Israel spoils Jordan peace efforts

Israel spoils Jordan peace efforts

By Jack Redden

AMMAN (Reuter): Israel's plan to take over land in Arab
Jerusalem has hit a raw nerve in Jordan, fueling growing doubts
about peace just as King Hussein was pressing ahead to establish
full normal relations.

Anger at the expropriation of 131 acres (53 hectares) of land
in areas captured in 1967 was directed both at Israel and the
United States, which on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council
resolution calling for cancellation of the land seizure.

Foreign Minister Abdul-Karim al-Kabariti, terming the U.S.
vote "immoral" and "hypocrisy", said he summoned the U.S.
ambassador on Thursday to express Jordan's views.

Few issues are as sensitive in Jordan as Jerusalem. Not only
is much of the population composed of refugees from Israeli
expansion but the kingdom is still responsible for Moslem holy
places in Jerusalem.

"Israel's action makes a mockery of all efforts to bring about
peace and stability in the region," the Jordan Times newspaper
wrote. "The U.S. stand cannot be more disappointing to all those
who accepted its role in the peace negotiations."

"If Israel is not honoring its commitment to the peace
process, should the Arab parties be expected to do (so)?" its
editorial concluded.

The editorial was written hours after an informal session of
parliament on Wednesday produced angry calls for everything from
the expulsion of Israel's new ambassador to a full severing of
the relations established only last October.

The formal closing statement from the deputies omitted demands
for Jordanian reprisals, settling for expressing "rage and
condemnation" of Israel's action.

That moderation reflected government intervention rather than
the mood of parliament -- an indication of the awkward position
King Hussein had been placed in by Israel's latest efforts to
tighten its grip around the Arab half of Jerusalem.

The king had just ordered parliament, which is officially in
recess, to reconvene in early June for a special session to pass
legislation that would remove existing anti-Israeli laws.

The changes, required under the peace treaty the countries
signed last October, had been blocked in February when so many
deputies boycotted the final session of parliament that no laws
could be passed.

Although the countries have signed a peace treaty, relations
are far from complete. The two failed to meet the six-month
target in the treaty for signing accords covering trade -- once
seen by Jordanians as a major potential benefit of peace.

Jordanian doubts about King Hussein's sudden agreement to
peace with their long-time foe appear to have grown steadily,
with diplomats noting that even former supporters are distancing
themselves from the treaty.

Those opposed to normal relations with Israel from the start
have found fresh justification in Israel's expansion of Jewish
settlement in East Jerusalem, a continuation of the policy the
Jewish state has single-mindedly pursued since 1967.

The Islamic Action Front, the largest party in parliament with
16 of the 80 seats, announced it would hold a long-delayed
conference on May 26 to organize resistance to normalization.