Jordan’s approach to the Palestinian issue.
Jordan is a country that is directly involved with the Palestinian issue. This conflict is caused by several security factors for Jordan. In this article, Jordan’s position on the Palestinian conflict is briefly examined.
The importance of Jordan’s geography in the Palestinian issue
Jordan gained independence in 1946, but it is one of the largest Arab countries in terms of area. Jordan’s geography is very important because it shares a common border with important Arab countries including Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and occupied territories. Jordan is the closest Arab country to Palestine and has the longest border line with Palestine. Due to this geographical location and also due to the area of more than 89 thousand square kilometers, 75% of which is desert, Jordan is of great importance, especially to the Zionist regime and the United States.
Jordan also plays a prominent role in the developments in Palestine, but this role is mostly to the detriment of the Palestinians. Since the Balfour Declaration of 1917, Western powers have always tried to use Jordan’s geography for the benefit of the Zionist regime. There are more than a million Palestinians in refugee camps in Jordan, refugees who do not consider themselves Jordanian citizens and have affected the demographic composition of the country. It seems that this issue, as well as the area of more than 89,000 square kilometers, is an important factor that Jordan is referred to as an alternative homeland for the Palestinians.
In addition to the population, Jordan annexed the West Bank and East Jerusalem after the 1948 war and in 1950. Jordan lost the West Bank to the Zionist regime in 1967. In the 1980s, Jordan renounced its claim to sovereignty over the West Bank in favor of Palestine in order to create an independent Palestinian state and invalidate the alternative homeland plan, but this plan has always existed from the Zionist regime and its supporters. King Abdullah II of Jordan is against the idea of an alternative homeland for the Palestinians and considers the only solution to the Palestinian issue to be a two-state solution. During the past years, Abdullah II has clearly stated on various occasions: “Jordan is Jordan and Palestine is Palestine.”
Jordan’s approach to the Palestinian crisis: compromise with the Zionist regime and alignment with the Western powers
The Palestinian crisis is very important in Jordan’s foreign policy, and during the past seventy years, a major part of Jordan’s political, economic and security capacities have been focused on this crisis. Since the 1990s, Jordan has taken the path of reconciliation and peace with the Zionist regime. One of the important events in Jordan’s foreign policy is the signing of the Wadi Araba peace treaty with the Zionist regime in 1994. After Egypt, Jordan was the second Arab country to sign a peace agreement with the Zionist regime. The name of this agreement is the name of the place where it was signed.
Wadi Araba is on the borders of Jordan and the Zionist regime. This agreement was signed between Jordan and the Zionist regime under the supervision of Bill Clinton, the president of the United States at the time. In the introduction of this treaty, it is stated: “The goal of both sides is to achieve a just, permanent and comprehensive peace in the Middle East based on Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338.” While Jordan signed a peace treaty with the Zionist regime, in October 1999, in order to secure the country’s borders with the Zionist regime, it closed Hamas offices in Jordan and expelled many senior leaders of this group.
Another important point is that; Jordan’s point of view regarding the solution of the Palestinian issue has largely converged with the great Western powers. One of the reasons for this convergence is that Jordan is not strong enough to adopt an independent foreign policy. In fact, Jordan pursues maintaining its sovereignty and independence through dependence on great powers. However, aligning with Western powers on the Palestinian issue did not prevent Jordan’s territorial integrity from being threatened. Greed for Jordan’s geography to settle Palestinians and the complete occupation of Palestine’s geography by the Zionist regime was also pursued in recent years. In the deal of the century presented by former US President Donald Trump, Jordan was also mentioned as an alternative homeland. In the current war in Gaza, the Zionist regime suggested that the people of Gaza settle in Jordan. The main goal of this Tel Aviv idea was the forced displacement of the people of Gaza and the complete destruction of Gaza, which was strongly opposed by the Jordanians.
Widespread opposition of the Jordanian people to the Wadi Araba treaty
Contrary to the Jordanian government, which considers compromise with the Zionist regime as providing for the country’s interests, the Jordanian people are against the Wadi Araba agreement and have repeatedly expressed their opposition by holding demonstrations. According to some surveys, more than 80% of Jordanians are against not only the Wadi Araba agreement but also any relations between Arab countries and the Zionist regime. In some polls, up to 97% of Jordanians are against peace and reconciliation with the Zionist regime and emphasize the cancellation of the Wadi Araba agreement.