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Knesset bill: Jordan for Palestinians
[Iran Press TV Latest] A group of Jordanian lawmakers have urged severance of ties with Israel in protest at Knesset member Arieh Eldad's bill proposing a Palestinian state on Jordanian soil. "The voting on the proposal by the Israeli Knesset proves that the Zionist mentality of the ruling politicians in Israel does not believe in peace and has no respect for peace treaties and UN resolutions," the National Democratic Bloc of the lower house of parliament said in a statement on Friday. The group, which includes 15 deputies, described last week's proposal in the Knesset as a flagrant violation of the peace deal Amman struck with Tel Aviv in 1994. It called on the Jordanian government to take concrete measures to dismiss the Israeli ambassador and withdraw the Jordanian envoy from Israel. On Tuesday, the Jordanian foreign minister summoned the Israeli ambassador and demanded the withdrawal of the bill from further consideration. "Jordan believes in establishing an independent and viable Palestinian state on Palestinian soil. This is a strategic Jordanian interest that comes in line with a two-state solution and the Arab peace initiative," Nasser Judeh explained to the Israeli Ambassador, Yaakov Rosen. Amman is deeply angered by the measure put forward by Eldad of the National Union party, which calls for "creating two states on the two banks of the Jordan River, one for the Israelis and one for the Palestinians". The language of the text is unambiguous about Jordan as an 'alternative homeland' for the Palestinians. The bill is yet to be discussed in the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Posted by: Fred 2009-05-30 |
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