Jordanians eager for Obama envoy visit
Posted: Friday, January 30, 2009 4:39 PM
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On Assignment
By NBC News’ Moufaq Khatib
AMMAN – As the Obama administration’s Middle East envoy George Mitchell prepares to meet with Jordan’s leader, King Abdullah II, he can expect to hear some strong words about the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
That’s because Jordan, a small country that borders Israel and the West Bank, is directly affected by the state of relations between Israel and the Palestinians. Roughly 60 percent of the Jordanian population is Palestinian, with half of them living in the country’s refugee camps.
"There is a saying here: When the Palestinians sneeze under the Israeli occupation, then Jordanians come down with the flu," said Hisham Awad, a Palestinian refugee living in Jordan.
Intricately linked
Since the first Palestinian conflict in 1948, Jordan has been the recipient of the many waves of refugees fleeing the region’s war-torn territories.
Palestinians refugees fled to Jordan in 1948 and again in 1967, and many Lebanese also sought refuge there during their country’s long civil war. Many Iraqis also fled to Jordan after the U.S. invasion nearly six years ago.
The constant flood of refugees is a major issue for the country of just six million.
"[W]e are very concerned about this because there are some Israeli and American voices who are promoting the idea of transferring even more Palestinians from the West Bank to Jordan," Salh al-Qalab, a former Jordanian Information Minister who is now a columnist for a prominent newspaper.
It is a solution to the Mideast crisis that many Jordanians believe is untenable.
That’s why Jordan is trying to make the Israeli-Palestinian peace process the region’s key priority. While in Jordan on Saturday, Mitchell is scheduled to meet King Abdullah II, who has stressed the need for international engagement in the peace process and favors a two-state solution.
New era
Many Jordanians are concerned about the appointment of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, because they view her as overly friendly toward Israel.
"Hilary Clinton was biased toward the Israelis and promoted the right of the Israelis to defend themselves at the expense of the Palestinian people," said Fahd al-Fanek, a political analyst. "She continually voted against the legitimate right of the Palestinians to resist the Israeli occupier."
But others take heart in the appointment of Mitchell as the special envoy to the region. Mitchell, whose Lebanese roots have been noted in the region, was able to help negotiate the thorny peace process in Northern Ireland.
Dr. Abdul Hamaid al Majali, a Jordanian journalist, is waiting to pass judgment.
"It is too early to tell," said al Majali. "We Arabs need to speak with one voice, we need to be united. This will help Obama and give him the opportunity to create peace in the region and not fall back on all the old negative feelings of the previous administration."
