Firstly, his connection to Jerusalem is a spiritual one, driven by pure religious motives, as expressed years ago by that elderly man from Karak on a television network, saying: “I would die, I and my children, just to pray in Jerusalem.” I mean that for the Jordanian, Jerusalem is not merely a Palestinian cause of solidarity with brothers. Those who use terms like "the Palestinian file" or "the Syrian file" in their prioritization of Jordanian matters are either ignorant of what it means to be Jordanian or even more ignorant of their national sentiments.Jerusalem is not simply a solidarity issue with brothers. Jerusalem is where we shed the blood of many Jews defending it during the two battles, and we were the first to capture Jews during the 1948 confrontation. They, too, inflicted losses on us, martyring our sons—deaths that became a source of pride, befitting the dignity of a martyr who gave his life in unyielding defense of a place imbued with religious sanctity and an aura of reverence that warms the soul....What surrounds Jerusalem is the issue of a group of people honored by their sweet belonging to Jordanian identity—citizenship and a steadfast commitment to action for more than tens of years. Yet, for reasons beyond their and our control, they have been removed from our national equation. I mean the people of the West Bank!
Even though Jordan hasn't claimed control of the West Bank for thirty years, Salama believes that Palestinians there are still Jordanians and the West Bank is still part of Jordan.
He also believes Jerusalem is a Jordanian issue, not a Palestinian issue. He notes that Jordan fought "Jews" for control of the city, twice, and praying at Al Aqsa is the deepest desire for every Jordanian.
Except there is nothing stopping any Jordanian from visiting Jerusalem and praying at al Aqsa or any other mosque in the city.
What Salama is really saying is that the entire Palestinian national project is a facade. The goal isn't establishing a Palestinian capital in Jerusalem; the goal is to take Jerusalem away from Jews, no matter who else controls it. In his mind, "Palestine" is just a facade to grab the land, but in reality the Palestinians are Jordanians - and Palestine is Jordan.
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"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024) PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022) |
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