Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Elder of ZiyonThe details of the petition are more interesting. The petition is based on Chapter 7 of the Jordanian National Charter, which has been retrieved from an official Jordanian government website in English. This is an amazing document in light of Jordan's peace treaty with Israel.
The Jordanian-Palestinian Relationship The facts of the close historical and geographic relationship between Jordan and Palestine over the ages, together with the nature of the national affiliation and cultural position of Jordanians and Palestinians in the present and the future, have endowed this relationship with a special and distinctive character. It is bolstered by the strong ties and deep common interests that exist between them. It is imperative, therefore, that this relationship be preserved and strengthened in the racist, Zionist and imperialist threat which endangers the existence, civilisation and sacred heritage of the Arab nation and marks Jordan out as a target as it had previously targeted Palestine. In the light of these facts, the Jordanian-Palestinian relationship must be based on the following principles: |
| First: | The Palestinian Arab identity is a political identity forged by struggle. It is not and must not be contradictory to the Arab Jordanian identity. The only contradiction lies with the Zionist settler programme. Just as the national Palestinian identity is the antithesis of the Zionist programme and hence struggles to dismantle it, the Jordanian national identity, viewed from this perspective, is also an antithesis of the Zionist programme and hence fortifies Jordan against Zionist designs and claims. In this light, Jordan and Palestine are one Arab coin struck by their shared struggle to stand up to the expansionist Zionist programme and firmly reject the alternative homeland conspiracy. |
| Second: | Political variables at the Arab and international levels, together with developments in the Jordanian Palestinian arena, resulted in the severing of administrative and legal ties with the West Bank, with which the Palestine Liberation Organisation agreed. They also led to the declaration of an independent Palestinian state under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and to recognition by Jordan of the Palestinian state. This has given rise to a new reality which emphasises the special and distinctive nature of the Jordanian Palestinian relationship and establishes the conditions for placing it on a right footing and basing it on a clear set of principles. |
| Third: | On this basis, the Jordanian-Palestinian relationship must not be understood or exploited under any conditions whatsoever to imply any curtailment of the rights of citizenship or to lead to a weakening of the Jordanian state from the inside or to create conditions leading to the realisation of Zionist designs to make Jordan an alternative to the Palestinian homeland. From this perspective, a commitment to Jordan’s national security becomes the responsibility of all citizens and serves to emphasise their continued struggle and sacrifice for the liberation of Palestine and the preservation of Jordan and its identity. |
| Fourth: | Since the unity-infused relationship between the states of Jordan and Palestine is a matter of future inevitability, the maintenance of this relationship requires respect for the choices to be made by Jordanians and Palestinians in achieving the best formulations for union between them as a model for comprehensive Arab unity. |
| On the basis of the above, national Jordanian unity is the solid base on which close relations must exist among the citizens in the Jordanian state. In addition, because it is impossible to distinguish on the ground between the Jordanian Arab people regardless of their origins, this unity must be protected and strengthened in such a manner as to bolster Jordan’s sturdiness, preserve its national security, defend the domestic front, guarantee equal opportunities for all citizens without discrimination and safeguard their legitimate rights and interests as enshrined in the Constitution. |
Half of this text talks about how Palestinian and Jordanian Arabs are indistinguishable, unified, have a special relationship and share the same interests and goals including an abiding hatred for Israel. The other half says that they are really separate - but the only reason given for their separateness is the fear that Jordan might be declared a proper home to Palestinian Arabs, in light of the previously mentioned fact that they are essentially the same people!
In other words, this document is the best evidence that the Palestinian Arab "refugee" problem could be solved by making it Jordan's problem, as their affinity with each other is unmatched.
So while the petitioners are trying hard to keep Jordan from taking citizenship away from PalArabs, they are trying to also emphasize that this desire cannot be used as an excuse for the Jordanian option.
One must also wonder if these same politicians would push for Syria, Lebanon and the Gulf states to naturalize their Palestinian Arab citizens. After all, if Jordan is urged to do it, why not the other Arab states - in the name of Arab unity that they extol in this document!
The hypocrisy is unreal, and the people who suffer the most are the ones that they are pretending to help.
