Ostatnio, przed zbliżającą się wizytą prezydenta USA Joe Bidena w Arabii Saudyjskiej, Izraelu i Autonomii Palestyńskiej, pojawiło się wiele doniesień, że administracja USA zamierza promować ustanowienie sojuszu wojskowego podobnego do NATO w regionie, aby stawić czoła różnym zagrożeniom bezpieczeństwa, z których główny jest Iran. Według doniesień sojusz ten ma obejmować umiarkowane państwa arabskie, w tym Arabię Saudyjską, Zjednoczone Emiraty Arabskie, Bahrajn, Egipt i Jordanię, a także Izrael i będzie dyskutowany na szczycie 16 lipca w Dżuddzie między Bidenem a przywódcami Arabii Saudyjskiej, Zjednoczonych Emiratów Arabskich, Bahrajnu, Kataru, Omanu, Kuwejtu, Egiptu, Iraku i Jordanii.
Jak dotąd żaden przedstawiciel żadnego z tych krajów nie odniósł się do tej kwestii, z wyjątkiem jordańskiego króla Abdullaha II. Zapytany, czy Jordania przyłączy się do takiego sojuszu w wywiadzie dla amerykańskiej sieci CNBC, król powiedział: „Byłbym jedną z pierwszych osób, które poparłyby bliskowschodnie NATO. Ale wizja takiego sojuszu militarnego musi być bardzo jasna, a jego rola dobrze zdefiniowana. Misja musi być bardzo, bardzo jasna. W przeciwnym razie wszystkich zdezorientuje”. [1]
Wypowiedzi króla, które zostały zrozumiane w mediach jako wyraz woli Jordanii przyłączenia się do sojuszu wojskowego przeciwko Iranowi, który obejmowałby Izrael, wywołały wiele reakcji. Najwyraźniej wysłany w celu wyjaśnienia oświadczeń króla, jordański minister spraw zagranicznych Ajman Al-Safadi zaprzeczył temu, mówiąc Al-Dżazirze 28 czerwca, że „nie było dyskusji na temat sojuszu wojskowego, którego częścią jest Izrael, i nie słyszeliśmy żadnej takiej propozycji do dziś”. Jak wyjaśnił, król wyraził chęć poparcia przez Jordanię wszelkich propozycji zorganizowanych i wspólnych działań arabskich w celu stawienia czoła wyzwaniom takim jak terror, bezpieczeństwo żywnościowe i bezpieczeństwo ekonomiczne. [2]
Artykuły i analizy w prasie jordańskiej oceniały, że wkrótce zostanie utworzony sojusz arabski, aby stawić czoła egzystencjalnym zagrożeniom dla regionu i świata, w tym ze strony wspieranych przez Iran milicji w regionie i ze strony Izraela, a także kryzysom energetycznemu i żywnościowemu wywołanymi wojną na Ukrainie i zmianami na arenie międzynarodowej. [3]
W wielu innych artykułach w prasie jordańskiej wyrażono zdecydowany sprzeciw wobec udziału Jordanii w sojuszu wojskowym z Izraelem. Autorzy artykułów, w tym byli ministrowie Jordanii, redaktorzy gazet i dziennikarze, twierdzili, że Jordania nie jest zainteresowana dołączeniem do takiego sojuszu z Izraelem, który zagraża interesom Jordanii w kontekście kwestii palestyńskiej i Jerozolimy i jest źródłem problemów i niepokojów w regionie. Mimo porozumień pokojowych podpisanych przez kilka krajów arabskich z Izraelem, powiedzieli, że ten ostatni „był i nadal jest zbrodniczym wrogiem Arabów” i żadne mocarstwo światowe nie zmusi Arabów do utworzenia z nim sojuszu wojskowego, dopóki nie będzie szanować praw Palestyńczyków. Jeden z autorów, były minister informacji Samih Al-Ma’ajta, stwierdził, że jordański establishment doskonale zdaje sobie sprawę ze sprzeciwu opinii publicznej wobec związków z Izraelem i dlatego będzie unikał zawierania z nim sojuszu. Dodał, że chociaż Jordania sprzeciwia się polityce Iranu w regionie, jest duża różnica między tym a przygotowaniami do rozpoczęcia z nim wojny. Inni pisali, że w obliczu kryzysu żywnościowego i energetycznego spowodowanego wojną na Ukrainie, wyzwania gospodarcze znajdują się obecnie na szczycie agendy i najważniejsze jest promowanie integracji gospodarczej wśród Arabów, a nie sojuszu wojskowego przeciwko Iranowi.
