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Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora (left) and Jordanian King Abdullah II. (AP and Reuters)
Jordan and Lebanon refuse to become alternate Palestinian homelands
By Zvi Bar'el
Tags: peace talks, jordan, lebanon 

Every time Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visits Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office in Jerusalem, two individuals in the region stretch their necks to the limit, as though straining to hear whether anything new is happening. One neck is that of King Abdullah of Jordan, the other is the collective Lebanese neck. With reports about the Israeli proposals to the Palestinians replete with hints about progress on the issues of the refugees and border demarcation, Jordan and Lebanon have cause for concern - particularly with regard to the refugee question.

"The Jordanian option does not exist," King Abdullah made a point of declaring last week in an interview to the French weekly L'Express. Abdullah is worried about what Abbas told Arab newspapers last month after visiting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Back then the Palestinian president said he could not demand that Israel accept all the refugees, but that this need not mean that none of them would return. "It is untenable for me to propose that five million refugees return to Israel, because they [the Israelis] will immediately tell me that I am out to liquidate the state. But it is also untenable for me to say that none of them will return. Compensation must be paid to those who return and to those who do not return, and also to the countries that hosted the refugees."

During a visit to Lebanon two weeks ago, Abbas assured his hosts that he is against settling the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and that he fully supports the Lebanese position: that settling them in Lebanon will not constitute one of the solutions to the refugee problem. "The refugees in Lebanon are among those who will return to their soil," Abbas said. The Jordanians found that reply difficult to swallow. If Abbas is promising the Lebanese that the Palestinian refugees will not remain in Lebanon - as though the matter were up to him - why does he not make a similar commitment with regard to Jordan?
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Since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, the settlement of the refugees in countries outside Palestine has been considered a reasonable solution to the problem. Before the most recent war in Iraq, it was widely reported that Iraq would absorb the Palestinian refugees in return for the lifting of the sanctions imposed on it. Since the war, no one is talking about Iraq taking in Palestinians. So ingrained is the hatred for them - because of their close ties in the past with Saddam Hussein - that they would be risking their lives by finding a home in Iraq.

Lebanon, home to 350,000 refugees, according to government estimates, is fearful that its precarious demographic balance will be undermined by taking in an additional 8 percent of Sunni Muslims. Who will they vote for? Even now, Lebanon's ethnic weave makes it difficult to achieve stability. Add to this the tragic history between Lebanon and the Palestinians and you get an extraordinary Lebanese approach - even Hezbollah is not merely opposed to settling the Palestinians in the country, but is also doing nothing to alleviate their condition. Its leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, has not called for lifting the draconic employment restrictions on the Palestinians in Lebanon, which make it impossible for them to work in some 70 different professions or to acquire property. The Shi'ite leader, who professes such great concern for the "Palestinian problem," is not so bothered by those who suffer that problem in his country.

In light of this, a theoretical formula was worked out in Lebanon, according to which a third of the refugees will be absorbed in Europe, Canada and the United States, a third will return to Palestine and a third will be granted citizenship in those Arab states where they have relatives. Jordan was appalled, because once Abbas is no longer president, and if a right-wing Israeli party will conduct the peace negotiations, or even if "only" Shaul Mofaz becomes prime minister, the Jordanian option is liable to be revived.

"Jordan is updated about all the contacts between Mahmoud Abbas and the government of Israel," a member of the Jordanian Parliament told Haaretz. "We are well aware of where things stand, and to the best of my knowledge there is still a large gap between what Olmert is presenting and the agreements that have been reached on the refugee problem. The progress has been mainly in formulating the agreement that there won't be a full right of return for all the refugees, but what is the just solution that Abbas is talking about? Can anyone cite numbers?" Asked why Jordan is not actively involved in the talks, he replied: "After all, Jordan disengaged from Palestine and has no wish to take part in a dialogue which is almost certain to fail. Is Egypt involved? Is Saudi Arabia involved?"

