Jordan History

The earliest settlements in the territory of modern Jordan were the Ammonites, the kingdoms of Edom, Gilead, and Moab. Temporary conflicts between these kingdoms made the Arabic-speaking people create a kingdom in southeast Jordan. In the 16th century Jordan got under Ottoman (Turkish) rule. During World War I the territory was taken by the British. It should be said that Jordan was separated from the Palestine mandate in 1920. Jordan took the position of loyalty in World War II, as a result Britain abolished the mandate. After Arab-Israeli War, which began in 1967, Jordan lost East Jerusalem and all of its territory west of the Jordan River, the West Bank. In 1991 together with Syria, Lebanon, and Palestinian representatives, Jordan participated in negotiations with Israel sponsored by the U.S. and Russia. Parliamentary elections were held in June 2003. Before and after this the King several times dissolved the government. In 2003 the cabinet declared its commitment to accelerated economic and political reforms.