Israel Slams Jordan For Cozying Up To Hamas

I blogged about the new relationship between Hamas and Jordan a few weeks ago and now, the Israelis are not happy about this historic reversal on Jordan's part. Here's what the Israelis are saying according to the report at Haaretz:

Israel on Wednesday criticized Jordanian overtures to the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, saying the Hashemite Kingdom's reversal of long-standing policy is "unhelpful to the peace process.

And here's the details about what Jordan is up to:

In an about-face, Jordan is reaching out to Hamas amid fears that a collapse of Mideast peacemaking would bring an influx of refugees. But the U.S. ally must walk a delicate line to avoid angering its U.S. and Israeli friends. Hamas is outlawed in Jordan, which has accused the group in the past of trying to destabilize it. But Jordanian intelligence chief Mohammed al-Dahabi held two covert meetings with top Hamas leaders this month, ending a nearly decade-long banishment of the group.

Now, I've put forth some theories on why Jordan would take this step - one being a genuine fear of being on the wrong side of Iran but I think it is more likely that Jordan is more concerned about the wave of al Qaeda spreading into Jordan upon their demise in Iraq and also, the growing al Qaeda presence in Gaza.

It's my opinion that the Jordanians fear some real reprisals from al Qaeda for past crackdowns and the Jordanians are trying to have a "rent a thug" in the region, namely Hamas.

Pretty crazy, huh? Well, the Jordanians have been a waiting prize for the terrorists for a long time and with this move by Jordan, what they have already done is piss off Israel and that will be a long term mistake for them. Jordan has enjoyed a relationship with Israel that has been at least calm for many years and considering the bad stuff that eventually will explode in the Middle East, I'm not so sure the Jordanians have really thought this out.

Israel slams Jordan's talks with Hamas as 'unhelpful to peace process'

The talks don't mean Jordan, which signed a 1994 peace deal with Israel, is embracing the militant group or is turning its back on Arab-Israeli negotiations. But the kingdom has clearly decided it's better to rebuild a relationship with Hamas than keep shunning it as an enemy amid doubts over the peace process' future. "We're at a crossroads and Jordan must protect itself and its national interests," said former Jordanian parliament speaker Abdul-Latif Arabiyat. Jordan fears that the possible failure of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks backed by the Bush administration, which leaves office early next year, could embolden Hamas in the neighboring West Bank, as well as Muslim extremists in Jordan and across the Mideast. Quiet contacts with Hamas could mollify any fallout for Jordan if that happens. Also, Jordan is worried a failure of talks will revive Israeli hardliner calls for ejecting West Bank Palestinians to Jordan or for parts of the West Bank to form a confederation with the kingdom as an alternative to an independent state. Jordan, which ruled the West Bank from 1950 to 1967, strongly opposes such a move, as do Hamas and other Palestinians. Jordan's worries are demographic: Roughly half of its 5.8 million population are of Palestinian descent, from families that were displaced to the kingdom in two wars with Israel since 1948. Jordan is ruled by an elite drawn from its native, Bedouin-rooted clans. Another flood of Palestinians could overwhelm Jordan and even spark civil unrest. In 1970, the Palestine Liberation Organization tried to overthrow Jordan's Hashemite monarchy by setting up a Palestinian government. But Jordan fought a bloody war, known as "Black September," as it evicted the PLO from its territory. Jordan's contacts with Hamas have already irked Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose U.S.-backed Palestinian Authority controls the West Bank and has been battling to end Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip last year. Abbas sent his interior minister, Abdel Razak Yehiye, to Jordan last week to "find out what the Jordanians are up to and if their contacts with Hamas meant dropping support for the Palestinian Authority," said an Amman-based Palestinian official, insisting on anonymity citing diplomatic sensitivities. Israeli Embassy spokesman Itai Bardov in Amman called Jordan's contacts with Hamas "unhelpful to the peace process." "We're against any negotiations with Hamas because we regard it as a terrorist movement," he said. "We should find ways to strengthen the Palestinian Authority instead of legitimizing Hamas, which made an illegal military coup in Gaza."