The concept of "Jordan is Palestine" is not dead and some still believe that it is the best solution for Israel: the Hashemite Kingdom is fragile, and at some point – as almost happened in September 1970 – the Palestinians will rise up and establish a Palestinian state on the east bank of the Jordan River.
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Immediately afterward, Israel will annex the West Bank, and presto – the regional conflict will be resolved: the Palestinians will have their own state, the world will leave us to our own devices, and the Greater Israel will be ours.
The problem is that, even if this delusional vision comes true, it would still place a Palestinian majority under the rule of a Jewish minority, which is something those who consider themselves Zionist and democratic cannot abide – and neither would the international community.
Jordan's existence as an independent and sovereign state is a clear Israeli interest. Jordan has provided us with very important strategic depth since inking a peace agreement with Israel in 1994.
The Jordanian government is in a constant state of existential anxiety and Israel is equally anxious about it – and over the past few decades, it has gone to great lengths to ensure the regime in Amman is sustainable.
The Palestinian Authority – originally set up to be in power for only five years and granted longevity by Israeli government that were reluctant to finalize a peace deal – has become a convenient solution for the right-wing governments. On the one hand, Israel's territorial integrity has not been disturbed, and on the other hand, all the Palestinians' need are for donor countries to shoulder , while we have withdrawn from the day-to-day handling of their affairs.
Many have called on Israel's defense establishment to let the Palestinian Authority collapse and let Israel confront Hamas as it seeks to replace the PA it in the West Bank, as it did in Gaza.
I cannot say much in favor of the Palestinian Authority. It is indeed weak, it has failed in its attempt to establish a state that has proper systems of government, it is far from being a democratic entity, and a dark cloud of corruption looms over it. Some of the PA's explanations for the difficulty of building a democracy under occupation can be understood, but not everything can be blamed on the occupation.
In the absence of a peace process, the only entity with a real interest in the dissolution of the PA is the Palestinian leadership itself, knowing that that is the last thing the Israeli government wants.
Accepting direct responsibility to the Palestinian systems of government is a costly headache – but it's not all about the money or the fact that security coordination seems to actually work well.
The demise of the Palestinian Authority and an Israeli takeover of the West Bank following what is sure to be a bloody conflict with Hamas will live us with one state that has no Jewish majority. And no one wants that.
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