Abu Aardvark's MENA Academy

The assault on Middle East Studies has taken center stage in the Trump administration’s broader war on higher education and civil liberties. Campuses across the country had already under tremendous pressure from the government, the media and external advocacy groups over last spring’s protests against Israel’s war on Gaza.

In 1994, Jordan signed the Wadi Araba peace treaty with Israel under American auspices. At one level, the peace treaty didn’t change that much — Jordan and Israel had long quietly cooperated over the administration of the West Bank, and then-King Hussein had a long history of private meetings and cooperation with Israeli leaders.