The Jordanian Part of the Puzzle

Does Jordan Want Palestinians in Control of the Border?
- Khaled Abu Toameh

PA President Mahmoud Abbas says that the Palestinians will not accept any Israeli presence along the border between a future Palestinian state and Jordan. But in a recent closed briefing, a high-ranking Jordanian security official responded: "May God forbid! We have repeatedly made it clear to the Israeli side that we will not agree to the presence of a third party at our border."

Their worst nightmare is that once the Palestinians are given control over the border, thousands of them from the future Palestinian state would pour into Jordan, strengthening the Palestinian majority already living there.

Israel has its own reasons for refusing to cede control over the strategic Jordan Valley. Israel's main concern is that the border with Jordan will be used by Palestinian terror groups and Islamist fundamentalist organizations to smuggle weapons and terrorists into the West Bank and Israel.
(Gatestone Institute)


Jordan Says No to Hamas - Khaled Abu Toameh

Jordan's King Abdullah has turned down a request from Hamas to re-open its offices in his country, according to informed sources in Amman. Qatar offered hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Jordan in return for allowing Hamas to open offices in the kingdom. However, "King Abdullah turned down the Qatari offer," the sources said.

Last year, relations between Jordan and Hamas seemed to be warming up as the Islamist movement's leader, Khaled Mashal, was permitted to visit Amman and hold talks with King Abdullah. But the monarch refused to allow Hamas to resume its activities in Jordan.
(Gatestone Institute)

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