AMMAN, 13 December — King Abdallah of Jordan accused the Israelis of trying to topple Yasser Arafat as the Palestinian Authority president, which in turn could push Palestine to the brink of civil war. “In the event Arafat is toppled by the Israelis, civil war could result in the cities of West Bank and Gaza,” King Abdallah warned.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, King Abdallah also emphasized that no Jordanian forces would be sent to the West Bank during the current crisis.
Replying to a series of questions on contemporary issues, the king said: “I was worried that following the Sept. 11 attacks in the US, there was every chance that the crisis would degenerate into a clash between Islam and the West. I impressed upon the administration to resolve the Palestine issue at the earliest. (President) Bush did promise me that the US would help in finding an honorable resolution of the issue, and he asked me to work with Yasser Arafat to arrive at an honorable solution. Bush also told me, ‘let Chairman Arafat give us an opportunity (to gain control of the turbulent situation in the region) to work with him to achieve peace.’
“This too is my hope. But how can Arafat do it on his own with the situation becoming difficult by the day. Simultaneously, he needs to win the confidence of the United States.”
The king added: “The situation is the most difficult and most dangerous for Arafat. In fact, I am worried about the future because the latest developments indicate that the spiral of violence is set to continue. In addition, the Israelis had in the past often stated that they did not want Arafat to represent the Palestinians and negotiate on their behalf. We told them that he is the ideal person under the circumstances and, there can be no substitute for him. Now the Israelis have drastically changed their position on this issue itself, saying that any other person will be better than Arafat.” The Israelis, it seems, are very serious about finding a substitute for Arafat. Asked whether someone from Hamas could be his (Arafat’s) substitute, the king replied: “I don’t know.”
The king also warned that claims from people like Khalid Mishaal that they can replace Arafat would just push the region toward a civil war. “My stand is that Arafat represents the Palestinian people and he is my brother. I will stand by him during the hour of his need, but I will not interfere in the internal affairs of the Palestinians.
“However, I will not permit more refugees to cross the border into Jordan. I will not leave the crossing points open and I have issued orders to close the bridges and the crossing points... Israel should realize that its problems cannot be solved with force and there is no alternative to talks in achieving peace.”
Abdallah said that the Muslim world should not misinterpret that the current war in Afghanistan was against Islam or Muslims. “This war is directed against terrorists only. But there is a sad attempt to link Islam with terrorism. No Muslim will accept it.
“Jordan has in the past countered terrorism, for it was a target of terrorists. When we fight side by side with an international alliance, Jordan is, in fact, defending itself. Since we have the expertise to deal with terror, the people feel safe and are not worried about the consequence of the current crisis and violence in general,” King Abdallah said.
