Labels: Treaty of, Transjordan

   Britain and Transjordan signed the Treaty of London as the legal mechanism to recognize Transjordan’s independence after ratification. This was a step toward ending the mandate relationship and turning the east side of the Jordan River into a fully sovereign state. Clear sovereignty made the question of an international boundary (not just an internal mandate line) increasingly important.

   • Treaty London
   • Transjordan History

6. Transjordan gains full independence

   Jun 17, 1946Labels: Hashemite Kingdom, Transjordan

   Ratifications were exchanged and Transjordan became independent, soon operating as the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. Independence meant the boundary with the territory west of the river could no longer be treated as a purely internal administrative division. The stage was set for the 1948–1949 war and the armistice lines that would reshape control on the ground.

   • Treaty London
   • Transjordan History

7. Israel captures Umm Rashrash (Eilat) area

   Mar 10, 1949Labels: Umm Rashrash, Eilat

   In the final stage of the 1948–1949 war, Israeli forces took the Umm Rashrash area at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba (later developed as Eilat). This fixed an Israeli presence at the gulf and made the southern end of the Israel–Jordan boundary (in the Arava/Wadi Araba) strategically significant. Later, the 1994 treaty would formalize the boundary down to the gulf.

   • Operation Uvda

8. Jordan establishes West Bank control (armistice era)

   Apr 1, 1949Labels: West Bank, Jordan

   After the armistice, Jordan controlled the West Bank and East Jerusalem under the armistice-line framework. This shifted the most sensitive part of the Israel–Jordan boundary question away from the river as a simple state-to-state border and toward the status of territory captured in 1967. The 1994 treaty would later recognize an international boundary while explicitly not deciding the future status of territories occupied in 1967.

   • Avalon Armistice
   • Peace Treaty Article

9. Israel–Jordan General Armistice signed

   Apr 3, 1949Labels: General Armistice, Green Line

   Israel and Jordan signed a General Armistice Agreement that established an Armistice Demarcation Line (often called the Green Line) and provided for demilitarized areas and withdrawals. The agreement emphasized that these lines were military lines and did not prejudice a future political boundary settlement. Still, the armistice line became the practical dividing line for the West Bank and parts of the Jordan Valley until 1967.

   • Avalon Armistice

10. Washington Declaration ends formal state of war

    Jul 25, 1994Labels: Washington Declaration, Israel Jordan

    Israel and Jordan issued the Washington Declaration, formally ending the state of war and opening the way to a full peace treaty. This political breakthrough made it possible to move from armistice-era arrangements to a mutually agreed international boundary. It directly set the stage for the October 1994 treaty and its detailed boundary annexes.

    • ECF Treaty Note
    • Peace Treaty

11. Israel–Jordan Peace Treaty signed at Wadi Araba

    Oct 26, 1994Labels: Peace Treaty, Annex I

    Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty that established mutual recognition and set out a permanent, recognized international boundary. Article 3 explicitly tied the boundary to the mandate-era boundary definition and attached maps and coordinates in Annex I. The treaty also required demarcation work on the ground through a joint boundary process within a set timeline.

    • PeaceAgreements
    • Avalon Annex I
    • ECF Treaty

12. Special regimes set for Naharayim/Baqura and Ghamr

    Oct 26, 1994Labels: Naharayim Baqura, Ghamr

    The treaty’s Annex I created special arrangements in two small areas—Naharayim/Baqura in the north and Ghamr (near Tzofar) in the Arava—where sovereignty and private land-use interests were handled through a defined “special regime.” These provisions showed how the treaty combined a fixed international boundary with practical local solutions for land and access. Together with the boundary coordinates, they marked the treaty’s end-state: a legally defined border replacing decades of mandate lines and armistice-era control.

    • Avalon Annex I
    • PeaceAgreements