Ready to deal with any Palestinian settlement

One cannot help but feel pessimistic about the prospect of peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

The two-state solution seems to fade away and the Palestinian issue is not the core of attention in the Middle East anymore.

However, all the other crises in the region seem to be interconnected with the Palestinian issue, especially in their consequences, such as refugees, borders, security and normalisation of ties with Israel

From a strategic point of view, the country most affected by the Palestinian issue is Jordan.

Jordan has paid the highest price of the consequences of the pending Palestinian crisis, at all levels. 

And it faces a new-old challenge regarding the final solution of the pending peace process.

Many analysts believe that the only valid solution is the so-called Jordanian option, perhaps with some modifications of the plan of former US president Ronald Reagan who suggested, in 1988, that a “self-government by the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza would be in association with Jordan and not a separate state”.

Many believe that it is really difficult to arrive at a political solution to the Palestinian issue.

A practical solution, on the other hand, should pass smoothly, particularly if measures are taken to facilitate the life of Palestinians, especially in three major issues: borders, freedom of movement and security.

Jordan would be an essential element in facilitating this process.

Most proposals that try to revive the peace process are ignoring the refugees’ right of return and, more recently, started including the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.

Thus, basically, these proposals imply that any solution would be at the expense of the countries where refugees settle, or even expect to have more of them. 

Politically, the Palestinian scene is deeply fragmented.

The Fateh movement is passing through one of its worst times; many polls expect Hamas to win in the West Bank in any coming election.

At the same time, same polls suggest that Hamas might lose in Gaza, but will not leave it, so one wonders what could be the possible scenario for Gaza.

Will any radical movement appear on the scene or will there be some kind of “transfer” of Gaza’s people towards Jordan?

Jordan should be ready to face the consequences of the failure of the peace process, and ensure it is not the place where the negative impact and the aftermath of the crisis appear.

The country needs a strong national strategy to deal with the dangers that might threaten the country at all levels.

The recognition of the Palestinian state is the step that should be achieved before considering any kind of confederation.

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