Israel Matzav

Jordan cozying up to Hamas

Jordan's King Abdullah must be feeling awfully insecure.

In 1999, Abdullah expelled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal from his country, in what was widely seen as a show of force that was meant to show the world that Abdullah, whose father had willed the thrown to him a few months earlier, would continue to suppress the Islamists and to make peace with Israel. In 2011, Abdullah is scared enough of the Islamists that he is sucking up to Meshaal and inviting him to return to Jordan.

Last week, Jordan's new prime minister Awn Khasawneh boldly announced that Jordan's 1999 decision to deport leaders of the Palestinian jihadist group Hamas was a political mistake and a violation of the constitution. With U.S. regional influence in decline and Jordanian stability on the line, the London-based Arabic daily al-Quds al-Arabi now reports that Abdullah's new government is set to welcome Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal for an official visit in the near future.

The Khasawneh government has been reaching out to other Hamas leaders, too, including Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza. Some reports even indicate that Hamas would like to transfer its headquarters back to Amman, particularly since the unrest in Syria has made it harder for the group to operate there.

Khasawneh's rapprochement with the Palestinian terrorist group is an attempt to woo the Islamic Action Front (IAF), Jordan's arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, into a government coalition. The IAF is a powerful force in Jordan. Khasawneh understands that appeasing the Islamist group may help preserve the Hashemite Kingdom.

What could go wrong?

Labels: Hamas, Jordanian King Abdullah, Khaled Meshaal, Muslim Brotherhood

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:29 AM