But Jordan finds it necessary to prepare the ground - for example to ensure that Hamas will stand with the kingdom and not against it. Accordingly, King Abdullah launched a series of consultations, which started back in March, with Palestinian figures from various streams, including Hamas, in order to reach an understanding with them that the Jordanian option will not be resurrected and that settlement of the refugees in Jordan will not be part of the agreement. The consultations were undertaken with Abbas' knowledge and concurrence.

For Jordan, whose population is more than 60 percent Palestinian, the problem concerns the country's character and identity. Even before the second intifada, and more so in its course, when concern arose that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would cross the border into Jordan, the prime minister at the time, Ali Abu al-Ragheb, announced that his government would not grant citizenship to even one additional Palestinian. That approach is even more deeply ingrained today.

With nearly two million Palestinians and another 700,000 refugees from Iraq living in Jordan, the country is barely able to create its own national identity. The slogan "We are one family," intended to show Jordan's solidarity with the Palestinian problem, was changed to "Jordan first." Publicists in Jordan have written that the slogan should really be "Jordanians first," implying that the Palestinians who hold Jordanian citizenship are not truly brothers.

That distinction is drawn most tellingly by the leaders of the Bedouin tribes, who a few years ago, whether in earnest or not, called on the king not to forgo the compensation accruing to Jordan for hosting the refugees for 40 years. The simple calculation they made came to $40 billion - $20,000 per refugee multiplied by two million Palestinians.

The Palestinians, for their part, are reassuring the king by saying that they continue to rely on the legal interpretation from the period in which Israel's relations with the Palestinian Authority were reasonably good. According to this approach, as long as there is no Palestinian state, the refugees will be able to return to Israel. Once the Palestinian state is established, the refugees will be able to return to their new homeland. Embedded in this formulation is a trick meant to resolve the historic demand with the political reality. After all, without an agreement on a Palestinian state there is no agreement on the right of return, an d only an agreed Palestinian state will be able to grant the "Jewish solution" to its refugees, namely a return only to the new homeland.

In the meantime, the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and the other Arab states will continue to follow the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue. In less than two weeks they will know whether there is a new Israeli partner who will take it upon himself to continue the talks. The keys to the homes they still hold dear to their hearts will probably add a thick layer of dust and rust before anyone formulates for them the concrete interpretation of the right of return or the right to compensation.


