Jordanians oppose confederation with Palestinians

More than 1,000 Jordanians sign petition, also opposes using Jordan for Western military intervention in Syria.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
PA president Abbas, Jordan King Abdullah II_311 (photo credit: Reuters)
PA president Abbas, Jordan King Abdullah II_311
(photo credit: Reuters)
More than 1,000 Jordanians have signed a petition opposing the idea of a confederation between the kingdom and a future Palestinian state.
The petition also opposes using Jordan as a launching pad for Western military intervention in Syria.
Recent reports have suggested that US and Western security advisers have arrived in Jordan to train Syrian rebels and help the Jordanians face a growing influx of Syrian refugees.
Some Palestinians have also voiced opposition to the confederation idea, saying it should be discussed only after the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
The petition was signed by retired army officers and representatives of various political parties, parliamentarians and professional unions in Jordan.
It came in response to reports that the Palestinian Authority leadership and Jordan were conducting secret talks about forming a future confederation.
The petition accused US President Barack Obama, who visited Israel, Ramallah and Jordan last month, of working toward “dividing the region so as to serve Western-Zionist interests.” It said that both Palestinians and Jordanians were opposed to the confederation “conspiracy.”
This plan, the petition stated, “comes at the expense of the Palestinians’ historic and national rights and at the expense of Jordan and the future of its citizens.” The petition called on Palestinians and Jordanians to work toward thwarting the alleged confederation scheme.
It also accused Obama of exerting pressure on Jordan to play a role in Western military intervention by training Syrian and non-Syrian “mercenaries” and dispatching them to southern Syria.
“Attempts to involve Jordan in the aggression against Syria come in the context of efforts to dismantle the Jordanian State,” the petition charged. It said that these efforts were mainly designed to undermine the Jordanian army so as to pave the way for the “confederation conspiracy” and replace Jordan with a Palestinian state.
“We call upon our Jordanian people and army to confront this plot to get Jordan involved in an aggression on Syria,” the petition continued. “We also call for thwarting the confederation conspiracy and expelling foreign troops from our country.”