PM: Jordan will not be a substitute homeland for Palestinians

[Published 26 February 2014]

Petra Jordan News Agency

Doha, Feb. 26 (Petra) -- Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said that Jordan will not be a substitute homeland for the Palestinians, adding neither will the Palestinians give up their homeland nor will the Jordanians accept that.

Israel, Ensour said, is the only party that accepts such a position.

The prime minister made the remarks during the course of a lengthy interview with the Qatari Al Watan newspaper, conducted by its Director General, Ahmad Ali, and published today.

"We have to take all measures to ensure that Jordan does not become a substitute homeland for the Palestinians," he said, adding that the Kingdom will never accept that.

Regarding the children of Jordanian women married to foreigners, Ensour said that the issue of citizenship is not raised at all and that there are no differences when it comes to demands to grant them the right to education, work, owning property and freedom of travel and movement.

On possible unity between Jordan and the Palestinian state once it becomes independent, the prime minister said the majority of Jordanians and Palestinians believe that this issue should be discussed after the establishment of such an independent Palestinian state.

Ensour voiced the hope that the Palestinians would not surprise Jordan as they did when they signed the Oslo Accord in the past as "we have the issue of the refugees," and noted the presence of two million Palestinians in Jordan who have equal rights in any future Palestine in line with the international law, the UN resolutions and the resolutions of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

He pointed out that Jordan should be fully aware of all the details of the ongoing negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis regarding the final status issues, especially in relation to "Jerusalem, refugees, borders, water and security." Asked about the issue of Jordan's membership in the Gulf Cooperation Council, Ensour said not granting the Kingdom the full membership in the GCC was a historic mistake.