Saudi Plan to Befriend Zionist Entity to Stir up Turmoil in Jordan
Jordanian officials are concerned that Saudi Arabia’s plan to normalize ties with Israel could endanger the stability of Jordan, a senior official close to the Royal Court in Amman says, Press T.V reported.
On Thursday, the Middle East Eye news portal cited the Jordanian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as saying that the alarm bells went off in Amman following recent leaks suggesting that Saudi Arabia plans to surrender the Palestinian right of return in exchange for putting East Jerusalem al-Quds under international sovereignty as part of a Saudi-Israel peace deal.
The official noted that such a deal between Riyadh and Tel Aviv would compromise the special status of Jordan as the custodian of the Haram al-Sharif in East Jerusalem al-Quds.
The source pointed to the demography of the population in Jordan, 65 percent of which comprises Palestinians, adding, “Half the population of Jordan are Palestinians and if there is official talk in Riyadh about ending the right of return, this will cause turmoil within the kingdom.”
Although the Palestinians in Jordan have Jordanian citizenship and access to medical care, they are under-represented in the parliament and have insignificant presence in the army and security services.
The official said that any attempt to grant more rights to the Palestinians in Jordan would trigger a backlash among the Jordanian population, noting that any deal concerning the status of the Palestinian refugees would have to include a compensation package for Jordan.
On Tuesday, Lebanon’s al-Akhbar daily released a secret, undated letter from Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that puts forward a plan to normalize ties with Israel despite the strong opposition among the Arabs to such rapprochement.
R.S