Secret 1993 Peres-Hussein Meeting Minutes Reveal Peace Efforts

The Israeli news site Walla has published excerpts from the minutes of a secret meeting between then-Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and King Hussein of Jordan in November 1993, approximately one year before the two countries signed a peace treaty. The report, based on documents released by the Peres Center archives on the tenth anniversary of the former Israeli president's death, details a clandestine encounter initiated by King Hussein, who viewed Peres as an innovative thinker.

According to the documents, Hussein requested the meeting on October 26, 1993, with assurances of complete secrecy to prevent Peres's identification. The meeting, held about a week later, saw Peres outline his vision for economic cooperation between Israel and Jordan, including joint development of ports, aviation, and transportation infrastructure. King Hussein emphasized the importance of seizing the "historical chance for peace," likening the opportunity to a "horse that gallops: either you get on it, or you are left behind."

Hussein also expressed a desire to secure peace for future generations, telling Peres, "Perhaps I only have a year or two left, I will put everything on the line," before his death in February 1999. Peres proposed drafting an unofficial document to record their understandings, which would then be discussed with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Peres stressed his close collaboration with Rabin, stating they were "working hand in hand" to "pull the cart of peace together."

The memorandum of understanding was initialed by both Peres and Hussein on the same night. The formal peace treaty between Israel and Jordan was signed in October 1994 in the Arava desert.