AMMAN — Statements made on Sunday
by
Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich denying the existence of the
Palestinian people, and his presentation of a map of Israel incorporating
Jordan and the Palestinian Territories, have sparked outrage within Jordan’s
government and among its people, as well as among several brotherly Arab
countries.
اضافة اعلان
On Monday, the Kingdom’s
Foreign Ministry summoned the Israeli Ambassador to Jordan and conveyed to him a strongly worded
statement for his government, in which it stressed the need for the Israeli
authorities to take a decisive and clear position regarding the extremist
actions of the Israeli minister, and warned that Jordan would take all
necessary measures to address such extremist, hateful actions.
‘Dangerous and provocative’Writer and political analyst Dr Monther Al-Hawarat
told Ammon News that the statements made by the Israeli minister are “dangerous
and provocative”, and threaten the strategic security of Jordan, “because they
do not come from the Israeli street, but rather from a man representing the
Israeli government.”
Smotrich, he said, “has influence and
weight, and is able to… dictate the Israeli government’s policies, as he
first canceled the existence of the Palestinian people through his statements based
on a racist, chauvinist vision, and secondly, canceled the existence of Jordan”
through his use of the map.
Penalties and sanctionsJordan, Hawarat said, must “penalize the
Israeli government in several ways, first of all by appealing to the UN
Security Council and other international organizations, and secondly, by
severing or threatening to sever diplomatic relations with Israel.”
“Jordan can go even futher, making the Israeli government feel that the minister's actions will not go without a price, and that such statements must stop permanently.”
The Kingdom could also issue sanctions
against Smotrich, for example, by preventing him from crossing
Jordanian airspace or prohibiting Jordanian ministers and officials from attending any
meetings in which the Israeli minister is present.
“Jordan can go even further, making the
Israeli government feel that the minister's
actions will not go without a price, and that such statements must stop permanently,” he said.
No Israeli agenda for peaceIn the analyst’s opinion, Smotrich’s speech
“indicates that the Israeli government does not have any agenda for peace or
any concept of dealing with the other side as a partner”.
“While we sit and work on concluding
agreements, we find that this minister, and before him
Ben-Gvir, are doing what
they are doing in order to increase tensions. It is as if we are wasting time
without any real results,” he said.
The official Jordanian response, Hawarat
said, “must be strong and decisive, commensurate with the gravity of the
statements.”
‘How the Israeli extreme right thinks’Political analyst Dr Khaled Shneikat
concurred with Hawarat’s statements, expressing the opinion that Smotrich’s map
“reflects how the Israeli extreme right thinks about the
Arab-Israeli conflict”, as the extreme right believes in expansion.
“While we sit and work on concluding agreements, we find that this minister, and before him Ben-Gvir, are doing what they are doing in order to increase tensions. It is as if we are wasting time without any real results.”
“If it had the opportunity to implement its
ideas, it would not hesitate to do so,” he said.
Shenikat told Ammon News that the official
Jordanian position “should do more to increase the relationship with the
brotherly Palestinian side in all fields, so that political coordination is
deeper and more harmonious.”
In addition, he said,
Jordanian authorities of all levels must respond to Smotrich's statements, and measures should not
stop with summoning Israeli ambassador “to denounce and reprimand”.
“Jordan can also reduce the extent of its
of diplomatic relations with Israel,” he suggested.
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