AMMAN, 8 June 2006 — Jordan’s King Abdallah said yesterday, on the eve of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, that his country will never be a substitute homeland for the Palestinians.
“If there is anyone who believes that it is possible to settle the Palestinian issue at the expense of Jordan, he should know that Jordan will never be a substitute homeland for anybody,” the king said.
“The Palestinians’ homeland and their state should be on Palestinian soil, and nowhere else,” he added in a speech to a graduating class of police and army officers at Mu’ta University, south of Amman.
Abdallah meets today in Amman with Olmert, who was elected in March on a pledge to set Israel’s final borders by 2010, unilaterally if necessary.
That prompted Arab security concerns, particularly in Jordan and Egypt, the only two Arab countries to have peace treaties with Israel. Some 1.7 million Palestinian refugees live in Jordan.
In an interview yesterday with the Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot, King Abdullah said he would tell Olmert of his opposition to any unilateral steps by Israel.
That “would raise question marks and a sense of insecurity not only among the Palestinians, but among all the partners of peace in the region,” he said.
“The ability to improve relations between us and Israel could also be damaged by this unilateral move.” At yesterday’s ceremony he stressed that “Jordan is first and Jordan’s interests supersede all other interests and considerations,” according to an English-language transcript of the speech released by the royal court.
“We know that there are some who seek strength from some states to hurt this country, or to disrupt the relationship between the two brotherly peoples, the Jordanians and the Palestinians,” he said. “Those, and those who stand behind them, should know that the Jordanian-Palestinian relationship is a sacred historic bond,” he added.
He added that Jordan will “not be lenient toward, or tolerant of, any party that tries to disrupt this country’s security and stability.” Jordan announced in May the arrest 20 Hamas suspects accused of plotting attacks in the kingdom and said it uncovered an arms cache and seized weapons including Iranian-made Katyusha rockets.
The Islamist movement, which won January elections and now heads the Palestinian government, denied any involvement in the alleged plot.
In his speech, the Jordanian king also warned against the “most difficult conditions and worst developments” facing the region in the Palestinian territories and Iraq, as well as Iran’s nuclear row with the West.
“The deteriorating state of affairs in the West Bank and in Iraq, and the dispute between Iran and the United States of America, all threaten security and stability,” he said.
“It is clear that there are parties and states who seek to benefit from this state of affairs.
“We should be at the highest level of alertness and preparedness in order to face the worst possible scenarios and to defend our country and national interests,” the Jordanian monarch added.
