Media coverage
Quds Net · 2020-07-14
PalThink for Strategic Studies, in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, held a dialogue session with Oraib Al-Rantawi on Jordan’s position toward the Israeli annexation plan and its political and geographic repercussions for Jordan and Palestine. Speakers stressed that Jordan would be among the most affected parties after the Palestinians, while Al-Rantawi highlighted the strength of current Jordanian-Palestinian coordination and the need to reinforce Jordan’s internal front and intensify political and diplomatic action.
PalThink for Strategic Studies, in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, held a dialogue session with Oraib Al-Rantawi on Jordan’s position toward the Israeli annexation plan and its political and geographic repercussions for Jordan and Palestine. Speakers stressed that Jordan would be a…
PalThink for Strategic Studies, in partnership with the German Friedrich Ebert Foundation, organized a dialogue session titled “Jordan and the Israeli Annexation Plan... Position and Repercussions,” hosting from Jordan via Zoom Orayb Al-Rantawi, founder and director of the Al-Quds Center for Political Studies in Amman, in the presence of an elite of writers, researchers, politicians, and youth, to promote community dialogue on issues that concern the present and future of the Palestinian people.
The session was opened by PalThink Director Omar Shaban, welcoming the attendees, and saying: “The annexation plan has neither been carried out nor ended, and it still commands the attention of decision-makers in America, Europe, Israel, the neighboring Arab states, and of course Palestine. There is agreement that the Jordanian position was firm in rejecting the plan, because Jordan would be greatly harmed politically and geographically, since the collapse of the Palestinian state directly affects it. I believe that one of the reasons that drove the Israeli government to postpone annexation, after the strength of the Palestinian rejection, was Jordan’s position.”
For his part, Osama Antar, Programs Director of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in the Gaza Strip, welcomed the attendees and said: “The Israeli annexation plan, even if postponed, will be partially implemented, and after Palestine, Jordan is the most harmed. Knowing the Jordanian political and societal position is very important in order to understand how efforts can be unified in Jordan and in Palestine to stop the plan, and to limit its impact on the two-state solution and on the Palestinian-Jordanian demographic composition.”
For his part, Al-Quds Center Director Orayb Al-Rantawi said: “There are several factors pushing the decision-maker in Jordan to reject the annexation plan, and these factors affect Jordan, its entity, and its future. Since King Abdullah came to power, there has been an understanding regarding Jordan’s interests in the final settlement, and this definition settled on the view that the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital not only serves the Palestinians, but also constitutes the first line of defense for Jordan’s security and identity. It is the means to end the schemes of some Israeli right-wingers to transform the conflict from being Palestinian-Israeli into Israeli-Jordanian.”
He added: “The Deal of the Century and its repercussions left Jordan alone in dealing with the file of Palestinian refugees in Jordan, who number 4.4 million. Were it not for Jordan’s efforts, we might have lost the battle to preserve UNRWA as a symbol of refuge and because it provides services to the refugees. Another factor is the Hashemite custodianship of the holy sites in Jerusalem, which is almost unable to fulfill its duties because of Israeli policies. As for annexation: it strikes at the peace treaty that drew the borders between Israel and Jordan, with the exception of the border between the two banks, which was deferred to final-status negotiations. There was agreement to preserve its legal status until that moment.”
He continued: “If annexation is carried out, the Palestinian Authority may no longer remain capable of fulfilling its function and may perhaps collapse, and consequently we would head toward open scenarios: such as an intifada, military action, social violence, or transfer, and perhaps the control of religious movements over the West Bank, which is not welcomed in Amman. Jordan also has extensive experience in dealing with successive American administrations, but what is new with the Trump administration is that it is biased not only toward the Israeli narrative, but toward the narrative of the Israeli right. For the first time, this administration has shown tolerance toward harming essential Jordanian interests. For the first time in Jordan’s history, its major threats come from the camp of allies and not from the camp of traditional adversaries. This is not something that happens often in history, but it is happening now.”
He added: “Add to that the state of Arab exposure that worries Jordan, especially as its regional role has declined over recent years, and this is an element taken into account in the Jordanian position. We must pause at the Jordanian king’s phrase to the U.S. Congress: ‘Don’t take Jordan for granted,’ meaning do not assume Jordan’s position is guaranteed. This position has been expressed in practice, as Jordan postponed signing the Eastern Mediterranean gas initiative because of the atmosphere created by annexation and the Deal of the Century. Through its diplomatic effort—resembling a beehive—Jordan was able to prevent Israel from using Timna Airport, which threatens the safety of Aqaba Airport.”
He added: “Jordanian-Palestinian coordination is at its best, and I do not recall it ever being so, not even in the February 1985 agreement. Now relations are open and contacts are almost daily, and there are reciprocal official visits.”
Al-Rantawi pointed out that there are necessary and essential changes, such as: Jordan moving from dependency to self-reliance; that it must look inward and strengthen popular participation; elect a multi-party parliament; and create a strong government.
He said: “What worries me, however, is the position of the UAE, because we know that the UAE is advancing toward normalization with Israel with real steps, given that the UAE and Israel are the two strongest economies and militaries in the region, and they enjoy the strongest relationship with the United States in the Middle East. These are factors that may weaken Jordan’s position. As for the cards of strength in Jordan’s hand, they are many. Jordan has important friends in the United States, and the media, decision-making institutions, and public opinion-shaping institutions show great understanding of the Jordanian position. Most importantly, Jordan rests on a solid Palestinian position, as the Palestinians have united in rejecting the Deal of the Century despite their deep division. As for the owner of the strong popular position that pressures in support of Jordan’s stance on the annexation plan and the new American and Israeli policies, they are Jordan’s tribes. If Jordan uses them well and allows the people to express themselves, matters will be decided.”
Al-Rantawi explained that Jordan must do several things, most importantly: look to the Jordanian interior, play its cards of strength, consolidate Palestinian-Jordanian relations, and intensify movement on the local and international arenas.
He continued: “There is a global awakening against racism that began with the killing of George Floyd in America, and the Palestinians must take advantage of it, just as Sharon wanted to do when he sought to place the Palestinians within the framework of international terrorism in 2001. There must be a conscious and aware Palestinian movement that uses the appropriate tools and the appropriate discourse in confronting racism, enslavement, and occupation.”
He concluded by saying: “I believe that the Arab region after the coronavirus pandemic will witness a new wave of Arab Spring revolutions. Failed states will become more failed, countries with sliding economies will slide further, the gap between rich and poor will widen, the armies of the unemployed will expand, and poverty will spread more widely. It is clear that all the factors that ignited the Arab Spring revolutions are present.”
Questions from the attendees revolved around Jordanian reactions in the event the annexation plan is implemented, the impact of the annexation plan on Jordanian-Palestinian relations, and its impact on Jordanian-American relations.
Text © Quds Net — archived here with attribution to the source. — Machine translation for archival reference. — Original source