by Stephen Crane
After World War I, the victorious Allies established a mandate, known as the Palestine Mandate, to create a land for Arabs and a land for Jews in the area surrounding the Jordan River known as Palestine. Arabs were granted most of the land, 78% east of the Jordan in what is now known as the country of Jordan, and Jews a minor portion, 22%, now called Israel.
The capital of Jordan, Amman, is the largest city of Palestinian Arabs in the world. This sensible plan, unfortunately for Arabs and Jews has not been enacted. Jordan and other Arab nations have blocked Arabs from settling in the land meant for them, resulting in some 70 years of wars, terror, propaganda, schools for hate, and continuing international crisis.
Even though they are a majority, Palestinian Arabs do not rule Jordan. Through short-sighted political expediency, a non-Palestinian king was put on the throne of Jordan. Arab neighbors aggravated the problem. Rather than enabling Palestinian Arabs rule themselves in their own land, surrounding Arab armies and countries embarked on a plan to eliminate Israel, kill Jews, then expropriate their homes and country. What a disastrous failure !
The solution to the present untenable political situation is to put Palestinian Arabs in charge of Jordan. Presently, that foreign king, of Hashemite origin, is the never-elected ruler of the country. Needless to say, this is a complicated situation. The best plan is to recognize Jordan as the Palestinian home it is and allow those who are entitled to move there or to move where else they may be accepted.
Instead life has been difficult for them. Most live in desperate conditions with massive unemployment. Billions of dollars of aid are diverted to enrich their leaders and to fund their military ambitions. Palestinian Arabs are subject to schools teaching racial hate rather than education;. They are controlled by a dictatorial political system. This sad situation has existed for some 70 years: incompetent “friends’ like the UN UNRWA and misinformed European states have failed to relocate these people.
Meanwhile, millions of other Arabs displaced by Syrian wars, ISIS wars, and Iraq wars have been relocated in multiple countries, especially Europe, in just a few years. Some 14 million Indians and Pakistanis, millions of Europeans, almost a million Jews expelled from Arab lands, and large numbers of other refugees have been relocated in a short few years.
So why do these Palestinian and other Arabs continue to live in limbo? The billions spent on this disenfranchised population every year yield no results. Why can’t they move to their promised land of Jordan and use the billions to create beneficial infrastructure, decent schools, responsible leaders, and jobs?
Why? Here are the reasons:
The king of Jordan does not want more Palestinian Arabs, as they might demand a representative government.
The violent leadership of Arabs living in Samaria, Judea (aka West Bank), and Gaza might continue to use their resources against Israel rather than for their own people if allowed to wield power in Jordan.
The surrounding Arab states refuse to admit these people. They have proposed instead to eliminate the State of Israel (and the Jews living there), thus acquiring that land.
The Palestinian leadership makes millions from the plight of their subjects.
The United States and Israel are reluctant to consider this.
What can be done?
Existing proposals have failed. Also, politics have changed. For instance, the enmity between Saudi Arabia and Israel is no longer, and now the two countries cooperate in many areas. Also the specter of the Iranian hegemonic ambitions over Arab states has affected alliances. With that in mind, the following suggestions can be part of any peace process.
Eventually the king of Jordan will no longer rule because the majority in his country want to vote. European kings faced this by becoming constitutional monarchs or being deposed. Even though Jordan, Israel, and the United States cannot admit this eventuality, it will come. Planning for it and working towards it can insure a smooth transition and a soft landing for the king, perhaps a constitutional monarchy. Such planning will also disallow dangerous elements like the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, or Fatah. The king has already permitted the terroristic Muslim Brotherhood to maintain an office in Jordan. Terroristic leaders must leave the Mideast. As incentive, they can keep their ill-gotten monies to a limit. Peaceful adjustments can be considered, like the prohibition of arms written into the post-war Japanese constitution. Jordan does not need to take “all” Palestinian Arabs living outside that country.
The present Palestinian leadership is a special problem. Abbas, for instance, has overstayed his term by over 10 Years. A captive population provides Palestinian leaders with a constant source of money from European nations, the UN, and certain Muslim nations with particular agendas. Their money supply must be shuttered and the populations should directly receive benefits. These troublesome leaders and their organizations must be exiled. With leaders of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Fatah exiled, new leaders can emerge in Jordan. With new leadership in Jordan and funds used for public projects, populations will be eager to move for economic opportunity, increased freedom, and a better life.
A zero tolerance for terrorism, terrorists, and their masters such as Iran is important. The present jihad leadership inside Jordan, Gaza, West Bank cannot continue. Gaza, without Hamas or Hezbollah, can be administered by Egypt.
The program to eliminate Israel, after a number or wars and a flow of money and propaganda to achieve that end, has not worked. Arab states are beginning to understand that peace is not so bad, and accepting Israel as a partner is beneficial to all.
About the Author
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania where he was news editor, Stephen Crane pursued his passion for writing as an author/publisher. He has authored or published a number of books with Jewish and Israeli themes.