Should Jordan Be a Palestinian State? (STONEGATE INSTITUTE) by Khaled Abu Toameh 03/19/12)
Source: http://www.stonegateinstitute.org/2951/jordan-palestinian-state
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The talk about "Jordan is Palestine" only plays into the hands of
those who seek to turn the kingdom into a radical state that would
most probably be affiliated with Iran or the Muslim Brotherhood.
Those who support the idea of turning Jordan into a Palestinian state
need to be think carefully about the consequences of such a move.
A Palestinian state in Jordan would only be a source of even further
instability and tension in the Middle East.
The royal family in Jordan has always been friendly to Israel and the
West. Like his father, the late King Hussein, King Abdullah II is
probably Israel´s best friend and ally in the Arab and Islamic world.
The long border between Israel and Jordan has been relatively quite
over the past few decades -- thanks to the Jordanian authorities´
tremendous efforts to prevent terror attacks from their territories.
Turning Jordan into Palestine would mean the loss of a moderate and
rational Arab leader at a time when Islamists are rising to power in
Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Libya.
It would mean the creation of a third state for the Palestinians, who
already have two entities - one in the West Bank and another in the
Gaza Strip.
A Palestinian state in Jordan would be run by either Hamas or Fatah --
the two parties that have failed their people again and again in the
past few decades. In any event, whoever replaces the royal family in
Jordan would not be as moderate, pragmatic and open-minded as the
Hashemites.
The Jordanian monarch has displayed courage by resisting pressure
from wealthy Arab countries like Qatar to allow Hamas, after it was
thrown out of Syria, to establish its headquarters in Amman.
King Abdullah II, who since the beginning of the "Arab Spring" has
been forced to tackle growing unrest in his kingdom, should also be
commended for resisting immense pressure from Muslim Brotherhood and
many Jordanians and Palestinians to cut off diplomatic ties with
Israel.
Security cooperation between Israel and Jordan has always been
strong: the two countries face the same challenges, threats and
enemies.
King Abdullah II and his father have prevented Hamas from
establishing terror bases in the kingdom.
In 1999, King Hussein did not hesitate to expel Hamas leaders after
closing down their offices in Amman.
A few years later, the Jordanians thwarted plans by Hamas to smuggle
weapons into the kingdom for the purpose of launching terror attacks
against Israel.
The king already has too many problems at home. The talk
about "Jordan is Palestine" and "Palestine is Jordan" only aggravates
these problems and plays into the hands of those who would turn the
kingdom into a radical state that would probably be afflicted with
Iran or the Muslim Brotherhood.
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