JORDANIAN DELEGATION PITCHES IDEA FOR A FEDERATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 001331

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2017
TAGS: PREL ECON PREF KPAL IS JO
SUBJECT: JORDANIAN DELEGATION PITCHES IDEA FOR A FEDERATION
BETWEEN JORDAN AND A FUTURE PALESTINIAN STATE


Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b and d)


1. (C) Abdul Salam Majali, a former Prime Minister of Jordan
and member of the Jordanian Upper House of Parliament, led a
small Jordanian delegation to Israel for private meetings
with the Israeli political class -- both within and outside
the GOI -- during which he advocated reviving a proposal to
study the formation of a federation between Jordan and a
future Palestinian state. The Ambassador met with the
Jordanians at the request of Brig Gen (ret) Baruch Spiegel
and Yair Hirschfeld, General Director of the Economic
Cooperation Foundation, who also attended the meeting.

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NOW IS TIME TO RECONSIDER THE PROPOSAL
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2. (C) Majali suggested that, given the current state of
affairs and public opinion in the Middle East, "the time has
come to give peace a chance," adding that the 2002 Arab Peace
Initiative warranted serious consideration. More specific to
Israeli-Palestinian relations, Majali emphasized that the
first step toward peace, in his view, should be for Israel to
declare recognition of a Palestinian state and negotiate
borders afterward. He recounted the history of the idea of a
federation, noting that there was support among Palestinians,
including in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC),prior
to Jordan's disengagement from the West Bank in the 1980s.
He acknowledged, however, that momentum for this proposal has
waned since then.


3. (C) Majali proposed specifically that a U.S. university or
think tank could host a workshop where selected Palestinians,
Jordanians, and Israelis could meet to elaborate the details
of such a federation. Describing the makeup of the
federation, Majali suggested that there would be a federation
president -- a position exclusively reserved for the
Jordanian king and, eventually, his successors -- as well as
a Prime Minister and a bicameral parliament, with leadership
positions rotating alternately between Jordanians and
Palestinians. All Palestinians and Jordanians would also
hold federation citizenship while concurrently maintaining
their respective nationality.

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POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES
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4. (C) When asked by the Ambassador about the support for and
the advantages of such a proposal, Majali claimed to have
talked with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen)
and other Palestinians about the idea, and said they were
receptive to it. Moreover, his message to the Israelis was
that such a federation could be an important part of the
"political horizon" for both Israelis and Palestinians, for
example, by reassuring Israelis that Palestinian security
would be in good hands and by giving Palestinians everywhere
a credible travel document. Majali also suggested that
provisions of the Jordanian/Israeli peace treaty might be
adapted to apply to the Palestinian state within the
federation, including the right for their nationals to own
property in the other's territory -- which might help address
issues relating to refugees and settlements. He contended
that compensation for Palestinian refugees could be handled
through the federation government, similarly to a
class-action type settlement.

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COMMENT
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5. (C) The Ambassador asked the Jordanians specifically if
they had the King's endorsement for such a proposal, and
Majali admitted that all they had was his permission to
explore the idea with others. Majali was not seeking
anything in particular from us at this stage, but wanted us
to be prepared if we receive a request along these lines from
the Palestinians, whom he believes must be the ones to
initiate such a project. He acknowledged that his proposal
is part of a fragile framework, which should thus be kept at
a low profile until the Palestinians act.

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