(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel - A central issue that the Americans dealt with recently in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks concerns the security arrangements in the Jordan Valley. Netanyahu has good reasons to be worried about Israel's eastern border, all surrounding the longevity of the Hashemite Kingdom in Jordan. Jordan now has to deal with a million and a half refugees from Iraq and Syria, a huge number of people for a population of six million, while containing the constant tension with the Palestinian population and the Muslim Brotherhood. This does not sound like a recipe for long-term stability, and it comes as no surprise that Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon are wary of the possibility that a hostile regime might rule Jordan in the future, despite today's current close military cooperation between the two states. The gaps between Israel and the Palestinians on core issues remain intact. But even more important is the huge gap in trust.
2013-12-16 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive