PeaceWatch Vol 1 No 21

PEACEWatch Vol. 1 #21 Nov. 22, 1998	PEACE Contents Guestbook Current Issue
Two Embassies, a Peace Treaty, and The Same Old Story Ameen Hannoun
Four years and a bit have passed since the historic signing of the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel. Only four years, and the clamor and applause seem nothing but a ghost, despite all the potential benefits the treaty was supposed to bring the parties. The long awaited era of peace anticipated by most Jordanians (almost 3 out of every four Jordanians supported the treaty four years ago, according to the Jordan Strategic Studies Center) has slowly turned into nothing but John Lennon - like lyrics. The economic, social, and cultural prosperity, which were expected as the result of the new era, have had to struggle for survival in the context of a "Good fences make good neighbors" strategy. Since Palestinians make up a large proportion of the population of Jordan, the deterioration of peace support among Jordanians would not be, certainly, interpreted as a good start towards achieving peace in the whole region. A fenceless peace with Jordan would reflect positively on the peace process between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The Visa Department at the Israeli Embassy in Amman is a good example of a Kafkaesque bureaucracy that is only enforcing the fences. Instead of opening the door to further understanding and friendly grass-roots relations by allowing Jordanians to visit Israel, an insignificant total of 20-30 visas are issued every day, and some days none. The story does not stop here. Jordanians who are anxious to visit relatives and friends in Israel, and those who want to establish business connections and meet Israelis, have to stand in a long line some days as early as 1:00 AM just to get a number which if it is less than 30 or 40 will entitle them to an interview. Of course that does not mean necessarily that the visa is issued. Many Jordanians who planned their visit this summer, including yours truly, had to travel up north and look at it from the east bank of River Jordan. Such restrictions led the Jordanian Embassy in Tel Aviv to start putting hassles in the way of Israelis who wish to visit Jordan. Needless to say, such acts will not help in elevating peace from just a treaty to a comprehensive way of life. Another good example of the height and quality of the fences would be trade. The long awaited era of trade and economic prosperity turned out to be nothing but a major disappointment for Jordanians and Israelis alike. The paltry sum of 20 million dollars that makes up the total of the trade between Jordan, Israel and the PNA leaves one with no doubt about how long and high the fences are. Bureaucracy and strict security checks certainly do not help strengthening peace. Though the Israeli government blames that on the restrictions placed by its Jordanian counterpart, the industrial free zone of the city of Irbid (80KM north of Amman) is a good example that proves the opposite. Despite the fact that most Jordanians are uneasy about this industrial free zone and interpret it as a reward Bibi’s government does not deserve, the Jordanian government seems determined to do its share. The ball is in Bibi’s court now to practice what he always preaches, that is reciprocity. PM Yitzhak Rabin said many times when asked about peace with Syria that the depth of the withdrawal will be " proportionate to the depth of peace." In the case of Jordan, it would be more appropriate to say, "The height of the peace will be inversely proportionate to the height of the fences." Israelis should understand that if they can not make peace work with Jordan, it is unlikely that they can make it work with any other Arab country. It does not take Robert Frost to know that good fences make NO neighbors at all. Ameen Hannoun Amman, Jordan
Copyright 1998 by the authors and the PEACE group. May be reproduced intact provided that credit is given to the authors, and to the PEACE Mid-East Dialog Group, including addresses listed at the bottom.