Over the past few weeks, Jordan has been rather worried about a possible settlement between Israel and the [Palestinians] and about how it could harm the interests of Kingdom Jordan. Past leaders affiliated with the regime who had previously served in sensitive positions in the ruling establishment boldly expressed this concern, which bothered some top government officials. Successive statements by the former Prime Minister and Deputy Speaker of the Senate (the King's Council) Maarouf al-Bakhit have bothered top officials, who thought his remarks "conflict with the official Jordanian position".. Bakhit, who served for years as ambassador to Tel Aviv and is considered among the most prominent conservative statesmen, said, "Jordan must be present and involved in any future negotiations to protect its supreme interests".. Zeid al-Rifai, a former prime minister and a major figure in the official conservative current, made his first appearance in years yesterday [Jan. 15] and warned that the negotiations might affect Jordan. Yet Rifai seemed less worried about the efforts of US Secretary of State John Kerry. He said that Kerry's efforts "will not bear fruit," as quoted by local media.. But a former prime minister and current member of the senate, Samir Zeid al-Rifai, who is following in his father's political path, did not hide his growing concern about the framework agreement proposed by Kerry. Samir al-Rifai said in front of a number of politicians that he was concerned about Jordan entering negotiations that "may produce decisions that are not in the interest of the Palestinian cause".. However, one of the most shocking statements by Jordan's political elite and top officials came from a former parliament speaker and current MP, Abdul Hadi al-Majali, who during the past two decades has been considered one of the regime's most prominent pillars. In parliament, he warned of "shaking the social structures in the cities and the parties. We don't want its shaking to end by shaking the state and its cohesion and its ability to withstand outside [pressure]".. It seems that these hard-line positions from corners affiliated with the Jordanian state pushed [Palestinian Authority Chairman] Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) to send Abbas Zaki as a representative to Amman and meet Bakhit at his home, along with the head of the senate and former Prime Minister Abdul Raouf al-Rawabidah, who is considered the godfather of the conservative movement in the government.. The two Jordanian officials told the Palestinian envoy about the nature of Jordanian concerns regarding the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations and said that they fear the effects of those negotiations on Jordanian interests.. Jordanian and Palestinian political sources said that Kerry, during his recent visit, asked Jordanian officials to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, to close the file on refugees' [right to return] and to support the framework agreement, which provides for an Israeli military presence in the Jordan Valley, compensation for the refugees and compensation to Jordan for hosting them. According to sources, Kerry's demands call for the resettlement of some 2 million Palestinians on Jordanian land.. In this context, Al-Hayat has learned that top Jordanian officials have called for an emergency council to meet regularly to respond to Kerry's framework during the coming period.. In addition to the policy council, which was chaired by top officials, recent meetings have included the new Royal Court chief, Fayez al-Tarawneh, the director of the Office of the King, Imad Fakhoury, and the intelligence chief, Gen. Faisal al-Shobaki, in addition to the heads of parliament and the Senate, Atef al-Tarawneh and Abdul Raouf al-Rawabidah.. During their first meeting, away from the limelight, the conferees discussed how Jordan should deal with Kerry's framework and the need to clarify "Jordanian supreme interests" if negotiations start. These interests involve the status of the refugees, the right of return, compensation, borders, Jerusalem and how much financial compensation the kingdom should request as a "host country"...

• published: 16 Feb 2014
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