Who Rules the Temple Mount?

As we all know, the (in)famous June 1967 arrangement of Moshe Dayan, then Defense Minister, the "status quo", set a policy that while Israel asserted sovereignty over the site, the practical day-to-day administration is in the hands of the Waqf.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expanded on that, in a statement that explicitly downgraded the status of Jews there when he declared

“Israel reaffirms its commitment to upholding unchanged the status quo of the Temple Mount, in word and in practice. Israel will continue to enforce its longstanding policy: Muslims pray on the Temple Mount; non-Muslims visit the Temple Mount.”

That was in late October 2015. It was thought that those words were said to placate Jordan's King Abdullah and US Secretary of State John Kerry as part of the failed surveillance camera deal.  The cameras were never affixed and neither the US or Jordan paid for that whereas that statement was a significant yielding up of rights which until then had never been so starkly spelled out.

In that connection, it has been pointed out that the next attempt to assure security at the site but also to collect proof who initiated the violence, who had stored weapons of various sorts in the mosques and who was cooperating with terrorists and rabble-rousers which was the metal detectors of summer 2017, was foiled because:

the Palestinian and Muslim discourse the central issue is the need to combat what they believe to be guiding the Israeli policy, namely, the Jewish (or Zionist or settler) effort to take over the holy compound that includes the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to destroy the mosque and the Dome of the Rock so as to turn the Temple Mount into a place of Jewish prayer. Hence, the Palestinians and the Muslims did not see the installation of the metal detectors as a measure to improve security, but instead, as an obvious way to prepare the groundwork for changing the status quo and thereby advancing the objective that they ascribe to the Jews.

Before then we had statements such as these regarding the nature of the "status quo":

Netanyahu’s spokesman, Mark Regev, said on Thursday: “At last night’s security consultation, the prime minister made it clear that there will be no change in the status quo on the Temple Mount and that whoever expresses a different opinion is presenting a personal view and not the policy of the government.”

Regev said Netanyahu had made the comment at a meeting with security officials late on Wednesday. 

That was in November 2014.  The headline interpreted Netanyahu:

Binyamin Netanyahu rejects calls to let Jews pray at Jerusalem holy site

As Nadav Shragai wrote, it was obvious by then that

the old status quo has been greatly degraded, increasing Muslim control and status on the Mount and greatly undermining the status of Jews and the State of Israel on the Mount.

How degraded has it become?

This past Holocaust Day fell on a Thursday and according to the standing arrangements, Jews and other non-Muslim tourists should have been able to enter the holy compound. But they couldn't because of a Muslim holiday (I discussed that in detail here). But what was clear was that the Palestinian Authority celebrated that holiday on Thursday night-Friday and so the Mount should have been open, at least for morning visiting hours.

A letter from the Israel Police received by Michael Puah who complained explains the situation. The holiday was celebrated on Thursday in Jordan and so, the Temple Mount was closed to all non-Muslims:

If my understanding is correct, the Temple Mount basically is Jordanian property which Israel simply guards and assures that its Muslim status remains supreme and primary. Jordan customs are to be taken into consideration above all other regimes, including the Palestinian Authority (I presume because of the March 2013 agreement) and, of course, that of Israel. That agreement reads in the preamble of:

The continuity of Hashemite King of Jordan's custodianship of the holy sites since 1924 makes His Majesty more able to maintain the holy sites and to preserve Al Masjid Al Aqsa (Al Haram Al Sharif)

Jordan rules and pushes anti-Israel resolutions in such international bodies as UNESCO.

Jordan also is a signatory to a peace treaty with Israel which states in Article 9 that it will:

provide freedom of access to places of religious and historical significance...promote interfaith relations among the three monotheistic religions, with the aim of working towards religious understanding, moral commitment, freedom of religious worship, and tolerance and peace.

That has never happened.  And Israel has never, to my knowledge, complained about Jordanian moves on the matter.

Jordan rules.

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What Does King Abdullah Mean By "Key"?

King Abdullah of Jordan told American Vice-President Mike Pence last week that

“For us, Jerusalem is key to Muslims and Christians, as it is to Jews. It is key to peace in the region and key to enabling Muslims to effectively fight some of our root causes of radicalization”

Well, finally putting Jews on equal status with Muslims.  

That should mean a halt to inflammatory language such as "storming" the Temple Mount. 

It should mean fulfillment of the terms of Article 9 of the Jordan-Israel Peace Treaty:

It must mean a reining in of the Waqf guards behavior, guards whose salaries are paid by Jordan.

It could mean even joint archaeological projects.

It could mean permitting Christians the right to read from a Bible, and have Jews enjoy that as well.

King Abdullah, what do you say?

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You Will Be Pilloried, King Abdullah

Thus said Abdullah II, Monarch of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (aka eastern Palestine) in the United Nations yesterday

...Safeguarding Jerusalem is a key concern ... the Holy City; a strategic linchpin not only for my region but for the world. This is a priority for me personally, and for all Muslims. We utterly reject attacks on Muslim and Christian Holy Sites ... and any attempts to alter the historic Muslim, Christian and Arab identity of the Holy City. As the Custodian of Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, I will continue my efforts to protect these places, and stand up against all violations of their sanctity, including attempts for temporal and spatial division of Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif.

Sir, there are no "attacks" but visits, with Jews being restricted by Israel's governments to tours only, as if Jews had no rights to this holy site.

The only "altering" is the work done by the Waqf funded by you to either destroy, deface or cover-up the Temple Mount's Jewish past or to new construction.

It is you who seek to change the "identity" of the site or falsify it or deny it.

If you do not adhere to the terms of the Jordan-Israel Peace Treaty which are

Each party will provide freedom of access to places of religious and historical significance...The Parties will act together to promote interfaith relations among the three monotheistic religions, with the aim of working towards religious understanding, moral commitment, freedom of religious worship, and tolerance and peace...The Parties will seek to foster mutual understanding and tolerance based on shared historic values, and accordingly undertake: to abstain from hostile or discriminatory propaganda against each other, and to take all possible legal and administrative measures to prevent the dissemination of such propaganda by any organisation or individual present in the territory of either Party;

then you are the one to be pilloried in international forums.

___________

P.S.

I realized that I need to clarify a point for the newcomers to my blog.

Abdullah refers to sites. That means not only the Haram Courtyard but all over (is that "conquest expansion"?) and as an example here is an item from 2013:

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs Nasser Judeh on Thursday voiced Jordan's total rejection of what has been reported by the media on Israeli plans to expand the Buraq Square in the courtyard of Al Aqsa Mosque in a way that threatens the Islamic monuments.

The Buraq Square is none other than the Western Wall Plaza which is outside the Haram precincts.  That is definitely upsetting any status quo.

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What Status?

This has been communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke this afternoon (Thursday, 5 February 2015), with King Abdullah II of Jordan. ..The Prime Minister noted the importance of the Jordanian ambassador's return to Israel and of the joint commitment to maintaining the status quo at the holy sites.

Joint?

Really?

Exactly how?

Does Jordan respect the Jewish claim to the Temple Mount on Moriah?  Does it wish for coexistence? Respect for religious freedom?

How does Jordan see this situation?

Here

Jordanian diplomacy made its most significant 2014 win in early November by successfully lifting the Israeli closure of Al Aqsa Mosque and repelling Israeli aggression [???] on Al Haram Al Sharif...Following incursions of Israeli security forces into Al Aqsa Mosque, Jordan withdrew its ambassador to Israel, Walid Obeidat, over violations in East Jerusalem.
 Parallel to the escalation of violence in East Jerusalem, King Abdullah led a diplomatic offensive [???] by contacting influential political centres, efforts..."King Abdullah and Jordanian diplomacy did their utmost to neutralise Israeli escalation of violence and incitement at Al Haram Al Sharif, using practical and diplomatic efforts to curb attempts of right-wing Zionist circles to seize Muslim shrines," [veteran diplomat and columnist Hasan] Abu Nimah said.

