Determining Sovereignty in the West Bank

[Published August 2004]

Benny Elon's plan provides the catalyst, though not necessarily the solution, for determining who gets sovereignty in the West Bank (and Gaza).

Re-drawing the boundary between Jordan and Israel to divide sovereignty of the West Bank (and Gaza) between those two States remains the only key left to finding any solution that has any chance of success.

The heavily populated Arab areas will become part of Jordan. The heavily populated Jewish areas will become part of Israel.

Very few residents will have to move unless they voluntarily want to do so because they don't want to live on the wrong side of the new border, where they are part of a minority of the population rather part of a majority. In those few cases compensation would be paid to those who voluntarily chose to move to the other side of the border.

Gaza could be joined to Jordan by means of an underground or overhead expressway.

The granting of sovereignty of the Arab areas returned to Jordan under this plan would restore such territories to Arab control, a situation that existed between 1948-1967.

It is time the Quartet addressed this type of solution to replace their ill-conceived and fatally flawed road map that sought to wedge a second Arab State in Palestine ( in addition to Jordan) between Jordan and Israel, the two successor States in former Palestine to the League of Nations Mandate.

Jordan and Israel have had a signed peace treaty since 1994. Redrawing the boundary between their respective States would be done as an extension of that Treaty, which already provides for the negotiation and peaceful resolution of such issues as refugees, water and Jerusalem.

Jordan needs international support to help it achieve these objectives, eradicate the terrorist groups running rampant in the territories and rebuild the destroyed infrastructure resulting from 10 years of hopeless diplomacy.

The sooner this help is forthcoming, the sooner some hope of sanity and normality might emerge to end the senseless killing and maiming of both Jews and Arabs that has turned what should be a paradise into a living hell.

Jordan comprises 77% of former Palestine and Israel 17% of former Palestine. Is it really that difficult to carve up the remaining 6% of Palestine between these two States without creating a 23rd Arab State stuck in between them?

As Sharon appears before the Likud Convention today he would do well to remember his own words and those of Shimon Peres with whom he seeks to unite:

Sharon: Jordan is Palestine! The capital of Palestine is Amman. If Palestinian Arabs want to find their political expression, they will have to do it in Amman.
[TIME - April 17, 1989 ]

Peres: It is not obstinacy to regard the populations of Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza as having greater similarities than differences. The Jordan River is not deep enough to turn into a knife blade serving to cut one piece of territory into three slices.... Jordan is therefore an existing State. It has an army. There is therefore no need to set up another State, another army.
[Jewish Telegraph - April 19. 1991 ]

If these two veteran politicians were to be true to their own words, then perhaps, just perhaps, some division of the West Bank and Gaza between Jordan and Israel could eventuate.

Arafat has always stuck to his policy - return of 100% of the West Bank and Gaza, an independent State there with Jerusalem as its capitol.

It's time that Israel's politicians adopted their own common response to Arafat's disastrous pursuit of these objectives by stating clearly and in a united voice - no State between Jordan and Israel but division of sovereignty over the West Bank and Gaza between Jordan and Israel in face to face negotiations and within the framework of the Israel - Jordan peace treaty, the Israel - Egypt Peace Treaty, Security Council resolutions 242 and 337, and Article 80 of the United Nations Charter.