With friends like these Jordan Times

Opinion Editorials, November 2003, www.aljazeerah.info

With friends like these

Jordan Times

Monday, November 24, 2003

YESTERDAY'S REPORTS on the release of 10 Jordanian prisoners held in Israeli jails left a bitter taste in many mouths on this side of the river. First, 25 prisoners were expected to be freed, and that was already a very unsatisfactory number, considering that there are 81 Jordanians in Israeli jails.

Second, the Israeli government reportedly accepted to release only four so-called "security prisoners" — or "political prisoners" — as if Jordan's record in guaranteeing border security within and beyond the terms of the peace treaty ever left anything to be desired. Third, given the extremely small number of prisoners being released and the fact that the majority of them were jailed for extremely minor offences — mainly illegal entry — Prime Minister Ariel Sharon could have spared us the patronising act of presenting it as a "goodwill gesture" on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr. In fact, to most Jordanians Sharon's gesture is more a humiliation and a provocation, than anything else.

Fourth, Israel backtracked on freeing the four Jordanians detained since before the signing of the 1994 peace treaty — something on which negotiations seemed to have reached a successful conclusion. The negotiations had been going on for months, only to lead to a less than administrative decision with no political value whatsoever.

What are Jordanians to understand from this "goodwill gesture?" What are Arab extremists to conclude?

Adding insult to injury, the right-wing Sharon government almost appears more responsive and at ease in negotiations with Hizbollah than with a sovereign country with which it has a peace treaty. Not only does the decision to release the 10 Jordanians come amid intense talks between Israel and Hizbollah to obtain the release of an Israeli businessman and the bodies of three Israeli soldiers in exchange for some 400 Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners, but for a short but significant while there had even been the possibility that Israel accepted to consider the Jordanian prisoners as part of the same swap. Officials have been blunt in voicing their outrage at the fact that Hizbollah could think of speaking on behalf of the government of Jordan on the issue of Jordanian prisoners. It is equally outrageous that Israel entertained the idea, though briefly. As the old saying goes — with "friends" like these, who needs enemies?

Earth, a planet hungry for peace

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03).

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank, like a Python. (Alquds,10/25/03).

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