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A Cold Peace with Jordan? How About No Peace at All

[JTA/Philadelphia Jewish Exponent] Uriel Heilman - Near the Shariah Islamic Law Department at the University of Jordan in Amman, a blue Star of David is spray-painted on a concrete path so students can trample the symbol every time they walk by. At the Center for Strategic Studies, center director Mustafa Hamarneh says, "Israel is probably the last openly bigoted racist country today." This is the voice of moderation in Jordan today. While the two governments have developed close strategic ties since their leaders signed a historic peace treaty 12 years ago, acceptance of Israel among rank-and-file Jordanians remains abysmally low. "The peace is between governments, not the people," said Hani Hourani, the director general of the Al-Urdun Al-Jadid Research Center in Amman. "It is not even between the elites. It is not even between NGOs." A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that a whopping 100 percent of those polled in Jordan have "unfavorable" views of Jews - more even than Lebanon's 99 percent. "Israel is not a country. It is a terrorist organization founded by the British government in 1948," said University of Jordan student Omar Al-Hinfi, expressing a commonly held view in his country. "It is something put in the whole Arab world to serve the colonial powers."
2006-10-27 01:00:00
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