Somehow, I don't think the two leaders are communicating the same message.

And then there's this:

Netanyahu asserted Israel’s respect of the Hashemite custodianship of the holy sites in Jerusalem and the historic role of Jordan, in pursuance of the Jordanian-Israeli peace agreement, expressing the Israeli government’s commitment not to alter the status quo at Al Haram Al Sharif and Al Aqsa Mosque. King Abdullah reiterated Jordan’s rejection of any Israeli measures that may threaten or undermine the sanctity of the holy mosque, endanger the shrine, or lead to changing the status quo of the holy site.

Is there any sanctity at the site for Jews?   Any Jordanian commitment?

What's the Jewish status?

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Jordan's King Deceives UN

So spoke King Abdullah II at the Summit on Threats to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts - United Nations Security Council, New York, US on 24 September 2014

Jordan has taken a lead in interfaith initiatives. We are working now on introducing a Security Council resolution that will address the systematic targeting of religious communities.

Did those interfaith initiatives include Jewish religious aspects as relating to the Temple Mount?

Is the Jordanian Waqf not targetting the Jews vis-a-vis the Temple Mount? 

Does not Article 9 of the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty not obligate the King and his kingdom 

"to provide freedom of access to places of religious and historical significance...to promote interfaith relations among the three monotheistic religions, with the aim of working towards religious understanding, moral commitment, freedom of religious worship, and tolerance and peace."

He also had this to say at the Plenary Session of the 69th United Nations General Assembly
New York, US on 24 September 2014:

Jordan strongly opposes threats to Jerusalem’s Arab Muslim and Christian identity. As Hashemite custodian of Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian Holy Sites, I will continue to oppose any violation of Al Aqsa Mosque’s sanctity.

So, King Abdullah II, what's it to be?

^

Got A Shovel? Come to the Temple Mount

Emily Amrousy has written this:-

Is the flag of Israel dangerous?
Jews entering the Temple Mount are used to draconian treatment -- separate lines from tourists, meticulous security checks, vociferous orders not to pray or whisper, the chaperone. Now there is a new order: Every Jewish man and women are required to enter a side room and take off their clothes to prove they are not smuggling a dangerous, explosive prohibited substance: The Israeli flag. It should be noted that Muslims wave the flags of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and Hamas regularly, in front of cameras and policemen.
In the 1950s bold young men and women tried to reach Petra. Today they try to sneak an Israeli flag into Temple Mount. One of them, Eitan Kliman, got a restraining order banning him from the Temple Mount for concealing "under his shirt an Israeli flag that read 'Temple Mount is in out [sic: our] hands' which he planned to wave [on the site]." It is safe to say that they would probably have banned Mordechai Gur (the Israel Defense Force's 10th chief of staff) from the Temple Mount [who made that declaration in 1967].

I have just suggested to the Coordinating Council of the Temple Mount Organizations, --- yes, there are (too) many, --- that we next attempt to ascend with shovels.

Shovels?

Yes.  We want to perform archaeological excavations. (Thank you MK Micki Levi)

Got a pickax?

My thinking is that we need to strengthen links to as much of the Israeli public as possible and issues that are not seen to be as 'extremist' or overtly 'Temple-linked', like sacrifices, Kohanim dressed in weird white clothes and such can only assist us in this effort.

P.S.

I wonder what those "leaders" --- one of them President and CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs Steve Gutow, a graduate of a Reconstructionist seminary --- told the King of Jordan (which is part of historic palestine) about Jerusalem as a united city and worship on the Temple Mount:

King meets representatives of Jewish organizations in Washington

Washington, Feb. 13 (Petra) -- His Majesty King Abdullah II on Thursday met with leaders of the American Jewish organizations in Washington D.C. and discussed ways to support efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East...

"The establishment of an independent Palestinian state on Palestiniannational soil, within the June 4th, 1967 line, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living in peace and security alongside Israel is a regional and international interest..