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Former Jordanian Information Minister: Jordan Is Troubled By Israel’s Policy, Should Avoid A Military Alliance With It
In a June 30, 2022 article on the Ammonnews website, Former Jordanian information minister Samih Al-Ma’aita wrote: “…The King announced recently that he supports the establishment of a NATO-like alliance in the Middle East, as long as its objectives are clearly defined. Many people asked explicitly whether Israel would be part of this alliance. But the question that needs to be asked is whether it is [at all] possible to form an alliance in this region with a clear mission and comprising like-minded members [as the King said]. Some may believe that the war against Iran is an objective shared by many countries in the region, including Israel, and that a military alliance against Iran is bound to be established. But the most important question is which countries are interested in launching a war against Iran, and the answer is that nobody wants to fight Iran, not even Israel and the U.S.
“The Gulf states’ relations with Iran range from normal to excellent. The Sultanate of Oman and Qatar have excellent relations with it; Kuwait’s relations with it are good and it handles them wisely, while Saudi Arabia speaks of neighborly relations with Iran and negotiates with it. There is a big difference between opposing Iran’s actions and preparing to launch a war against it… We in Jordan have reservations about Iran’s policy and objections to it. But is it [really part of] Jordan’s policy to enter into an alliance with Israel in order to deliver a blow to Iran?!…
“Iran has formal relations with Israel, but these relations are very troubled from a political point of view, because Israel handles the Palestinian issue in a way that threatens Jordan’s interests, especially with respect to Jerusalem and [the establishment of] a Palestinian state. Everyone knows that the relations between Israel and Jordan have deteriorated considerably since the signing of the [peace] agreement [between them], because Jordan knows that the Jordanian masses do not welcome this relationship, and that, with every wave of Israeli aggression [against the Palestinians], this relationship becomes a [heavier] burden for this country… So does it make sense to lead this country into a regional military alliance with Israel?
“Since the announcement of Biden’s [upcoming] visit to the region…, there has been talk about a regional framework, which Israel hopes [will emerge], due to its desire to become further integrated in the region without being required to grant the Palestinians their rights. But, according to all rational political analyses, this is impossible, because there are important Arab countries that are unwilling to pay this political price…
“Jordan avoided attending [the founding conference of] the regional Negev Forum several months ago, which was attended by several Arab countries and by the U.S. and Israel. On the day [of that conference] King ‘Abdullah visited Ramallah, in order to convey that Jordan would not be part of any regional cooperation initiative that does not place Palestine at the top of its agenda…
“Israel is the source of these ideas [of a Middle East NATO, for] it wants to become further integrated in the region and is using the common enemy, Iran, as an excuse. However, its refusal to grant the Palestinians their rights means that Israel is still a source of concern in the region.
