Watching the Jordan card

King Abdullah with Palestinian wife Queen Rania

The End of the Palestinian National Movement -Danny Rubinstein

[T]he clearest sign of the decline of the Palestinian national project is the departure of many of its key figures.

Nabil Shaath, a PLO veteran has return to his home in Cairo where he runs a thriving business. Muhammad Dahlan and Hasan Asfor, who not long ago were ministers and powerful advisors, now spend most of their time in Cairo with their families. In Ramallah, it is estimated that 50,000 residents have left the West Bank in recent years, most to return to their homes and property in Amman [Jordan].

With the failure of the PA experiment, the Arab states have begun to return to the scene. The Jordanian government, with the encouragement of Israel, is establishing a renewed presence in the West Bank, especially in eastern Jerusalem. King Abdullah [is] careful to publicly announce that [he has] no designs on the West Bank. [But] there is no doubt that [his] interest in events there is growing.

There is every reason to expect further cooperation between the West Bank and the East Bank in Jordan. As long as the separation fence between Israel and the West Bank continues to be built, relations between the West Bank and Jordan will strengthen.
(Ha'aretz-Hebrew, 6Nov07)