...King Abdullah warned of the Israeli settlement policies in Jerusalem and the attempts to tamper with Muslim and Christian holy sites there. He also warned against attempts to Judaize Jerusalem, which, he said, are an obstacle that could undermine efforts to achieve peace.

King Abdullah affirmed that Jordan will continue its historic Hashemite role in protecting and defending the holy places in Jerusalem.

Odd.  Can't find any news at Jewish sites.


^

Netanyahu Needs Watch His Back; And Abdallah vs. Women-of-the-Wall

Reported:

His Majesty King Abdullah II met on Sunday with a delegation representing the Arab and International Relations Council...[and] stressed Jordan's stance about the centrality of the Palestinian issue as well as the need to achieve peace and end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict by leading towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian state as per the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and based on the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The King highlighted the importance of the efforts exerted by the US Secretary of State John Kerry to advance the peace process, and pointed out the positive indications from all parties to resume the peace negotiations.

Photo courtesy of Royal Court of Transjordan;  man in kippah not Jewish

But that's not all. You need to read another source.

The King also said that

...the Kingdom will continue its efforts to safeguard Islamic and Christian sites in the holy city of Jerusalem...Jordan will not spare any efforts, whether political, diplomatic or legal to protect the city, highlighting the Kingdom’s historic role in securing the holy sites, according to a Royal Court statement.

The Monarch highlighted that Jordan’s role is increasingly important in light of the agreement signed by His Majesty and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in March this year.  The agreement confirmed both Jordan’s role as custodian of the holy sites of Jerusalem and Palestinian sovereignty over all of Palestine, including East Jerusalem, the statement said. 

...the King directed the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs to furnish the Dome of the Rock and Masjid Al Marwan, which is an underground praying area on the southeast side of Al Aqsa...the furnishing will be financed personally by the King...His Majesty also warned of the forced [???] migration of Muslim and Christian Jerusalemites...any attempts to Judaise Jerusalem and any of its holy sites — especially Al Aqsa Mosque — will not be accepted under any pretext.

And he also strike a blow at the Women of the Wall:-

The King also denounced the so-called Sharansky compromise, which seeks to expand and raise the area adjacent to the Buraq Courtyard in Al Aqsa Mosque complex at the expense of other Islamic parts of Al Haram Al Sharif.

He also rejected Israel’s attempts to demolish Bab Al Magharbeh, the largest entrance for non-Muslim visitors to Al Aqsa Mosque complex.

That is a fundamentalist Islamist position of classic inventivity nationalism.

No peace there.

Netanyahu's other problem: watching his back.



___________________

The rest of the details of the Jordanian involvement are quite disturbing:

Jerusalem’s religious leaders who attended the meeting thanked King Abdullah for Jordan’s “unwavering support for the Palestinian people and the Kingdom’s efforts to secure their rights”.

Head of the Islamic Awqaf Council in Jerusalem Sheikh Abdul Atheem Salhab said Jerusalem and Al Aqsa Mosque are a “red line” for His Majesty, who has constantly opposed any attempt to change the city’s identity.  Salhab said the attacks against Al Aqsa have increased lately, especially by settlers storming Al Aqsa under the protection of the Israeli forces, and Israel’s violations of the jurisdictions of the awqaf and the mosque’s administration, in addition to obstructing the restoration works.

He also cited the attempts by the right-wing ministers in the Israeli government to legitimise Jewish prayers inside Al Aqsa, warning of a “era-bound and location-based” division plan of the mosque, to eventually rebuild what they allege to be the Solomon’s Temple, the statement added.

Director General of Jerusalem’s Awqaf Department Sheikh Mohammad Azzam Khatib thanked His Majesty on behalf of all Jerusalemites for his constant defence of the holy sites and Jerusalemites, emphasising that King Abdullah has made his custodianship a “true Hashemite heritage”.

Khatib cited a number of Hashemite reconstruction works completed recently, including the rehabilitation of the early-warning system throughout the mosque, restoration of the decorations and mosaics inside the Dome of the Rock and the southern mosque (Qibli) project, in addition to the procurement of 200 tonnes of lead to plate the mosque and the roof of the Islamic Museum.

