Michael Freund writing in JPOST before the Jordanian resolution failed to pass wrote,
So just why, you might be wondering, are the Palestinians insisting on bringing the matter to a vote before December 31 if they are certain to lose? Why don’t they just wait another day or two and then come away with at least some kind of diplomatic triumph? However counterintuitive it might sound, the logical answer is that the Palestinians do not want to win. They actually wish to lose. They want to generate further disappointment and frustration on the Palestinian street, in order to ensure the continuation of the low-level intifada that has been raging for months.
Coming away from the Security Council empty-handed, without even a symbolic diplomatic achievement, will strengthen the hand of those Palestinians who call for “resistance” and terrorism against Israel. It will pour more fuel on the fire, and encourage still more attacks in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and elsewhere.
Remarkably, this diplomatic farce is being aided and abetted by Jordan, with which Israel has had a peace treaty since October 1994, yet no one has said a word about Amman’s dastardly behavior.
Among other things, that treaty obligates both sides to “develop good neighborly relations of co-operation between them” (Article 2:3) as well as “to refrain from organizing, instigating, inciting, assisting or participating in acts or threats of belligerency, hostility, subversion or violence against the other Party” (Article 4:3b).
If the Jordanian-sponsored Security Council resolution isn’t a hostile act against Israel, then what is?
By rebuffing US Secretary of State John Kerry’s pleas and requests to delay the vote until after Israel’s elections, the Palestinians are underlining the weakness that has taken hold of American foreign policy under Obama. The fact of the matter is that the Palestinian Authority would have collapsed long ago were it not for Washington’s diplomatic and financial support. But that doesn’t seem to stop the Palestinians from spitting in America’s eye, nor do they seem to fear any repercussions from doing so.
Irrespective of how things play out this week, it is incumbent upon Israel to punish the Palestinians for playing with diplomatic fire and adopting such unilateral measures. A good place to start would be for the government to adopt the Levy Report, which was authored by former Israeli Supreme Court Justice Edmund Levy and which was published in July 2012.
Israel must adopt a policy of zero toleration for all abuse such as this. We allow ourselves to be used as a punching bag.
Actually, Israel ‘probably-obably’ does not have a genuine peace treaty with Jordan in the same way it had a “peace treaty” with the former ruler of The Hashemite Republic of Jordan; Hussein, the deceased. Even then it was ambiguous, certainly not clear to me.
It did not IMO transfer intact to the son as everyone thinks. Every year it continues to disintegrate at a pace. Eventually the locked box will come out of the vault only to yield I would imagine the equivalant of a couple of coupons for a few Big Macs.
It only seems to be in effect, because it has never been truly tested. The New Jordan can be expected to do as it is told should a decision be made to mount a war against Israel by the heavy weight nations in the region. For Jordan, the peace treaty with Israel bears all the marks of something very different. Just as President wanted to kick out The Russians after the Ashwan Dam fiasco and bring in The US with maximal aid packages and prized US weapons systems, Jordan needed the same, especially debt relief. Neither one has exhibited any sympathy for Israel. It could change overnight. It is a day by day, hour by hour facade 1 mm deep and decreasing ‘peace’. It is a mirage. The way I see it is, any country which would bring this measure to The UN Security Council is certainly not ‘at peace with Israel’. Jordan is both weak and an enemy state. No ifs, ands or buts.
The arabs are trying to deflect their animous towards each other. That is what will be seen in 2015, arab vs arab.