Eight countries attended the Blue Flag Aerial Exercise in Israel. United Arab Emirates Air Chief visited the drill, and eight others flew for the drill. All of this changed when a German military photographer shared two photographs showing Jordanian F-16s participating in the practice on social media. Jordan is said to have attended the drill and tried to keep it a secret until an experienced photographer Falk Bärwald shared the photographs on his Instagram account. Later, he deleted the account.
In one photo, a Jordanian F-16 fighter jet can be seen aboard a runway at the Ovda base of the Israeli Air Force, just north of Eilat, while a French Rafale jet flies above it. A Jordanian F-16 can be seen flying from the same base in the second photo.
The Blue Flag exercise started on October 14 and finished on Thursday. Israeli Air Force officials described the drill, which included eight foreign air forces, as the largest and most complex aerial exercise ever undertaken in Israel.
Jordanian participation surprised many countries, even though the two countries signed a peace treaty 27 years ago. Jordan publicly supports Palestine, but as Bärwald"s images reveal, it also quietly collaborates with Israel.
Jordan and Israel have had several conflicts in the past. Jordan, for example, took part in the six-day war against Israel in 1967. Jordan also took part in Yom Kippur War against Israel in 1973 with a limited contribution. In 1988, Jordan made territorial concessions to Israel, and in 1994, Jordan and Israel signed a peace agreement.
Jordan, on the other hand, is home to approximately 2 million Palestinian refugees. The Hashemite Kingdom, which governs Jordan, is likewise in a difficult position. The Hashemite Kingdom is the guardian of the Islamic and Christian holy places in Jerusalem. From the 10th century until 1924, the Hashemites ruled over the birthplace of Prophet Mohammed and the holiest site in Islam, Mecca, until the House of Saud evicted them. However, the Hashemites reasserted themselves and eventually took possession of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam"s third holiest site. As a result, Jordan cannot openly declare its admiration for Israel while abandoning Palestine.
