Jordan Official Threatens to 'Mobilise the Army' If Israel Expels Palestinians
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Jordan is bracing for a nightmare scenario in which Israel is expected to annex much of the occupied West Bank and thereby torpedo an already fragile peace treaty between the two countries that has lasted for more than 30 years.
The stakes could hardly be higher.
For Jordan the latest alarm bell was Israel's decision last week to approve the building of 22 new settlements in the West Bank, the largest extension in decades. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside them.
Some of them will be constructed in the Jordan Valley, separating the West Bank from the Kingdom, along a 400 Km (245-mile) border with Israel. Others will be in areas deep inside the West Bank, which in all negotiation frameworks have been considered areas for a designated Palestinian State, along with Gaza.
In Jerusalem Defence Minister Israel Katz said the move "prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel."
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Defence Minister Maria Eagle spoke at a private Israel Independence Day meeting and said the UK would continue to back the country
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However, Jordan sees it as a further step towards annexing Judea and Samaria, biblical names for the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967.
It fears that such a move would be followed by the forced expulsion of huge numbers of Palestinians into Jordan, risking massive political destabilisation and destroying all remaining hopes of a two-state solution.
The government in Amman would not sit by and let that happen. As one official told me: "Any forced expulsion of Palestinians and we will mobilise the army."
It is unlikely, though, that such rhetoric will deter Israel and its Far Right ministers whose influence has increased steadily under Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and who have frequently referred to Jordan as Palestine.
If Israel pushes ahead with annexation, as expected, Jordanian officials believe it would initially take over around 60% of the West Bank (the so-called Area C) followed by Area B, giving them a further 22% of the territory.
Area A would then be subject to negotiation, with the Palestinians represented by a corrupt and moribund authority. Any emerging entity would be forced to seek support from Jordan to survive.
Jordan has long called for a two-state solution to ensure lasting peace.
The debt-riddled country is grappling with yawning poverty and unemployment. Amman has repeatedly said it would reject such an arrangement out of hand.
There will be no Palestinian State in Jordan and no tampering wi
For digital and print editions, packed with exclusive investigations, analysis, features, and columns….
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Jordan is bracing for a nightmare scenario in which Israel is expected to annex much of the occupied West Bank and thereby torpedo an already fragile peace treaty between the two countries that has lasted for more than 30 years.
The stakes could hardly be higher.
For Jordan the latest alarm bell was Israel's decision last week to approve the building of 22 new settlements in the West Bank, the largest extension in decades. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside them.
Some of them will be constructed in the Jordan Valley, separating the West Bank from the Kingdom, along a 400 Km (245-mile) border with Israel. Others will be in areas deep inside the West Bank, which in all negotiation frameworks have been considered areas for a designated Palestinian State, along with Gaza.
In Jerusalem Defence Minister Israel Katz said the move "prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel."
Labour Minister Defends RAF Gaza Surveillance Flights Amid Growing Scrutiny of UK-Israel Relationship
Defence Minister Maria Eagle spoke at a private Israel Independence Day meeting and said the UK would continue to back the country
Olly Haynes
However, Jordan sees it as a further step towards annexing Judea and Samaria, biblical names for the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967.
It fears that such a move would be followed by the forced expulsion of huge numbers of Palestinians into Jordan, risking massive political destabilisation and destroying all remaining hopes of a two-state solution.
The government in Amman would not sit by and let that happen. As one official told me: "Any forced expulsion of Palestinians and we will mobilise the army."
It is unlikely, though, that such rhetoric will deter Israel and its Far Right ministers whose influence has increased steadily under Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and who have frequently referred to Jordan as Palestine.
If Israel pushes ahead with annexation, as expected, Jordanian officials believe it would initially take over around 60% of the West Bank (the so-called Area C) followed by Area B, giving them a further 22% of the territory.
Area A would then be subject to negotiation, with the Palestinians represented by a corrupt and moribund authority. Any emerging entity would be forced to seek support from Jordan to survive.
Jordan has long called for a two-state solution to ensure lasting peace.
The debt-riddled country is grappling with yawning poverty and unemployment. Amman has repeatedly said it would reject such an arrangement out of hand.
There will be no Palestinian State in Jordan and no tampering wi
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