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an interview with Abdel-Elah al-Khatib

BI: Does the current state of the Jordan-Israel relationship meet with your expectations?

al-Khatib: No, of course not, because the willingness to develop the relationship and to consecrate the concept of peaceful coexistence between Arabs and Israelis has been severely affected by the events of the last four years. After the signing of the peace treaty we witnessed the beginning of a change in the pattern of Israeli-Palestinian relations, from occupier-occupied to a more positive normal relationship. The events of the last four years brought us back to the previous pattern and this has affected our ability to develop our relationship.

BI: From the Jordanian perspective, where did Israel go wrong in cultivating the relationship?

al-Khatib: Mainly on the Palestinian issue, but also we felt there was not enough attention paid to the spirit and letter of the peace treaty, showing enough good will toward developing Jordanian-Israeli relations. But definitely the prevailing atmosphere between Israelis and Palestinians has undermined our ability to convince Arabs of the value of the relationship.

BI: And from the Jordanian standpoint, what would you do differently with the benefit of hindsight?

al-Khatib: I would have preferred to have focused more on moving the Israeli-Palestinian process forward and cultivating the peace camp within Israeli society. We have not devoted enough effort to talking to different segments of Israeli society.

BI: Suppose the Israeli-Palestinian peace process does not revive in the near future. How will this affect the Jordan-Israel relationship?

al-Khatib: This would continue to undermine our ability to expand and develop bilateral relations and would put Jordan under more pressure from the Arab and Muslim world. But let's hope that the most important value of the Jordan-Israel peace treaty will be to prove to Israelis and Arabs that peace can and will work.

BI: How much weight do you attach to the growing Jordanian-Israeli commercial and strategic relationships?

al-Khatib: These are important, but alone they cannot sustain the relationship between the two peoples. The core is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

BI: How would a dramatic change in the Palestinian leadership situation affect the Jordanian-Israeli bilateral relationship?

al-Khatib: It all depends on how the Palestinians handle the situation. If they maintain a level of unity and fill the void and create the conditions that would allow others to be more involved in the process, this would change the current stalemate.

BI: And if there is chaos?

al-Khatib: That's bad news for all--Palestinians, Israelis, Jordanians, the whole region. I don't agree with Israeli voices that wish to create chaos on Palestinian territory. This is very shortsighted and won't help regional stability.

- Published 28/10/2004 (c) bitterlemons-international.org. Used here with permission.

Abdel-Elah al-Khatib was foreign minister of Jordan from 1998 to 2002. He is a former minister of tourism.