Jordan readies for possible framework agreement

Jordan is preparing itself for a possible breakthrough in the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry. According to sources, Amman e pects the United States to un!eil a "framework proposal# before the end of January. $hief of the %oyal $ourt &aye' al()arawneh met with *ournalists last week to brief them on Jordan+s stand on final status negotiations, especially on refugees, Jerusalem and the borders. )he meeting was off the record, but one of the columnists attending told Al-Monitor that )arawneh wanted to emphasi'e Jordan+s position ahead of local and regional reactions to the proposed deal. Summary, Jordan is taking care to make its positions clear ahead of an e pected US "framework proposal# in the Israeli(Palestinian negotiations. Author -sama Al Sharif Posted .ecember /0, 120/ )he deal could still fall through if Israel+s Knesset appro!es a draft law proposed by a go!ernment subcommittee on Sunday to anne the strategically !ital Jordan 3alley, which comprises 145 of the total area of the 6est 7ank. It is not clear how Jordan will react to such a de!elopment, which would surely derail peace talks and undermine the two(state solution. &ormer Prime 8inister )aher al(8asri told Al-Monitor, "A *ust solution to the Palestinian problem is in Jordan+s best interests.# 9e added that Jordan has the largest number of Palestinian refugees, and therefore it wants to protect their right of return. 8asri said that Jordan re*ects any solution that allows Israel to maintain borders along the Jordan 3alley. 9e added that Jordan has a !ested interest in being close to the bilateral negotiation table between Israel and the Palestinians. )arawneh was :uoted by a parliamentary bloc he met recently as saying that ;25 of Palestinian refugees in the kingdom ha!e Jordanian citi'enship and that the go!ernment must assist them in e ercising the right of return and recei!e compensation. 9is statement has bolstered !iews that Jordan wanted to safeguard the rights of its own refugees in light of any final status agreement that might be reached between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. -n Jerusalem, Jordan continues to super!ise 8uslim holy sites, a right that is recogni'ed in the Jordan(Israel peace treaty, and was earlier this year supported by Palestinian President 8ahmoud Abbas. )he 9ashemite patronage of 8uslim sites in <ast Jerusalem, which goes back to the late 0=;2s, is fer!ently defended by King Abdullah II. -n the borders, )arawneh made it clear that while Jordan has no occupied land west of the Jordan %i!er, it cannot accept the presence of foreign troops on its borders. -fficially, Jordan supports a two(state solution that rests on implementing U> resolutions on Palestine. It wants to see an independent Palestinian state in the 6est 7ank, which until 0=?@ was Jordanian territory, with <ast Jerusalem as its capital. )he Palestinians made their grie!ances known o!er the security arrangements, which US Aen. John Allen has prepared to reassure the Israelis. -riginally, the proposal kept the Israeli army deployed along the Jordan 3alley, the Palestinian state+s eastern border with Jordan, for at least ten years. )he Palestinians ha!e re*ected this and news reports say that Kerry may alter the plan to replace Israeli troops with US or >A)- soldiers. )he draft law to anne the Jordan 3alley was meant to undermine such arrangements by e tremists in the Israeli go!ernment who oppose a territorial deal with the Palestinians. .etails of what the proposal says on <ast Jerusalem and 6est 7ank settlements ha!e not been released. Palestinian sources spoke of Israel being willing to cede ;15 of 6est 7ank territory. 8ost large settlements will be anne ed by Israel in return for mutually accepted land swaps. Jerusalem is a thorny issue, as Israeli Prime 8inister 7enyamin >etanyahu re*ects any suggestion that might di!ide the city or allow the Palestinians so!ereignty o!er parts of it.

$hief Palestinian negotiator Saeb <rekat has said that a framework agreement would include a general accord on core issues, but would lea!e the details of implementation to a final treaty. )he deadline for signing this accord is the end of April, and both sides are e pected to reach a final agreement within a year. 7ut another Palestinian negotiator, 8ohammed Shtayyeh, had warned that the deal implements >etanyahu+s !ision of a Palestinian state with temporary or transitional borders. 9e said that in Israel+s !iew, "temporary# can easily become permanent. 7ut if the Palestinians, who are coming under US and <uropean pressure to reach a deal with Israel, succumb to an agreement, Jordan would like to be prepared. In the 0==0 8adrid peace conference, it offered the Palestinians a political umbrella to attend the talks through a *oint delegation, only to be taken by surprise when the -slo agreement was re!ealed. )his time, Jordan is taking no chances. It wants its position to be known ahead of any deal that might be reached, especially if the accord pro!es to be a contro!ersial one. )his week, former Prime 8inister 8arouf al(7akhit warned of "surprises# resulting from Israeli( Palestinian negotiations through "secret channels.# &ormer chief of the %oyal $ourt, Adnan Abu -deh, told Al-Monitor that the Jordanian position differs from that of any other country, as it considers itself a "partner in results# of any negotiations. 9e said that Jordan cannot afford to support *ust any deal with the Palestinians and that it considers the Jordan %i!er a natural border between it and the future Palestinian state. In addition to preser!ing its role in Jerusalem, Jordan is concerned about the fate of o!er two million Palestinian refugees on its territory. -ther than defending the rights of its own citi'ens, as )arawneh has said, Jordan wants to ha!e a say in any agreement that concerns refugees. )his is a hot political potato for many Jordanians. )he settlement of Palestinian refugees in Jordan will irk <ast Jordanian conser!ati!es who are worried about the delicate demographic balance in their own country. At a time when the Jordanian monarch is implementing political reforms, many !oices are calling for a *ust election law that does not treat Jordanians of Palestinian origin as second(class citi'ens. A final settlement of the refugee issues will be one of the biggest political challenges facing Jordan. -sama Al Sharif $ontributor, Osama Al Sharif is a veteran journalist and political commentator based in Amman, Jordan, who specializes in Middle East issues. e can be reached at alsharif.osama!"mail.com. On #witter$ !plato%&% http,BBwww.un.orgBcontentBesBC!idoutB!ideo0014.shtml