A senior leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization expressed support for a new proposal for Jordan’s annexation of the West Bank, in an interview with the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi.

Man yells in front of Palestinian, Jordanian flags – Photo: REUTERS/Ali

PLO leader Farouk Kaddoumi, a founding member of the PLO, said the move would involve the establishment of a Jordanian-Palestinian confederation.

He supported the initiative, asserting that if the idea was brought to fruition it would result in a positive development.He stressed that the West Bank must remain Palestinian land, and that Jordan would need to assure full Palestinians rights, as well as the right of return.

In a blunt interview last year, Jordan’s King Abdullah stated he would no support any sort of union between his country and the West Bank. “Jordan will never be a substitute land for anyone,” he said. “It makes no sense…. We have an army and we are ready to fight for our homeland and the future of Jordan. We should speak loudly and not allow such an idea to remain in the minds of some of us. Jordan is Jordan, and Palestine is Palestine.”

In 1988, Jordan relinquished its claim to the West Bank, vesting authority over it to the PLO and nullifying West Bank Palestinians’ Jordanian citizenship. The 1993 Oslo Accords that returned the PLO to the West Bank and Gaza meant the “Jordanian option” was all but forgotten by most people.

Over the past decade, amid dissatisfaction with the failure of the Oslo process, some Israeli experts and lawmakers have revived plans for a Jordanian solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Oren Kessler contributed to this report.

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