AMMAN, 8 April 2003 — If you go to the mountains southwest of here and you manage to get there at sunrise or sunset you can catch a glimpse of the golden dome of the Al-Quds Mosque, the sun reflecting off its grand majesty. More than half of Jordan’s population is Palestinian, and for most of them this is as close as they have ever been to one of the holiest Islamic sites, not to mention their mother land.

From as far back as the 1940s, Jordan has witnessed periodic influx of Palestinian refugees, and now their numbers total more than 1.6 million. Their living conditions are at best appalling. Over 300,000 live in refugee camps, which are basically slums — overpopulated and underdeveloped. It is not unusal to find a family of eight living in a rundown, one-bedroom apartment.

But they all have one thing in common: At a time when the world is on the edge of its seat watching the war in Iraq, these people refuse to forget what many in the Arab world consider the single most tragic unresolved issue of modern times.

In the Al-Hussein refugee camp here, Mohammed Kheldi listens to his radio as he sells fruit and vegetables. “The world might be preoccupied with the war in Iraq right now, but although we feel for our Iraqi brothers and sisters the situation in the occupied territories still exists, and the intifada is still alive,” he told Arab News.

Dr. Samir Mutawi, Jordan’s former minister of information, told Arab News that he believes the Arab-Israeli conflict has taken a back seat in the world’s consciousness because of the war.

“What also worries me is what may happen in the future,” he said. “Once the situation in Iraq is settled, the Palestinian people will again be at the mercy of the butcher Ariel Sharon.”

Deputy Palestinian ambassador to Jordan, Atta Al-Kher, believes that the situation has in fact already worsened in the West Bank since the start of the Iraqi war.

“The Israeli aggression has escalated, especially in Tulkarm in the West Bank,” he said. “Homes have been razed, the number of injured has increased, and they have no access to proper medical facilities. Women and children are being left homeless, and the world and the international media are ignoring it”.

On Saturday another 24-year-old American peace activist was shot by Israeli soldiers, something that comes as no surprise to Palestinian journalist Mohammed Adeeb. “Nothing is going to come out of that death. It’s like the murder of the American peace activist earlier. A bulldozer is photographed crushing her, and the international community doesn’t even give the Israelis a slap on the wrist.”

“There is a general distrust of the US because of the blind support for Israel. This is the reason why the Arab street is angry,” he adds.