Khatib and a number of Jerusalemites stressed that the Hashemite Fund for the Reconstruction of Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock should be considered a financial portfolio for the funding of projects aimed at protecting the holy sites and support the Jerusalemites.

Palestinian Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Adnan Husseini reiterated the importance of the agreement signed by His Majesty and Abbas in March, noting that it “reaffirmed” the status of King Abdullah as the custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem, indicating that the accord has given moral support to the people of Jerusalem and helped solve many of the outstanding problems they face.

Husseini said the agreement has boosted Jordanian-Palestinian coordination to the best effective ranks at local and international levels, according to the statement.

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fuad Twal expressed appreciation for King Abdullah’s efforts to protect Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, calling for further concerted efforts to protect the identity of the holy city, which he said is the responsibility of everyone.

^

Jordanian Monarch and the Armenians

The Jordanian King keeps up the pressure on Jerusalem:-

His Majesty King Abdullah II stressed the importance of maintaining the importance of preserving the Arab and Islamic identity of Christianity in the city of Jerusalem and Jerusalemites support and help them cope with the challenges and difficult circumstances they are experiencing...during a meeting Wednesday with Patriarch Nourhan Manougian

where congratulated him on his election as patriarch of the Armenian sect in Jerusalem and Jordan, to the historic agreement that was signed in order to unify the efforts to protect Jerusalem and the holy places under the risks to the holy city of great challenges and attempts Israeli unilateralism to change landmarks.The Jordanian monarch and Palestinian President signed in Amman late last month a historic agreement restored the president, "Abu Mazen" to emphasize that King Abdullah II is the owner of guardianship of the holy places in Jerusalem and has the right to make all legal efforts to preserve it, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque defined in the Convention that the entire Temple Mount...

^

Quotable Words on Holy Sites Endangered

...[PA President Mahmoud] Abbas followed up this Sunday during a trip to Amman, where he and King Abdullah signed an agreement to protect holy sites in Jerusalem.* Again, Al-Aqsa was depicted as a prime target of Israeli attacks. But for good measure, the two leaders also professed to become protectors of all Muslim and Christian shrines in Jerusalem. 

Not only was all this a bogus concoction since Al-Aqsa and all other religious shrines in Jerusalem remain open and under full Israeli protection. But conspicuously missing from all these supposedly threatened targets were Jewish holy sites in Israel's capital, where Temple Mount and the Western Wall are Judaism's most sacred places.

Somehow it escaped the attention of Abbas and King Abdullah that, if they really were sincere about protecting all sacred sites in Jerusalem, the only actually vulnerable shrines in Jerusalem and adjoining West Bank are Jewish ones.

Leo Renert

The Jordan-Israel Peace Treaty does relate to this issue:

ARTICLE 9
PLACES OF HISTORICAL AND RELIGIOUSSIGNIFICANCE

1. Each party will provide freedom of access to places of religious and historical significance.

2. In this regard, in accordance with the Washington Declaration, Israel respects the present special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Muslim Holy shrines in Jerusalem. When negotiations on the permanent status will take place, Israel will give high priority to the Jordanian historic role in these shrines.

3. The Parties will act together to promote interfaith relations among the three monotheistic religions, with the aim of working towards religious understanding, moral commitment, freedom of religious worship, and tolerance and peace.

Note:

Do Jews have free access to the Temple Mount?

Have permanent status negotiations begun?

Does 'high priority' mean absolute priority?

Interfaith relations are to be accomplished "together".  And that includes "freedom of religious worship".

*

Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas signed on Sunday an agreement confirming their "common goal to defending" Jerusalem and its sacred sites against attempts to Judaise the Holy City.  A statement by the palace said the deal confirms Jordan's historic role as custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, particularly the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound, and outlines coordination between the two sides.

"In this historic agreement, Abbas reiterated that the king is the custodian of holy sites in Jerusalem and that he has the right to exert all legal efforts to preserve them, especially Al-Aqsa mosque," the statement said.
"It is also emphasising the historical principles agreed by Jordan and Palestine to exert joint efforts to protect the city and holy sites from Israeli judaisation attempts."

"It also reaffirms the historic principles upon which Jordan and Palestine are in agreement as regards Jerusalem and their common goal of defending Jerusalem together, especially at such critical time, when the city is facing dramatic challenges and daily illegal changes to its authenticity and original identity."

And this:

Abbas said an agreement he signed today with His Majesty for defending and preserving Al Aqsa is a reassertion of a role that had been standing for decades.

"It is a reassertion of the longstanding bond since the reign of His Majesty the late King Hussein Ibn Talal,"he added.

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Oddity of Middle East Politics

Read this:-

Jordan's King Abdullah II, meeting with President Shimon Peres, subsequently said that he expects Israel to refrain from unilaterally demolishing the Mughrabi Bridge.

"Israel must refrain from any step that will damage the character of Jerusalem or sites that are sacred to Islam or Christianity," Abdullah said, according to Israeli officials.

Now, ask yourself, how can the improvement of the entrance to the Temple Mount which involved closing off a wodden structure built just a few years ago outside the Temple Mount (and leaving eight other entrances open) "damage the character of Jerusalem" or its sacred sites?

Who, now, doesn't know his history or his geography?

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Squish - There's A Weak Link on the West Bank

No, not the one forged between King Abdullah II and Mahmoud Abbas.

And not the one between Hamas and Abbas. (*) And read this about that from...2005.

This one, again, is in New Orleans:

Weak link in West Bank levee described as "jelly donut"

A weak area discovered on the West Bank Levee during soil testing is being called a “jelly donut” by Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority Commissioner, Michael Merritt. “What I was attempting to do with my thumb as we hopped into those trenches and had a look between Orleans village and the pump station was just to see how soft the clays were,” he explained. Simply put Merritt equates the instability of the area that he calls a jelly donut to squishing a peanut butter cookie dough with a fork…something they professionally call unconfined compression testing.

“It’s how much you can squish something before it compresses and how hard you can push,” he said.

On second thought, "soft" is very appropriate to to diplomatic and political moves the Palestinian Authority is making.

Unfortunately, too much could collapse as a result.


(*)
Update:

Even the NYTimes is on the mark: New Winds in Mideast Favor Hamas

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Jordanian Monarch Goes the Falsification Route

Jordan's King Abdullah II said on Thursday:-

"We have warned repeatedly that Israel is playing with fire, and Jordan rejects and condemns all measures aimed at changing the identity of Jerusalem and the displacement of its Christian and Muslim Arab population,"

Sir, it was your great-grandfather and father (sorry, your grandfather was institutionalized so he couldn't really affect public political policy) who attempted and almost succeeded in changing the identity of Jerusalem.

Prohibiting Jewish access to the Western Wall according to Article VIII of the 1949 Armistice Agreement, destroying Jewish graves on Mount of Olives, desecrating dozens of synagogues and shooting from the Old City ramparts at civilians - not to mention the ethnic cleansing of the Old City's Jewish Quarter in May 1948.

Did Netanyahu Really Say That?

Say what?

This:

Earlier this month, in a meeting with the Israeli armed forces, he reiterated that warning.

"There is no power capable of obliging us to do anything that is against Israeli interests. Whoever talks about a threat to Israeli identity, stability, and national unity, neither knows Israel nor its history. In the last ten years, neither Clinton, Bush, nor Obama told me anything about a possible pressure on Israel when it comes to Jewish revenant residents in Judea and Samaria," he said.

Of course not.


It was someone else, King Abdullah II:

Earlier this month, in a meeting with the Jordanian armed forces, he reiterated that warning.

"There is no power capable of obliging us to do anything that is against Jordanian interests. Whoever talks about a threat to Jordanian identity, stability, and national unity, neither knows Jordan nor its history. In the last ten years, neither Clinton, Bush, nor Obama told me anything about a possible pressure on Jordan when it comes to [Palestinian] refugees," he said.