Who wants the Palestinians to be distracted by a rumour?

Why is the rumour of the Jordanian-Palestinian confederation spread again? Of course it serves those who want to distract the Palestinians with a rumor, while nobody discusses it seriously. This is due to several reasons, including the fact that a confederation must be established between two states, and so far, there is no independent Palestinian state. Who said that Jordan wanted a confederation in the absence of an independent, "viable" Palestinian state? Who can confirm that Jordan would be prepared, once that state exists, to form a union with it? Jordan is only concerned with Jordan and how to cope with the economic malaise currently afflicting the country. It's a real crisis, the result of an absence of natural resources in the country. Moreover, the Hashemite Kingdom exists in an area surrounded by impasses. On top of these crises, Jordan is neighboured by an Israeli government that insists on expanding its occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, while refusing any two-state solution. Israel has not given any attention to confederation rumours because it knows Jordan cannot accept any kind of link with Palestine until the existence of a truly independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Can you imagine Jordan giving up that link with East Jerusalem, which was under its sovereignty until 1967? This doesn’t mean Jordan has a desire to re-take Jerusalem under its authority but instead to find a solution to end the occupation of the Holy City. Do not underestimate the connection between Jordan and Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, for which King Hussein sold his London home in the early 1990s in order to provide the necessary funds to repair the mosque, re-painting its dome and walls. People talking up the confederation clearly do not know anything about Palestine or the realities of the Palestinian cause. What cannot be ignored is that the Palestinian issue is experiencing a critical stage – for several reasons. The first is that the Israeli government is concentrating its efforts on an acquisition of the West Bank and the isolation of East Jerusalem. The second reason is Palestinian division. There is a gap between the West Bank, which is still -- until further notice -- under the control of the Palestinian Authority, on the one hand and the Gaza Strip on the other hand. There is no indication that Hamas, which turned the Gaza Strip into an Islamic emirate much like the Taliban and is still in control of it, is ready to relinquish its power in order to achieve Palestinian national unity. Hamas has been able to co-exist with Israel – after the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt allowed Hamas to establish a separate entity in Gaza, in other words, a long-term truce with Israel. Unity is the last concern of Hamas. Hamas used this truce, devoting its efforts to enhancing its control over Gaza and even lifting the siege instead of its ridiculous and tragic rocket firing into Israeli territory. The purpose of firing rockets seemingly ended after Hamas secured what it wanted in the Gaza Strip and became convinced that these missiles were a suitable as a way of negotiating with the Israelis once Egyptian support was secured. The third reason that puts the Palestinian issue in a critical situation is that the United States administration is not very interested in the Middle East now. Its government is completely occupied with its own domestic situation, particularly its economy. Anyway, China and the Pacific countries are now the US’s foreign policy priorities, not the Middle East. America is no longer in need of Middle Eastern oil, as it was in the past. Of course it is true that on a personal level there is no love lost between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But it is also true that Obama wants to keep his distance, as much as possible, from Netanyahu, after he publicly supported his rival Mitt Romney. That said, the President will not go so far in responding to Netanyahu by appeasing the Palestinians. Therefore, it looks like the Palestinians will have to remain on their own. That means building on the international community’s recognition of a Palestinian state as a United Nations member, i.e. a state under occupation according to 1967 borders. What is needed today more than ever is to build on the achievement at the United Nations’ Security Council, where 138 countries [including Iran and all Arab countries] recognised Palestine within 1967 borders. Can the Palestinians build on this achievement by starting with the restoration of some kind of national unity on clear lines, like the political agenda of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation [PLO] on a two-state solution? It seems quite unlikely and talking about a Jordanian-Palestinian confederation is apparently some kind of manoeuvre aiming at a long-term truce in the West Bank, just like the one reached between Hamas and Israel. Who said Israel opposes such a move? It could end up enabling Hamas to control the West Bank meaning there would be no need to return to the negotiations or to the negotiators. Or ending the occupation! --- The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arabstoday.