May
29
Written by:
Dr. Ernie Moore
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Recently I spoke of there already being a Palestinian State – Jordan. Now we get news that a Jordanian official speaks of 'State of two banks'.
Map showing flying time to Israel
In the Middle East, there is no lack of contradictions, and that is nowhere more obvious than in the world of politics. If you have been inoculated with a political needle, then this part of the world is always entertaining.
King Abdullah II has up until recently, been very positive about his nation’s friendship with Israel. It has been profitable for both countries. We believe that his change is probably due to internal pressure from Palestinian-Jordanians.
I REMIND you that we have for years spoken about one potential resolution to the Palestinian question being an Israel-Jordan sharing of responsibility for the West Bank. Israel handles security on their border, Jordan handles police activities and the Palestinians themselves deal with local government issues. It could work.
ANOTHER resolution was that Jordan just simply takes back the West Bank, trading some settlement land for other areas with Israel, and making the area a “territory” much as was done during the Ottoman Empire’s rule.
In fact, there was talk (from highly placed sources) that after one trip to DC to visit with Bush I, King Abdullah did indeed consider this and even established a study group within his government to investigate the possibility.
Could that bit of information be some of what this Jordanian official meant? You will notice that in the body of the report is the fact that the King was present.
Ynetnews.com ran a piece on the “slip of the tongue.” Or was it a trial balloon?
Here’s part of that story:
“While Amman is sensitive to claims that 'Jordan is the Palestinian state', head of senate in independence day speech refers to 'two united banks, with kingdom emerging on both banks of holy river'
Roee Nahmias
“In a ceremony commemorating Jordan's independence day, Taher al-Masri, head of the country's senate, spoke of the "state of two united banks," London-based al-Quds al-Arabi reported on Wednesday.
“This is a rare and surprising statement, which may be interpreted as granting legitimization to the viewpoint that the Palestinian residents of the West Bank are part of the Hashemite Kingdom.
“Speaking before an audience of some 1,000 people, including the royal family and Kind Abdullah II, al-Masri spoke of "the two united banks, with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan emerging on both banks of the holy river."
“After the outbreak of the First Intifada in 1987, Jordan's late King Hussein renounced all territorial claims over the West Bank. Jordan repeatedly emphasized that it is a separate entity from the West Bank, and that a solution to the Palestinian problem will not take place in its borders.
“Since then, Jordanian officials have not only abstained from making such statements, but have also expressed fury any time Israeli elements make similar claims such as "Jordan is the Palestinian state." …
“There are also those that may interpret al-Masri's comments as more than a claim to responsibility over the Palestinians, but also as territorial ambitions in the West bank. Jordan's official stance rejects any such claims in light of its peace agreement with Israel.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3894726,00.html