In the past decade, the Jordanian government has initiated a controversial policy of rescinding the citizenship of thousands of Palestinians. On April 12, Jordan announced it will also invalidate the passports of Palestinians affiliated with the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization. This harsh action has had little public outcry or opposition. There has been little if any threatening reaction from Palestinians and these reports have gone largely unnoticed in Western media.
Why is this relevant? The stability and territorial integrity of Jordan is also a priority for the United States, a key ally. In the 1950s and 60s, the United States supported Jordan's moderate views as a bulwark against Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser's radical Arab nationalist philosophy and supported Jordan's pro-Western orientation to counter the spread of Communism in the Middle East. Today, the U.S. continues to provide aid to the Hashemite Kingdom as a reward for establishing diplomatic relations with Israel in 1994. Tensions between Israel and Jordan have been reduced, and economic cooperation has increased.
Consequently, since 2004, Jordan has been working behind the scenes in promoting the King's moderate and tolerant vision of Islam known as the Amman Message which seeks to reduce the threat of radicalism and extremism. Moreover, with a small GDP and few natural resources, Jordan has nonetheless played an important role in accepting thousands of Iraqi and Syrian refugees.
As I have previously noted, King Abdullah's anxiety will not abate as long as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict persists. In this diplomatic deadlock and in the absence of a resolution resembling a two-state solution, Abdullah will continue taking extreme measures to distinguish Jordanian and Palestinian identities and prevent the implantation by some who advocate "al-watan al-badil" (the alternative homeland).
The King has frequently gone out of his way to assert that "Jordan is Jordan" and "Palestine is Palestine." He has also encouraged Hamas to dispel the possibility of Jordan serving as a substitute homeland.
Although Abdullah adamantly rejects the notion of Jordan becoming a new "Palestine," he might entertain the possibility of confederation with an independent Palestinian state. However, Abdullah and other Jordanian officials have not yet publicly stated that confederation could occur -- but only after -- and not before an independent Palestinian state is established.
There are signs Palestinians may also support this initiative. During an interview with Mohammed Dajani Daoudi, professor at al-Quds University and founder of Wasatia (moderation), a nonviolent Islamist movement which seeks peaceful coexistence with Israel, he said this process could consist of three stages: "As a first step, a State of Palestine with Arab Jerusalem as its capital should rise; while the second step would be the formation of a confederacy with Jordan." In the third and final stage, which reveals his idealism and optimism, he said: "Eventually, this confederacy may include Israel -- should Israel opt for that."
This scenario provides certain positive benefits for all parties involved. For Jordanians, linkage with the West Bank would help unite families and tribes which had been interconnected until 1967. For Palestinians, confederation with a stable, moderate monarchy would greatly help overcome the power sharing deadlock between rival factions Hamas and Fatah, who currently show no indication of reconciliation. For Israelis, security guarantees could be negotiated more smoothly by Jordanian officials who already maintain diplomatic relations with the Jewish state, thereby reducing the uncertainties a future Palestine would present. For the U.S. and its allies, Jordanian-Palestinian confederation could represent a source of stability and security in the region and would no doubt receive substantial Western assistance as long as overall military and diplomatic responsibilities reside with the authorities in Amman.
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its not going to happen.
While this would undoubtedly destabilize jordan and cause conflict with Israel initially, it's bound to happen and both Israel and the US, as well as the hashemite monarchy may as well get used to the idea now.
The US and the West need to realize once and for all that one cannot achieve true "ally-dom" with an islamic state, not until islam goes through its renaissance.
I'm surprised it's taken the monarch so long to come to this realization....
The Arabs get BOTH "Palestine" & "Jordan".
Democratic reform of the Jordanian "Government" would create a Palestinian State in about 1 hour flat.
Of course the Israelis will never be willing to halt their annexation or their military occupation. Reasons will always be found the circumvent international law and treaties like Oslo are a joke to the Israeli leadership - an Israeli government signature on a treaty is not worth the ink its written with. Inveterate liars like Netanyahu openly boast about destroying such treaties.
Their policy is clear and unchanging: to takeover all of historic Palestine, erase the Palestinians identity, destroy their villages, rename every district, obliterate the past and pretend it never happened. They have been doing this since the founding of the state, have never stopped and are doing it to this day.
Those who challenge them are killed wherever posible, marginalised where not, and the whole enterprise is largely funded by the misguided American public, who also pay with their lives when the inevitable blowback occurs.
Jeane Kirkpatrick, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN said in July, 1989: The sole purpose of creating a “Palestinian people” was to frame it in the perennial struggle against “colonialism”, “imperialism” and “oppression” and to launch a “war of national liberation”, duly endorsed by the UN General Assembly, whose purpose, as Kirkpatrick aptly notes, is “collective legitimization” (of the “Palestinians” and other “underdogs”) and “collective delegimization” (of Israel). She added that this charade is “staged daily for credulous Western audiences whose sympathies are quicker than their comprehension.”
ROTHFLMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
F&F
Negotiations over the West Bank and Gaza since 1967 were a concession by Israel on its right to a state from the Jordan River to the sea. Since the PLO has walked away from negotiations, Israel would be within its right annexing the entire West Bank. It has withdrawn from Gaza.
Israel is unlikely to do that but will simple continue in control of Oslo Area C, giving the Palestinians semi-autonomy in Areas A and B.
The elephant in the room is Jordan, the second state of a two-state solution.