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      1.   Palestinian Paradise 02:40  |  Matthew Houston 07/09/08
      2.   Israel refuses t become alternate Palestinian homeland 03:03  |  logical no? 07/09/08
      3.   Such lovely "brothers"! 03:18  |  McQueen 07/09/08
      4.   Send them to Iran 03:43  |  Al 07/09/08
      5.   Good article 03:58  |  Khalid 07/09/08
      6.   Arab state recognition 04:12  |  Arie 07/09/08
      7.   Jordan is the Pal State 04:16  |  Ron 07/09/08
      8.   More Arab Hypocrasy 04:27  |  Wally 07/09/08
      9.   Send them all to Iran beings 04:28  |  John 07/09/08
      10.   In 1947 when the Arab States... 04:40  |  Edward 07/09/08
      11.   khalid 05:21  |  who cares 07/09/08
      12.   Zvi Bar`el, writers like you keeps me addicted to Haaretz 05:28  |  Maronite 07/09/08
      13.   ALTERNATE HOME LAND???? 05:58  |  duh 07/09/08
      14.   Then send them to Saudi Arabia their origin too 05:59  |  duh 07/09/08
      15.   What happened to arabs’ unification? 06:10  |  RW 07/09/08
      16.   Jordan - Friend or Foe? 06:14  |  Captain Kirk 07/09/08
      17.   it is in Israels interest to get Pals out of Lebanon 06:22  |  antoine 07/09/08
      18.   Country with name of Jordan in history was not exist 06:43  |  e.m Jordan is Palse 07/09/08
      19.   The refugees probleme. 07:04  |  Jean Van Daem 07/09/08
      20.   Israelis prefer a bi-national state 08:12  |  Natallie Durson 07/09/08
      21.   Clearly Nobody wants the `Palestinians Refugees`...... 08:14  |  Dagma 07/09/08
      22.   Is "peace" in Arabic also suicide? 08:17  |  Ilan 07/09/08
      23.   Clever were the Palestinian /Arabs who stayed 08:35  |  Dagma 07/09/08
      24.   I hardly recognised Siniora without the tears 08:57  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 07/09/08
      25.   The Arab League must be responsible...... 09:08  |  Dolly 07/09/08
      26.   Jordan and Lebanon refuse to become alternate Palestinian homelan 09:21  |  martin list, m.d. 07/09/08
      27.   Gaza is the alternate Palestinian Homeland 09:21  |  Baruch Gold 07/09/08
      28.   Jordan and Lebanon needs to take responsible steps to bring 09:37  |  BF 07/09/08
      29.   Jordan is Palestine 09:49  |  Marco 07/09/08
      30.   WHO CARES? 09:54  |  Mark of Lewiston 07/09/08
      31.   Palestinians came from Egypt(Genesis10-13&14)Help them go home! 10:22  |  sam 07/09/08
      32.   Peace in the Middle-East. 10:30  |  Jean Van Daem 07/09/08
      33.   the refugees problem 10:33  |  Palestinian 07/09/08
      34.   Arabs must pay for 1 million Jews from Arab lands 10:49  |  EgyptJewRefugee 07/09/08
      35.   israel is palestine... 11:40  |  northern neighbor 07/09/08
      36.   #13 Who should care about the Pals? 12:05  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 07/09/08
      37.   Arabs will refuse anything that doesn`t lead to IL`s destruction 12:13  |  Joel Stein 07/09/08
      38.   Jordan`s role 12:19  |  Joseph 07/09/08
      39.   Israel must lead, follow, or get out of the way 13:09  |  Natallie Durson 07/09/08
      40.   Joseph No 42 13:44  |  Palestinian Brit 07/09/08
      41.   Palestinian Paradise disected 13:58  |  Jackie 07/09/08
      42.   #24: wrong lady, Israelis want a jewish state!!! 14:12  |  Moshe 07/09/08
      43.   Example: Would you like to live in poor Lebanon or classy Canada? 14:15  |  Tamir Palestine 07/09/08
      44.   Natalie-You are Creating False History 14:18  |  Barry 07/09/08
      45.   What`s all this fuss over Palestinian refugees 15:08  |  Other voices 07/09/08
      46.   Jordan needs to get involved 15:30  |  david singer 07/09/08
      47.   You built your houses before you buy the LAND 16:02  |  Serdar KASAPOGLU 07/09/08
      48.   What Law 16:22  |  Wally 07/09/08
      49.   Bi-national State 16:31  |  mike 07/09/08
      50.   Matthew Houston 16:39  |  x-ray 07/09/08
