Jordan, Palestine, Israel & the U.S.
Jordan’s borders were drawn by British imperial cartographers after WW1. It was then called Trans-Jordan and sparsely populated. Today, it has a large Palestinian population, many of them refugees from the naqba, catastrophe, of 1948 and the 1967 war. In recent years it also has had a huge influx of refugees from Iraq and Syria. Jordan is ruled by a hereditary Hashemite king who has absolute power. There are internal tensions in the country that so far have been kept under control. The Palestinians, lack political power but dominate the economy. The kingdom’s alliance with the U.S. makes some Jordanians very uncomfortable. Jordan’s neighbor Israel, the highest recipient of U.S. aid, continues to build more settlements on Palestinian land in defiance of international law while Washington approves. The Middle East and U.S. involvement in that region continues to be a major source of global instability.
Interview by David Barsamian
Speaker
Rami Barhoush
Rami Barhoush is an activist and president of the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature, known as APN, based in Amman. Jordan.
Muna –
Thank you Mr. Barmasian for this interview! Thank you Mr. Barhoush for helping the listener make sense of such a complicated issue! It is refreshing to hear such a rational and calm voice when discussing the Middle East. You connected the dots for me, and I’m sure for many others. Thank you for presenting historical facts, explaining the current situation, and giving us a glimpse of hope for the future. Knowing how all the pieces fit together in the Middle East is the only way to begin to understand this conflict and you made that possible; while highlighting the role of Western super powers, the suffering of Palestinians under the occupation, and the importance of protecting the environment and natural resources in the region.
I highly recommend listening to this interview!
Paul –
Listeners in metro-Atlanta were straightened by your broadcast concerning the history of the many Palestinians residents living in the Kingdom of Jordan on the east bank of the river Jordan.
Richard Roberts –
I, as an American citizen, lived in Ramallah for 22 months starting in 2014. Mr. Barhoush
speaks in an extremely calm and truthful voice. I saw and experienced the lives of Palestinians under the under Israeli occupation Even though I traveled in and out of Ramallah with my American passport the Israeli guards at the check points made my passage difficult. I can attest to the fact that Palestinians were treated much more harshly that I. This is a brutal occupation which I wish the American government would acknowledge and stop supporting.
Thank you Mr. Barhoush