Jordan Could Play Key Role in Calming Israeli-Palestinian Tensions
When Secretary of State John Kerry decide to fly to the Middle East to try to calm rising Israeli-Palestinian tensions after a wave of stabbing and shooting attacks, he did not land in Jerusalem, but in Amman, the capital of Jordan. Kerry’s choice shows the important role of the Hashemite Kingdom’s head of state, King Abdullah II, who has good relationships with the Israelis, the Palestinians and the Americans.
Following the talks, Kerry announced a series of steps designed to ease tensions between Israel and the Palestinian centered on Jerusalem and the compound at the heart of the city, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslim as the Noble Sanctuary. Chief among these measures was the King’s proposal to place 24-hours security cameras overlooking the contested site.
Jordan’s reigning monarch since 1999, the English educated, 53-year old, Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein remains popular among Jordanians. Pictures of the King adorn the interior of offices and stare down onto pedestrians in the street in every city in the country. Jordan maintains a key role in the ongoing dispute in Jerusalem, as its peace treaty with Israel states that the Hashemite Kingdom is responsible for supervising the Noble Sanctuary. The Muslim Waqf, which supervises the site, is a Jordanian body, although Israel maintains overall security at the site, and will send Israeli soldiers in when officials believe it is needed.
Israel and the United States would be keen to see Abdullah intervene and try to put an end to violence between Israelis and Palestinians, Yoram Meital, head of the Herzog Center for Middle East studies at Ben Gurion University, told The Media Line. From the Israeli government’s point of view, Jordan’s role is essential, due to the hostility between the current right-wing cabinet and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
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