For the past few years, the issue of the so-called “Jordanian option” as an alternative country for the Palestinians has been one of the most heated discussions among the elites in the desert kingdom.
Being a destination of choice for millions of migrants from violence-hit neighboring countries over the past six decades, the kingdom is witnessing fears among Jordanians that their national identity might be at stake.
According to official figures, nearly 1.7 million Palestinians, 1.6 million Syrians as well as nearly half a million Iraqis are currently staying in Jordan. This number of refugees is posing enormous economic and social challenges that the host country has to deal with on a daily basis. The refugees are putting pressure on the infrastructure, including health and education sectors, let alone the water shortage the country is already facing.
However, with the rising hopes of reaching a peace deal between the Palestinians and the Israelis, many Jordanians are concerned that the US might try to end the decades-long Arab Israeli conflict at Jordan’s expense as rumors are spreading that the deal will cancel the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
This debate pushed the Jordanian monarch, again, to reiterate at a meeting with the country’s elite that his government will never accept any settlement to the Palestinian cause that might compromise his country’s interests.
King Abdallah, who is at the helm of foreign policy, has expressed his displeasure over the Jordanian option on the grounds that it only nestles in the minds of some people. He vowed to reveal their names if they do not stop. He stressed he will never allow the resettlement of refugees “not even for billions of dollars.”
Of course, the king wanted to send a clear message that he is against any suggestion that might undermine Jordan’s national interests, but the question that needs to be answered is that why some political forces keep bringing back the “Jordanian option” into the public debate.
The bottom line is that the Jordanians are kind and generous, however, once they feel their national unity and identity is threatened, they will not think twice before defending their own interests against any foreign ambition.