“The talk about a putative alliance [with Israel] will cease when Biden leaves the area, but Israel’s efforts to expand its ties [in the region] will not. As for Iran, it will continue its game of [vying for] influence with Israel, but without direct war, since a limited Iranian presence [in the region] is an American-Israeli need.”[4]
Board Director Of Al-Dustour Daily: No Cooperation With Israel Before It Grants The Palestinians’ Rights
Muhammad Daudia, board director of the Al-Dustour daily and a former Jordanian cabinet minister, wrote in a similar vein in his column in the daily, under the headline “Mr. President Biden, We Will Not Form an Alliance with the Occupier”:
“The fact that the Ayatollah regime has managed to place itself on the list of the Arab nation’s enemies does not mean that the Israeli enemy has managed to erase itself from this black list… Whoever takes a superficial look at things may try to suggest or impose on us political solutions that are based on Israel’s excessive power and on the Arabs’ and Palestinians’ excessive weakness. But no force in the world will force us to accept Israel and cooperate with it in any alliance without insisting that [Israel respect] the rights of the Arab Palestinian people that have been recognized in UN resolutions…
“We expect the friend of our King and our country, U.S. President Joe Biden, to make a proposal that is fair, realistic and feasible and will not disregard [the fact that] the state of Israel is maintaining a barbaric occupation that has been condemned by the UN. As [our] King said to Palestinian President [Mahmoud ‘Abbas] yesterday [i.e., on June 26]: “Jordan will do its utmost to support the Palestinian position at the Jeddah summit, and nothing is more important for this kingdom than the Palestinian cause.”[5]
Jordanian Journalist: Israel Is A Criminal Enemy Of The Arabs; An Arab Alliance With It Is Inconceivable
Another Al-Dustour columnist, Ibrahim ‘Abd Al-Majid Al-Qaisi, likewise rejected the notion of an Arab military alliance with Israel, writing: “In politics, a state or states will sometimes act to preserve the [territorial] integrity, the stability or the security of their enemy. But this cannot happen between the Arab states and their criminal enemy, Israel, even if a shared ally [the U.S.] has managed to get these hostile sides to form ties [and sign] a peace agreement… For all of its optimism, this shared ally [the U.S.] will never manage to gain enough influence over the Arabs to make them forget their rights, their occupied lands, and their holy sites and compel them to form an alliance with Israel in order to launch a war against Iran. There is no room for comparison between Iran and Israel, or between Iran’s aggression towards the Arabs and Israel’s aggression. For Israel is an artificial entity that relies on crimes in order to consolidate its existence, whereas Iran is a state with historic roots and with considerations and interests…
“Biden, the U.S. and their ilk are interested in Israel’s security and are willing to make concessions [regarding other matters] in order to ensure its security and stability. But this security and stability will be at the expense of the Arabs and their rights, and will involve an inconceivable disregard of the crimes committed by this occupying state against the Palestinians and against the Arabs in general. This is a blatantly immoral approach of causing the victim to defend the criminal… How can a people that is subjected to murder be mobilized to defend its murderers?…”[6]
Al-Ghad Editor: Meeting The Economic Challenges Is More Important Than A Military Alliance Against Iran
Makram Ahmad Al-Tarawneh, editor of the daily Al-Ghad, wrote on June 26 that the top priority today should be handling the economic crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, rather than forming a regional military alliance:
“The occupation state is constantly spreading news that a regional alliance comprising [Israel] and the Arabs is forming in order to confront Iran, and that the seeds of this coalition will be planted in the [July] 16 Jeddah summit, which will be attended by the U.S. President and by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq and Jordan. Two years ago there was also a lot of talk about this [putative] alliance, and it was said that Jordan would be part of it… [But] since then there have been no signs that [the emergence of] such an alliance is certain or necessary, or that it is being formed…
“It’s hard to say that Jordan has an interest in joining this kind of coalition in a region that is [characterized by] economic and security instability and already suffers from conflicts, and when the focus is on achieving Arab and regional economic integration in order to meet the challenges [in the spheres of] energy and food security – especially when the world is in the worst crisis it has seen in decades. The global economic crisis is now uppermost in the considerations of all countries, while the character of the relations between them and their priorities have changed. Each of them seeks to actualize its particular interests and avoid the volcano of the war currently raging between Russia and Ukraine, which has impacted food and energy prices [all over the world]… This war has destabilized the world, and every country is facing difficulties caused by its repercussions… Wars of this kind do not end without global solidarity and cooperation to stabilize the situation, especially in poor countries that suffer the greatest harm. In light of all this, the question remains: Can Jordan place priority on opening the gates of conflict [with Iran], when this region is already unstable and when economic crises are destroying everything in it?”
[1] Cnbc.com, June 24, 2022.
[2] Aljazeera.net, alghad.com, June 29, 2022. On July 2, 2022 Al-Safadi made similar statements to the Lebanese channel Al-Nahar Al-Arabi (annaharar.com, July 4, 2022).
[3] Al-Rai (Jordan), June 29, 2022; Al-Ghad (Jordan), July 5, 2022.
[4] Ammonnews.net, June 30, 2022.
[5] Al-Dustour (Jordan), June 27, 2022.
[6] Al-Dustour (Jordan), June 22, 2022.