      51.   #52--Hypocrisy: When are the Greeks coming? 16:57  |  Martin 07/09/08
      52.   Jordan and Lebanon and racist countries 17:32  |  Richard S 07/09/08
      53.   palestinian refugees 18:07  |  jeff 07/09/08
      54.   Well said Egypt Jewish Refugees Geneva 18:31  |  Pamela 07/09/08
      55.   #60 Edithann 18:51  |  Angus 07/09/08
      56.   Northan Neighbour part 1 19:01  |  Pamela 07/09/08
      57.   to #52 look who`s talking 19:12  |  Bronxite10 07/09/08
      58.   Northan Neighbour part 2 19:12  |  Pamela 07/09/08
      59.   Pal brit UK 19:26  |  Pamela 07/09/08
      60.   SURPRISE, SURPRISE!! 19:34  |  Harriet 07/09/08
      61.   I´m support too 2 state solution: Israel and Jordan 19:35  |  JP 07/09/08
      62.   Tamir ( no such country called Palestine ) 19:44  |  Pamela 07/09/08
      63.   Tamir Palestine 19:49  |  Iceberg 07/09/08
      64.   If refugees won`t recognize they`re already "home"... 19:52  |  Raymond in DC 07/09/08
      65.   Quite right Other Voices 19:54  |  Pamela 07/09/08
      66.   after the "Jewish problem" the "Palestinian problem" 20:02  |  christoph 07/09/08
      67.   Blaikesirli Serdar kasapoglu 20:13  |  David Israel 07/09/08
      68.   Jordan is Palestine 20:26  |  sam 07/09/08
      69.   Yes they are racists 20:28  |  Oday 07/09/08
      70.   But they ARE in Jordan and Lebanon 20:40  |  Ian 07/09/08
      71.   Palestinians are not all Moslems.....Pamela 20:51  |  Palestinian Brit 07/09/08
      72.   #33:Palestinian, why would the USA or Canada want a 1/3 of you? 21:04  |  Doc Holliday 07/09/08
      73.   What about the Palestinians born in other countries? 21:20  |  Jane 07/09/08
      74.   that makes three! 21:24  |  Kenny 07/09/08
      75.   #33 Palestinian..Re: #72 Doc Holliday 21:50  |  Malone 07/09/08
      76.   #72, Doc Holliday. I couldn`t have said it any better! 22:01  |  Jacques 07/09/08
      77.   48arab agressors should take responsibility and bear consequences 22:04  |  Dan 07/09/08
      78.   #35 Northern Neighbor Lebanon is Iran 22:11  |  Conroy 07/09/08
      79.   even palestinians don`t want each other 22:33  |  Arie 07/09/08
      80.   Israel also refuses to become alternate Palestinian homeland 22:38  |  Realist 07/09/08
      81.   "Ingrained hatred" of Iraqis for Palestinians 22:43  |  Realist 07/09/08
      82.   #47- Serdar Kasapoglu 23:19  |  Uzziel 07/09/08
      83.   The good thing about Abbas... 23:42  |  Joseph L. 07/09/08
      84.   Send them to Texas 23:57  |  David 07/09/08
      85.   #33 Palestinain - Doomed 4Ever 23:57  |  WYSIWYG 07/09/08
      86.   Jane 23:57  |  Palesitinian Brit 07/09/08
      87.   Realist. 00:03  |  Palestinian Brit 08/09/08
      88.   Israel doesn`t have a choice.... 00:05  |  Palestinian Brit 08/09/08
      89.   OH! My BROTHERS! MY BROTHERS! 00:13  |  THE TEACHER/INSTRUCT 08/09/08
      90.   Homeland 00:24  |  RepublicanStones 08/09/08
      91.   To Number 33-What You Agree Too 00:47  |  Ron 08/09/08
      92.   Palestinian Brit 00:48  |  Jane 08/09/08
      93.   Republican Stones 02:42  |  Angus 08/09/08
      94.   Right of Return 02:47  |  Jasper 08/09/08
      95.   #84 David 02:52  |  Angus 08/09/08
      96.   #94 Right of Return 03:39  |  Angus 08/09/08
      97.   Khalid - read # 34 EgyptJewRefugee - well said. 04:42  |  Jew frm Egypt 08/09/08
      98.   Palestinian Brit, This homeland for two has been divided 05:05  |  Bruce 08/09/08
      99.   Palestinianas – Don’t forget to talk about 1million expelled Jews 05:09  |  expelledJewfrmArab 08/09/08
      100.   The endless circle 05:52  |  Jack 08/09/08
      101.   #99 expelled jew 07:58  |  jake 08/09/08
      102.   let me understand 10:02  |  Daniela 08/09/08
      103.   re Arabs refuse to accept their arab populace a shame 10:18  |  Yardena 08/09/08
      104.   jake #101 - who are u kidding, yourself maybe? 00:44  |  expelledJewfrmArabct 15/09/08
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