NOT a while ago, King Abdallah expressed his frustration with some Jordanian politicians who warned against the scheme of the “alternative homeland” for the Palestinians in Jordan. Since the US Secretary of State John Kerry announced that he would present a framework agreement for solving the Palestinian-Jordanian conflict, Jordanians have been debating the consequences of Kerry’s effort on their country. Thus far, the debate has been divisive.
The overwhelming majority of Jordanians oppose Kerry’s ideas. In fact, many suspect that Jordan will accept Kerry’s ideas even if they turn Jordan to a permanent homeland for refugees. Rumor has it that Jordan would accept resettling Palestinian refugees in exchange for tens of billions of dollars. Skeptics suspect that Jordan’s official line is amenable to this scenario. Indeed, this is a widespread impression in Jordan.
The king has an uphill battle with these entrenched conceptions on the part of the majority of Jordanians. He told his audience that he would announce the name of those who talk about the alternative homeland. He considered the mere talking about this topic is tantamount to promoting the idea thus sedition! It is not the first time that the king spoke about the issue. Time and again he reassured Jordanians that this notion is an “illusion.” And yet, some political forces insist on bringing up this matter every time Palestinians and Israelis negotiate a solution. Even senior officials, such as former Prime Minister Ma’rouf Bakhit, warned that the Palestinian leadership might reach a deal with the Israelis at the expense of Jordan.
Many Jordanians have a difficult time believing that the “alternative homeland” is not going to materialize. This attitude has triggered unnecessary political tension in the country. Denying the existence of such an option or a speech by the king is not going to change this attitude. One needs to go to the bottom of the issue to understand why many political forces, as well as citizens, fear such an outcome.
Put differently, it does not matter how many times the king reassure his people, still there are many citizens who still feel uneasy. A wide segment of our society does not trust the government, nor does it trust the institutions. The king reached this conclusion earlier on. He had instructed the governments to work to restore people’s trust in it.
Unfortunately, successive governments failed to live up to this expectation. The insistence on a modest package of reform has backfired. I believe that the number of Jordanians who believe that the government and the Parliament are trustworthy has taken a nosedive. Therefore, short of effective genuine reform, senior officials will continue to suffer from a lack of credibility.
Political forces will not stop talking about the “alternative homeland” due to parochial political interests. Putting an end to these rumors entails genuine reform and transparency on the part of the government. This seems to be the only way to overcome the atmosphere of mistrust and confusion. Unfortunately, the official media has added fuel to fire. Instead of debating the issue rationally, it turned against everyone warned against the alternative homeland. One daily went a step further when it accused the veteran soldiers of bringing up this issue for non-national agendas!
That being said, the ruling elite thinks that it can continue with in the same manner. To them, Jordan can keep on with the same tools of ruling regardless of the changes that the Jordanian society has been undergoing. More than anytime before, Jordan badly needs a solid domestic front to deal with challenges. The only way for creating a solid internal front to help Jordan face challenges is by empowering citizens politically. Short of doing that, the trust gap will continue to grow and the cost of regaining it will be extremely high.
