Should Jordan Be a Palestinian State?

by Khaled Abu Toameh

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.

Khaled Abu Toameh

Source: http://www.stonegateinstitute.org/2951/jordan-palestinian-state

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