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Will Jordan Become Hamas' New Home?
(Ha'aretz) Zvi Bar'el - Two weeks after new Jordanian Prime Minister Awn al-Khasawneh was appointed, he announced: "The expulsion of Hamas from Jordan in 1999 was a political and legal error." The thinking in Jordan is that when Assad's regime falls, Hamas will need a new home. This is an excellent chance for Jordan to return to the center of Palestinian politics, from which it has been excluded for a decade. Qatar recently held intensive talks with Jordanian King Abdullah in a bid to advance Hamas' return to Jordan. Hamas has still not decided which way to go. Even if Hamas is not asked to leave Syria, the new regime is likely to stop giving it the generous services supplied by Assad. Qatar could be a comfortable base, but it's far from the territories, while Jordan is conveniently near the West Bank and Gaza. On the other hand, Hamas has had no guarantee that Jordan will agree to the opening of Hamas offices, including a communications network and perhaps logistics bases. Hamas also has a problem with Jordanian public opinion; the Jordanian elite doesn't understand why Jordan has to reconcile with Hamas after its leadership joined the Syrian-Iranian axis.