Saudi Arabia embraces The Jordan Option

Saudi Arabia seeks good relations with Israel and the Jewish people and a fair, just, lasting, and prosperous peace for the region. Some call it “normalization”; I call it common sense.

By Abdul Hameed Al-Ghabin, ISRAEL HAYOM

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has taken a very open stance of seeking better ties to the Jewish people and to Israel. Some call this “normalization.” I call it plain common sense.

To begin, Saudi Arabia has always been a force for stability. We have always sought peace, not war. For example, when Saddam Hussein occupied Kuwait in 1990, the late King Fahd bin Abdulaziz did everything to avoid a war. Our country is prosperous; our people enjoy the luxury and welfare secured to us by mineral resources and a young crown prince who thinks outside the box. People as fortunate as we have everything to gain from seeking peace, not war. Why die when life is so good?

Saudi Arabia is strong – financially, politically and militarily. We have the second-largest air force in the Middle East. We operate tactical fighter aircraft like the F-15 that provide air superiority and we have advanced long-range missiles system. Iran knows this. Nonetheless, we see Israel as a logical future partner for us as we have mutual enemies: Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaida, and a handful of reckless rulers who remain in power in our region.

Nonetheless, Saudi Arabia’s quest for peace with Israel is not all smooth sailing. There is a major issue of contention: the future of the Palestinians and their right to self-determination. It is important and logical to us that Palestinians should have a state at the end of a peace process. Also, anti-peace forces litter our region. An example of that is, sadly, the Kingdom of Jordan. Jordan’s state media and state-controlled writers have been attacking Saudi Arabia ever since the latter began seeking improved relations with Israel.

Jordan’s sidekick, the Palestinian Authority, has been doing the same. Palestinian intelligence officers close to PA President Mahmoud Abbas have been insulting Saudi Arabia and its king. This by itself is an act of severe humiliation to Saudi society, which sees King Salman as a father figure.

The smear campaign against Saudi Arabia is systematic, well-financed and carefully orchestrated by the Jordanian government and the Palestinian Authority. They do this for a good reason: Both have benefited from the Arab-Israeli conflict. While Palestinian children die to become “martyrs,” Jordan’s king cruises the Mediterranean in his yacht and Abbas’ sons are likely to be found vacationing in Nova Scotia – the preferred destination, I am told.

But the bigger question remains: How can we achieve peace if the Palestinian people remain without a place to call home?

The answer is simple: Jordan is already 78% of historical Palestine. Jordanians of Palestinian origin are more than 80% of the population according to US intelligence cables leaked in 2010. Jordan is essentially already the Palestinian Arab state. The only problem is, the king of Jordan refuses to acknowledge this. Nonetheless, the world will eventually recognize Jordan as the place for Palestinian statehood. It could be sooner than we think. We don’t know if the royal family of Jordan will remain in power by the time Jordan officially becomes Palestine. But we do know that if the royal family leaves and the Palestinian majority takes over, Jordan will become officially their homeland and we Arabs won’t feel guilty normalizing relations with Israel as another regional state.

As for Al-Aqsa Mosque, we have been financing it for over 70 years now. Saudi Arabia has donated billions of dollars to Jordan’s king and his father and grandfather all in the name of “protecting” and “maintaining” Al-Aqsa. A quick look on the holy site is enough to show everyone that the king of Jordan has neither been maintaining or protecting the site. The mosque is in a miserable state and unrest is always stirred by the king’s appointed guards and loyalists.

We don’t need this, nor do the Israelis and Palestinians. Instead, Saudi Arabia could offer the proper custodianship for Al-Aqsa under a new arrangement that secures the freedom of worship. Our country has managed the Holy Shrines of Mecca and Medina for almost 100 years now, in the most efficient fashion. We welcome Iranian pilgrims and offer them generous services despite Iran’s hostility and the fact that they belong to the Shiite sect.

We have a history of tolerance and efficiency when it comes to running holy sites. And our intervention in Al-Aqsa could solve endless problems for the Palestinians and Israelis alike.

Our message, as Saudis, is clear to everyone: We want a fair, just, lasting, and prosperous peace for the region. We want prosperity instead of misery, stability to replace unrest, and love to eradicate radical ideology. This could never be done without extending a peaceful hand to the Israelis.