By Don Davis
What is the most efficient way to streamline a peace agreement and succeed in bridging security gaps?
Cut out everything unnecessary, ambiguous, disputed and untrustworthy.
If the reported remark, ‘no reason to evacuate settlements’ in a peace deal, by US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, is a fact, then it might reflect that the potential ‘Jordanian Option’ is now open for consideration.
Briefly, in World War I the Transjordan region of the Middle East was seized from the Ottoman Empire and a central government was coordinated in 1921 with an Emir, Abdullah the First, under British Protectorate.
Later in 1949, the section east of Israel became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
In essence, since 1921 Jordan has had a legitimate, respected, and relatively stable government. The country has established infrastructure in addition to highly trained, disciplined and esteemed military and police services.
Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem Holy Sites has been basically or fundamentally in place since 1924, even during Israel’s existence. This, despite subsistence of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Jordan is still the true power and rational partner in relation to balance and/or crucial Palestinian people or Muslim matters.
Jordanians have a robust, authorized legislative system, are law abiding, do not practice terror activity, and don’t endorse paying terrorists or terrorist’s families; unlike the PA and their acquaintances, the terrorist regime of Hamas.
Furthermore, Jordan is recognized by the entire world as a sovereign nation and trusted by USA and Israel.
Jordanian demographic population numbers are enormously controversial but pre-1973 data allegedly put inhabitants that claim Palestinian heritage at a high percentage.
King Abdullah the Second is reported to be of Hashemite and Palestinian linage. Therefore he comprehensively understands the needs, dynamics and importance of a peace treaty. Plus, the King has the education, experience, international support, and most importantly, the vital diplomacy necessary for making critical decisions for the people and region.
As a result, the best course may be removing the unnecessary, ambiguous, disputed and untrustworthy substances from the peace treaty equation. Such as the unbending, so-called PA President (or dictator for life without public voting), Mahmoud Abbas, who will not talk or meet with the chief parties, Israel or USA, will not bargain or flex, and continues to fund terrorists or murderers in the ‘pay for slay’ program. Moreover, disengage from Abbas’ like-minded bureaucrats.
Consequently from the point of view of Israel, the United States, and the regional players, the Jordanian Option may be the premium and most realistic alternative as the honest broker for achieving peace and a settlement for the Palestinian people.
In the meantime, action should be contemplated to politically isolate or dissolve the rich, result-less PA officials; disband their organizations and related associations, and instead allotting the money and support to Jordan to distribute fairly to the Palestinian people, their infrastructure, and to their future life-altering agreements.
Don Davis is a published Middle East analyst and book author. For more than twenty years most of his research material was client confidential and behavioral related. But many of his abridged reports on current or Israeli subjects have been posted as articles or blogs in The Christian Messenger in India, The Times of Israel, and in American news online. Don is also the book author of The Children of Santiago and The Theogonic Resurrections.