King Abdullah’s UN attack on Israel overlooks Jordan’s own troubled history - opinion
Standing at the UN podium vilifying Israel, King Abdullah might have borne in mind the adage: “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
On September 23, King Abdullah of Jordan addressed the UN General Assembly, bashing Israel. He accused the nation of perpetuating an "one of the world’s longest-running occupations" that breaks international law. However, he did not address his own monarchy's troubled history with Palestinians, which is marked by violence, repression, and unresolved grievances.
In 1948-49, Jordan's Arab Legion seized control of the West Bank and annexed it in 1950, making the West Bank residents Jordanian citizens. The UN recognized this annexation as lacking legal validity, as acquisitions of territory through force are not lawful bases for sovereignty. In 1988, King Hussein ended Jordan's legal and administrative ties with the West Bank, which resulted in the loss of citizenship for about one million residents.
This deprivation of nationality severely impacted their rights, including residence, voting, employment, and access to services. In 1970, King Hussein launched an offensive against Palestinian positions in Jordan, leading to a civil war. Palestinian fighters fled to Lebanon, while Arafat accused Hussein of killing 25,000 Palestinians, a claim widely regarded as exaggerated.
Despite acknowledging the Palestinian-Jordanian legacy of bitterness, King Abdullah's UN speech focused solely on Israel's alleged wrongdoing.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
