On May 3, 2011, Jordanian Prime Minister Ma'rouf Al-Bakhit declared that Jordan would not consent to the establishment of a Palestinian state that did not include a guarantee for the right of return. He added that it would act to thwart any "plots" or attempts by Israel to remove the Palestinian issue from the international agenda and would not allow any concessions at the expense of Jordan's supreme interests.[1]
It should be noted that some in Jordan interpreted Al-Bakhit's speech as a harsh and unprecedented warning to the Palestinian Authority against making concessions regarding Jerusalem and the right of return – concessions which would come at the expense of Jordan's supreme interests and be to its detriment, as the host of a large number of Palestinian refugees.[2]
Following are excerpts from his statements:
Jordan Will Fight Any Attempt to Eliminate the Palestinian Issue or Undermine Jordanian Interests
"Jordan will strongly support the international efforts to declare a Palestinian state that will meet the expectations and ambitions of the Palestinian people, and that will be established on a clear and defined basis of international legitimacy [i.e., U.N. resolutions] and on the sources of authority for the peace process – a state that will ensure the right of return and a just solution to the refugee problem.
"The Palestinian brothers, who are preparing to welcome the event [of the declaration of the state] this coming September, must present a clear strategy that will strengthen the Palestinian position, meet the interests and aspirations of the Palestinian people and its historic struggles, and necessarily ensure the rights of all sides that are connected to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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"If there are those who raise legitimate concerns about Israel's aggressive conduct, and about the possibility that a right-wing Israeli government will take steps to [aggravate matters] and apply pressure in order to extract concessions, or international guarantees of concessions, on the part of one side regarding the issues of Jerusalem and the refugees – meaning that the permanent arrangement will come at the expense of Jordan's supreme national interests. I say in all honesty: just as Jordan achieved military victory over the Israeli war machine and maintained the Palestinian territories, so that all U.N. resolutions and efforts would be based on the achievements of our armed forces in the war of 1948; just as we defeated the Israeli plot to eliminate the Palestinian issue at Jordan's expense, in the 1968 [Battle] of Karameh, which was a lesson in will and determination, so will Jordan and its brave Hashemite leadership deal with all Israeli plots and attempts to eliminate the Palestinian issue or to act against Jordanian interests."
A Palestinian State without the Right of Return and Jerusalem – "Not the Longed-For Palestinian State"
"We will not allow Israel to take advantage of the harsh conditions experienced by the Palestinian people, or to blackmail it, or to pressure it into concessions. Jordan and its proactive Hashemite leadership will continue to make every effort to ensure Arab and international assistance to the Palestinians, so they can establish their desired country according to U.N. resolutions and the sources of authority for the peace process. This will ensure, first and foremost, the ratification of a just solution to the refugee problem.
"On this basis, if the possibility of a new concession by any side is taken into account, it must be explicitly reiterated that a Palestinian state without a guarantee of the right of return, compensation for the refugees, or Jerusalem, is not the longed-for Palestinian state. It will not reflect the Palestinians' and the Arabs' six decades of struggle and sacrifice, just as it will never be the essence of the Palestinian national enterprise. On the contrary, it will be a kind of model leading to the eradication of the Palestinian national enterprise and of the history of the struggle and sacrifice in which every honorable Arab has participated..."
Jordan Represents Its Residents, Including the Palestinian Refugees, and Will Uphold Their Rights
"Jordan – which is capable of defending the rights of its residents and preventing any concession, by any element, at the expense of the historic right of the [Palestinian] refugees who are Jordanian residents – will not agree to anything but the establishment of a Palestinian state and the guarantee of a right of return. Any road that does not lead to the actualization of this goal will lead to aberration and perdition... We will not allow anyone a monopoly in representing this problem. It is Jordan that represents its residents, and most of the Palestinian refugees are part of the state of Jordan.
"I will emphasize here that Jordan's relationship with the different sides, including the Palestinians, is not an emotional one, but a political one based on its supreme interests. Anyone who serves these [interests] is an ally of Jordan, and anyone who tries to relinquish them is considered hostile, whatever their intentions or feelings may be...
"What interests us Jordanians is recognition of the right of return, which is no less important than its implementation – and even more important. The unity agreement between the two banks [of the Jordan river] mandated the need to defend the historic right of the Palestinian people in Palestine – that is, the right of return."
[1] Ammonnews.net, May 4, 2011.
[2] An article on Al-Bakhit's speech in the Jordanian government daily Al-Rai said that Abu Mazen had no right to speak in the name of Palestinian refugees with foreign citizenship, and that Jordan would reject any solution to Israel's demographic problem that came at Jordan's expense. Al-Rai (Jordan), May 9, 2011.
