Jordan, Palestine Plan Joint Action Over Annexation

Jordan King Abdullah II

Israel’s move to annex Palestinian territories spark protest in the region. Jordanian and Palestinian officials are considering taking simultaneous action including the suspension of their respective agreements with Israel as a reaction to any annexation of lands in the occupied territories, Arab New reported.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in his latest speech that if any lands were annexed, there would be no justification to keep the Oslo Accords and the PLO will be free from all its commitments. Annexation is dangerous to both Jordan and Palestine and a joint action will send a powerful message.”

Jordan’s king warned Israel of a “massive conflict” if it proceeds with plans to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera reported. King Abdulla II, in an interview published by Der Spiegel, issued a stark warning over Israel’s plans.

“Leaders who advocate a one-state solution do not understand what that would mean,” he said.

“What would happen if the Palestinian National Authority collapsed? There would be more chaos and extremism in the region. If Israel really annexed the West Bank in July, it would lead to a massive conflict with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,” he said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (C) arrives to attend a United Nations Security Council meeting (File Photo: Xinhua/Li Muzi/IANS)

Jordan is a close Western ally and one of only two Arab states to have signed a peace treaty with Israel. Abdullah declined to say whether annexation would threaten that agreement.

“I don’t want to make threats and create an atmosphere of loggerheads, but we are considering all options. We agree with many countries in Europe and the international community that the law of strength should not apply in the Middle East,” he said.

The European Union (EU) has indicated that it will try to stop Israel’s proposed annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank.

Speaking after a virtual meeting of EU Foreign Ministers, foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said: “We must work to discourage any possible initiative toward annexation,” the BBC reported

He said the EU looked forward to working with Israel’s new government, but added: “Unilateral action from either side should be avoided and for sure international law should be upheld.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Some EU states were said to be calling for a tougher line on the issue, including possible sanctions, but others have urged caution.

“What everybody agreed is we have to increase our efforts and our reach-out to all relevant actors in the Middle East,” Borrell said.

The EU foreign ministers reaffirmed their support for a two-state solution and opposition to any annexation. The ministers, whose countries are deeply divided in their approach to Israel, agreed to ramp up diplomatic efforts in the coming days with Israel, the Palestinians, the US and Arab countries.

Jordan, Palestine Move

Ahmad Deek, director of the office of the Palestinian foreign minister, told Arab News that Jordan and Palestine are in close coordination on a response to what is considered an Israeli land theft of Palestinian occupied territory. He said that Jordanian-Palestinian coordination is at “its highest level” despite the constraints imposed by the pandemic.

U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: IANS)

“We share the same goal and direction and we are certain that Jordanian and Palestinian cooperation will be the basis for further Arab harmonization to stop Israeli efforts,” he said.

Deek praised the recent statements by King Abdullah to the German magazine Der Spiegel. “We are proud of the king’s position as articulated in the recent interview with the German magazine. It sent a clear message to the occupiers.”

Najeeb Qadoumi, a member of the Palestinian National Council, said that all options are open. This includes the suspension of both the Jordan-Israeli 1984 Wadi Arab Treaty and the PLO-Israel 1993 Declaration of Principles.

A Palestinian protester tries to throw back a tear gas canister fired by Israeli soldiers during a clash in the West Bank city of Hebron. (Xinhua/Mamoun Wazwaz/IANS)

Jordanian MP Yehia Suud said that unilateral Israeli decisions represent a threat to Jordan, and that the people of Jordan are totally behind the statement of King Abdullah to Der Spiegel. “This is the time for the US to stand with the peace camp, not the camp of darkness. We call on the international community to stand up to the Zionist ambitions. Arab and Islamic countries must take an honorable position for justice and peace,” he said. Suud said that the Jordanian parliament has in the past called for the cancellation of the Wadi Arab treaty and the need to abrogate the gas deal.

Also Read – Palestine to challenge Israeli land annexation

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