(Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies/Tel Aviv University) Asher Susser - In the early 1960s, it was King Hussein who argued that "Jordan is Palestine and Palestine is Jordan." This was his way of saying that the formation of the PLO to represent the Palestinians was unnecessary. In the mid-1980s, however, this policy underwent radical revision, with Hussein now arguing that "Jordan is Jordan and Palestine is Palestine." As problematic as the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza may have been for Jordan, it was still a lot better than Jordan itself being replaced by Palestine. The construction of the Israeli security fence is seen by the Jordanians entirely in this analytical context.
2004-01-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive