Jordan's Abdullah shaken by kingdom's restive Palestinians
Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Friday, November 3, 2000
AMMAN — For the first time, Jordan has warned against using
anti-Israeli demonstrations to promote unrest in the Hashemite kingdom.
Prime Minister Ali Abu Ragheb warned parliament that opposition elements
are using anti-Israeli demonstrations to subvert the kingdom. Abu Ragheb
said authorities would respond to the threat.
It was the first time the government has accused opposition forces of
using the current mini-war between Israel and the Palestinians to undermine
the kingdom. Jordan has a Palestinian majority and demonstrations raged
through the kingdom in early October.
Jordanian sources said King Abdullah was alarmed by last week's attempt
by more than 10,000 Palestinians to cross the Jordan river into the
Israeli-controlled West Bank. The sources said Abdullah cut short a visit to
the West and returned to Jordan.
On Wednesday, the London-based Al Quds Al Arabi reported that Abdullah
turned to the Palestinian Authority for help in restoring calm to Jordan.
The newspaper said Abdullah sent Prime Minister Abul Ilah Khatib to Gaza for
a meeting with PA Chairman Yasser Arafat to discuss the unrest in the
kingdom.
Despite Abdullah's efforts, unrest continued in his kingdom. On late
Tuesday, a 29-year-old British tourist was attacked in Amman in an incident
linked to the violence in the Palestinian territories.
It was the second attack on Westerners in the last few weeks. Last
month, an American family was attacked by stone-throwers in Amman