The area east of the Jordan River was granted as Transjordan at San Remo. The area west of the Jordan River, Palestine. The Acceptance of Balfour at San Remo , stated that the occupying power was " in favour of the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, it being clearly understood that nothing should be done which might prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country".
There was no mention of Palestine in Transjordan. There was no mention of Israel. Only mention of Palestine, west of the Jordan, and Jewish people and "existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine. Truely, both the existing Non-Jewish and Jewish communities at the time, west of the Jordan River, were Palestinians, those communities of Palestine. There is no other historical interpretation. There is only other theoretical mis-interpreation.
Jordan was created to be the Arab homeland, it should do what it was created to do.
The Arabs you wrongly label did not have a nation in Judea and Samaria. The land was won by us in a war against Jordan.
There are Arabs and there are Jews. The Arabs have their homeland and I cannot understand why folks like you are not willing to help them claim what is theirs, Jordan.
And as we can see from the lack of comments, no one cares---because Israel has nothing to do with it.
The hypocrisy of those who spend hours and post thousands of hateful comments about any story concerning Israel can be no clearer than the lack of those same people posting here.
Pro-Palistinian activists (PPA)- "We're with you"
LPO - "We will bring the plight of the Palestinians to world attention"
PPA - "We're with you"
LPO - "We will have signs saying "Welcome to Palestine"
PPA - "We're with you"
LPO - "We will land in Amman, Jordan"
PPA - "Forget it"
.
That is simply absurd.
The irony here is that we spend all of our time trying to make you understand that we DON'T in fact run the planet.
And you continue to grant us super powers while claiming we are worthless at the very same time??
Truly surreal.
And then promptly annexed it to itself.
But then, magnanimously Jordanian monarchy gave W. Bank to Palestinians... right after they lost control of that land.
And this is how it works in the Middle East.
"Although Abdullah adamantly rejects the notion of Jordan becoming a new "Palestine," he might entertain the possibility of confederation with an independent Palestinian state. However, Abdullah and other Jordanian officials have not yet publicly stated that confederation could occur -- but only after -- and not before an independent Palestinian state is established."
There is already an independent Palestinian State that applied for and became a member state of UNESCO on 31 October 2011.
None of the 194 member states of UNESCO has sought to have that decision reversed or reviewed by the International Court of Justice on the grounds that Palestine is not a State and is therefore ineligible to be a member of UNESCO.
Until UNESCO's decision is reversed - recognition of the State of Palestine by all member states of UNESCO stands.
Have these facts somehow escaped your notice?
Any confederation between Palestine and Jordan can take place immediately.
So, what going on at the UN? A lot of it has to do with diplomacy favoring Israel. A host of states ringing the Arab states have new trade and military relations with Israel. First world states like Canada, the U.S., Germany, many more are hardened in the position that the PLO must negotiate its way to statehood.
The UNESCO vote was a way of letting off steam and in no way creates a Palestinian state.
One reason that a Palestinian state will not come into being is that Fatah doesn't want one. If it were to form a government at the head of such a state, an Arab Spring would immediately overthrow it since it comprises a corrupt bunch of thugs.
Israel certainly has no use for a Palestinian state on the West Bank. So, the Palestinian issue will fester until final recognition comes that Jordan is the second state of a two-state solution.
Only states can become members of UNESCO under its Constitution.
Now I don't personally agree that Palestine is a state - but 194 countries do. Until that decision is reversed or overthrown by the International Court - it stands.
The Palestinian Arabs got international recognition of their state on 31 October 2011 and no longer can claim to be stateless.
UNWRA can be disbanded, and Oslo and the Roadmap consigned to the dustbin of history.
Time to try and achieve statehood for the Tibetans, the Kurds and the Basques, They should use the Palestine application to UNESCO as a precedent.
(Jordan wants no part of it, though.)
Well OF COURSE he did. His throne depends on it -- & likely his life too. This Saudi dynasty isn't part of the solution -- it's part of the problem. The Hashemites are the reason why "Jordan" (plus the predominantly Arab areas of West Bank, plus Gaza) isn't "Palestine".
After all, it's undeniable that:
- Palestinian Arabs constitute by far the major ethnic component of Jordan's population;
- There's absolutely no ethnic, linguistic or cultural difference between Palestinian Arabs inhabiting either bank of the Jordan River;
- Historically, there's never been a "Jordanian nation" (nor a "Palestinian Arab nation"). The Kingdom of Jordan is a contraption manufactured by British colonial interests in 1922, with the only purpose of establishing a British-friendly entity & finding a throne for the Hashemites -- a pro-British Saudi family.
- The West Bank was part of Jordan between 1949 & 1967; the vast majority of population accepted that union. West Bank Arabs were granted Jordanian citizenship & happily applied for Jordanian passports.
To those interested in a solution, there's a clear & feasible one: territorial compromise allowing full political rights for Palestinian Arabs in their own united country (whether they wish to call it "Jordan" or "Palestine" is their decision). Palestinian Arabs whose place of residence will place them within the Jewish state should have the option of choosing Palestinian/Jordanian citizenship while retaining rights of residence
Of course all of this is never going to happen, it is just crazy talk. It makes about as much sense as the distant descendants of the Arabs who fled during the failed Arab conquest of Israel in 1948 moving to Israel (I think they call it the "Right of Return", or some such nonsense). The West bank should be reattached to Jordan, and Gaza to Egypt. Then the miserable people who live there can call it whatever they want. Then there will be an angry confederation of Jordan/the West Bank. I'm sure that the residents will still find someone to blame for their misery besides themselves.