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Jordanâs King Abdullah warns Israel against unilateral Gaza-type steps on the West Bank
In notes to US president Bush and Israeli PM Sharon over the weekend, the king warned that any further steps, including Israeli withdrawals from West Bank territory, would be deemed violations of the 1995 Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty - if coordinated only with Washington and the Palestinians. He stressed Jordan would not put up with a Israel-Palestinian settlement that failed to address Jordanâs sovereignty, its interests in the Jordan river basin and the border crossings and in shared strategic issues, such as security and water resources.DEBKAfile adds: the Jordanian warning was prompted by deep concern over the side-effects of the expulsion of Israeli communities from the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria. Amman fears their ripple effect next door to the kingdom on the West Bank. In particular - 1. The king was disconcerted by the words of US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice last week, when she said: Everyone empathizes with what the Israelis are facing, but it cannot be Gaza only. This is taken in Amman to mean that Washington will squeeze Israel hard to pursue further withdrawals in favor of the Palestinians while leaving Jordan out of the picture. 2. Amman fears Washington may demand that Israel forego its control of the Jordan River border crossings too, should a precedent of this kind be set on the Gaza-Egyptian border. Jordan refuses to hear of Palestinians controlling the bridges and the Jordan River valley. 3. Jordanâs king is further disturbed by the possibility of Israel permitting free Palestinian passage from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank, lest a land bridge be formed between Gaza and the Jordanian Palestinian community, which already includes 350,000 Gazan refugees. 4. Amman sees Egypt assuming a command role in the Gaza Strip after the Israeli pull-out. Cairo will not be permitted to extend its domain to the West Bank which the Hashemite throne historically and traditionally regards as its back yard. Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-08-21 |
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