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Are There Signs of a Jordanian-Palestinian Reengagement?

Dan Diker and Pinchas Inbari (Institute for Contemporary Affairs/Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) - * For the first time in Arab diplomatic history, the Jordanians drafted a peace proposal in March 2005 calling for normalization of relations with Israel before the resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. King Abdullah's proposal omits past Arab preconditions to peace with Israel, such as return to the 1949 Armistice lines and repatriation of Palestinian refugees. Arab League delegates reported that at least 13 of the 22 Arab countries expressed initial support for the Jordanian proposal. * In an unexpected last-minute switch, former Jordanian monarch King Hussein passed the throne to his oldest son Abdullah, who had married the Palestinian Rania, instead of the kingdom going to his full brother, Prince Hassan. Abdullah's Palestinian family pedigree has served him well among Palestinians in Jordan. * More intensified consultation between the PA and Jordan since 2004 reflects the growing concern that widespread chaos in the West Bank threatens the continuation of the Abbas-led Palestinian Authority. As a result, some prominent West Bank Palestinians requested that Jordan send security forces to the West Bank to help establish law and order. King Abdullah has agreed to send several thousand members of the Jordanian-commanded Palestinian Badr Brigade, comprised of Palestinian refugees of the 1967 war who are part of the Jordan-based Palestine Liberation Army. * There are close family ties between West Bank towns such as Nablus and Hebron and East Bank towns such as Salt and Karak. It was King Hussein himself who used to say in the 1950s and 1960s that "Jordan is Palestine and Palestine is Jordan." The political roots of the links between the East and West Banks actually predate Jordan's annexation of the West Bank after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Jordan was formally part of Britain's Mandate over Palestine until March 1946, when it gained its independence. * A Palestinian-Jordanian confederation of some variety seems to be the most natural political alternative from historical, cultural and ethnic standpoints. The idea should also be reconsidered by American policy-makers, for whom a viable and contiguous Palestinian state is a stated policy goal.
2005-07-19 00:00:00
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