AMMAN — Jordan has warned the Palestinian Authority against the
prospect of producing and firing missiles from the West Bank.
The warning came amid a threat by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to resign
and dismantle the Palestinian government. Abbas has complained of
insufficient support from the international community.
Palestinian sources said Jordan's King Abdullah warned that the
Hashemite kingdom would not allow the West Bank to be used for missile
strikes. The sources said Abdullah relayed this message to both Palestinian
Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah chief Mohammed Dahlan.
"The king told PA leaders that if there are rocket attacks from the West
Bank, Jordan will no longer feel bound to help the Palestinians," the source
said.
The sources said Jordan has been concerned that Fatah and Hamas would
develop a rocket and missile production infrastructure in the West Bank amid
Israeli government plans to withdraw from the area. They said the kingdom
has assessed that the Hamas-led PA would eventually enable rocket attacks on
Jordan as well as Israel.
Hamas has been directed by Iran and Syria, both regarded as hostile to
the kingdom. The movement has been led by Khaled Masha'al, based in Damascus
and directed by Iran.
Over the last two months, Jordan disclosed Hamas smuggling of
rocket-propelled grenades and short-range missiles for attacks in the
kingdom. The plot was said to have been hatched in Damascus.
Fatah and Hamas have been firing short-range rockets and missiles in the
West Bank. On July 8, Fatah and Islamic Jihad fired two crude versions of
the Kassam-class, short-range missile from a village outside the West Bank
city of Tulkarm.
The launches were said to have failed. Fatah and Jihad also claimed to
have fired a rocket from the northern West Bank town of Jenin toward Israel.
On July 10, Abbas was taken by a Jordanian helicopter to meet the king
and Prime Minister Marouf Al Bakhit. Abbas was urged to use his forces to
fight missile and rocket production in the northern West Bank.
On Wednesday, the London-based A-Sharq Al Awsat said Abdullah also urged
Abbas not to resign. The newspaper said Abbas has threatened to quit the PA
and leave for exile amid his complaints of coming under U.S. pressure to
free an Israeli soldier abducted by Hamas on June 25.
Abbas was reported to have said that he remained powerless and unable to
pay salaries to PA employees. He was quoted as warning that he would
dismantle the PA and leave for abroad. A similar threat was issued during a
telephone conversation between Abbas and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice.
