Dr. Aaron Lerner: While Jordan practiced defending itself against an Israeli
invasion, Egypt has over the years practiced INVADING Israel, moving large
forces across the Suez Canal and through Sinai under the protective cover of
American made mobile anti-aircraft units.

MEMRI November 26, 2019 Special Dispatch
No.8380
Jordanian Army Conducts Maneuvers Simulating Military Battle With Israel
https://www.memri.org/reports/jordanian-army-conducts-maneuvers-simulating-military-battle-israel

Yesterday, November 25, 2019, the Jordanian Army conducted military
maneuvers named "Swords of Karama," named for Israel's 1968 military
operation against Fatah that took place near the village of Karama, and in
which the Jordanian Army fought alongside Fatah. The maneuvers took place in
the presence of King Abdullah II and appear to be a message addressed to
Israel. The official Jordanian news agency Petra and the Jordanian press
reported that the maneuvers simulated a defensive battle aimed at stopping
an invasion of the country, and that they involved the use of many tanks,
planes, and helicopters and a great number of weapons with the aim of
"destroying the vanguard of the enemy and the bridges that can be used as
crossing points" into Jordanian territory.

It should be noted that the official Jordanian reports did not explicitly
state that the maneuvers simulated a battle with Israel. However, this can
be understood from their name, which hints at the Battle of Karama, and
because the maneuvers simulated an enemy army invasion via bridges – that
is, bridges over the Jordan River that forms the border between the two
countries. Additionally, the division that carried out the maneuvers is part
of Jordan's Central Command.

Furthermore, one photo of the maneuvers published in the Jordanian media
showed King Abdullah standing with army commanders in front of a model of
Jordan's western border and the Dead Sea area. Also, an article published by
a local Jordanian website stated explicitly that the maneuvers simulated a
battle with "the occupying entity across the river" – that is, Israel.

This report will present details and photos of the November 25, 2019 Swords
of Honor military maneuvers in Jordan:

Defensive Maneuvers Simulating An Invasion Of Jordan

According to a report by the official Jordanian news agency Petra, King
Abdullah observed the tactical military maneuvers by the Royal Guard 1st
Mechanized Battalion of the Jordanian Central Command that took place on
designated training grounds. The report stated that the maneuvers simulated
a defensive battle, with the participation of various corps, fighter planes,
and helicopters, "with the aim of destroying the vanguard of the enemy and
the bridges that can be used as crossing points" into Jordanian territory.
Also according to the report, the forces used all types of light and medium
weapons as well as anti-tank weapons and explosives, and the tanks fired
their guns both when stationary and in motion.

Also attending the maneuvers, in addition to the King, was a lineup of
senior Jordanian officials: Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, the director of the
Royal Court, several government ministers, and members of the upper and
lower houses of the Jordanian parliament. Also present were university heads
and students, army veterans, and military attaches from several unidentified
countries.[1]

Jordan's Joint Chief Of Staff: We Are Prepared To Defend Our Territory And
To "Strike With An Iron Hand" At Anyone Daring To Harm Our Security

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Jordanian Armed Forces
Maj.-Gen. Yousef Huneiti said at the opening of the maneuvers: "In the near
future, there will be a wave of preparedness. Through joint training and
reinforcement of the elements of the military, competency will be increased,
and [the branches of the military] will be provided with the newest weapons
and equipment. There will be a focus on training the troops so that they
will be at the highest level of preparedness for confronting the challenges
and events of our time; they will be ready to defend the authentic Hashemite
Arab territory and strike with an iron hand against anyone from the
extremist and terrorist gangs who dares to harm the homeland's security."[3]

Local Jordanian Website: The Maneuvers Were An Expected Message To The
Occupying Entity To The West, In Light Of The Deterioration In Our Relations
With It

Today, November 26, the local Jordanian website Rumonline.net published an
article titled "The Swords of Karama [Maneuvers] – A Hint To Whom, And
When?" The article focused on one photo from the maneuvers showing King
Abdullah, Jordanian military commanders, and Jordanian officials standing in
front of a model of Jordan's western border in the Dead Sea region.

The article stated: "His Majesty the King stands at the center of the photo,
as is customary, but before him is a geographic map presenting the western
border of the kingdom overlooking Palestine... The map presents the King
Abdullah Bridge area,[4] the [village of] Al-Kufrin, and even the Dead Sea,
as areas for the Jordanian army [where the enemy will enter the country]. On
the other side [of the river] are two flags – one symbolizing the Kingdom of
Jordan and another symbolizing the area from which [enemy forces will] cross
[into Jordan]. The [Jordanian] artillery in the field strikes the middle of
the path between the flag of the Kingdom and the other flag symbolizing the
occupying entity across the river [i.e. Israel]."

The article concludes: "It appears that this is expected, in light of the
deterioration of relations with the occupying state and the increasingly
harsh tone of [Israel's] statements vis-a-vis Jordan... It seems that we
will be waging a 'cool battle' with the occupier in the near future."[5]


[1] Petra.gov.jo, November 26, 2019.

[2] Hala.jo, November 25, 2019.

[3] Petra.gov.jo, November 26, 2019.

[4] King Abdullah Bridge connects the southeast bank of the Jordan and
Jericho; it was destroyed in the 1967 Six Day War and since then has been
inoperative.

[5] Rumonline.net, November 26, 2019.