Critical Review: The Palestinian-Jordanian Confederation as an Alternative to the Two-State Solution

By: Radwa Al-Sharif

Middle East Affairs Coordinator

An article on the “Council on Foreign Relations” blog discusses the idea of a Palestinian-Jordanian confederation as an alternative to the two-state solution. Elliott Abrams, the author of the article,[1] argues that the “two-state solution” as a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is impractical and dangerous. Instead, he proposes the idea of a confederation, where the Palestinian entity would be part of a union with Jordan.

The main points of the article can be summarized as follows:

• Rejection of the Two-State Solution:

The author criticizes the obsessive focus on the two-state solution, considering it an obstacle to thinking about other solutions that might be more realistic and feasible, such as the idea of a confederation. He argues that the two-state solution is an “illusion” and impractical, based on his view that establishing an independent Palestinian state would pose a threat to both Israel and Jordan. He also believes that this solution could lead to an economically and politically unstable Palestinian state, potentially turning into an authoritarian regime.

• Proposing an Alternative:

The author suggests an alternative solution where the Palestinian entity would be part of a confederation with its neighbors, Jordan and Israel. He points out that the Kingdom of Jordan, as a Muslim-majority state with a significant Palestinian population, is the logical candidate for this union. The author likens the Palestinian entity in this context to the autonomous region of Kurdistan, enjoying a high degree of local self-governance, while comparing the Hashemite Kingdom to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with one king, one army, one intelligence service, two prime ministers, and two parliaments.

• Citing Jawad Anani’s Article:

The author cites an article titled “On the Future of Jordanian-Palestinian Relations” in the London-based newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed by Jawad Anani, a prominent Jordanian politician and former deputy prime minister. Anani calls for reconsidering Jordanian-Palestinian relations. He suggests that after the war on Gaza ends, sooner or later, Jordan should be part of the final solution to the Palestinian issue through a confederation that includes the West Bank.

As for Gaza, it should be part of Palestine. And if it wants to, it could enter the confederation as a third component after agreeing on that with Egypt, and once this is complete, a schedule would be drawn up to implement the recommendations of the International Court of Justice and the other relevant international resolutions based on documented international guarantees.

Weaknesses in the Article

– Ignoring Potential Reactions: The article somewhat ignores the potential reactions from Jordan and even the Palestinian people themselves to the idea of a confederation, which weakens the comprehensiveness of the analysis.

– Generalization in Rejection: The author rejects the idea of the “two-state solution” without presenting sufficiently realistic and logical alternatives to convince the reader. The proposal of the confederation as an alternative is not explored in enough depth to explain how it could be practically implemented.

– Simplistic Approach to Alternative Solutions: The author presents the idea of the confederation in a simplistic manner without addressing the challenges that this idea might face from a legal and international perspective.

To be concluded, the article presents a new and bold out-of-the-box vision for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, namely the idea of a confederation as an alternative to the “two-state solution.” However, the article needs more in-depth exploration of alternative solutions and clarification on how they can be practically implemented. Therefore, it might be necessary to call for discussions at the level of elites among politicians and leaders concerned with the Palestinian issue or among various think tanks to explore other possible alternatives, including the idea of a confederation as an alternative to the two-state solution, to determine whether it could lead to a practical and sustainable resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

source

[1] Elliott Abrams, Palestine and Jordan, council on foreign relations, 27 July, access at:  https://www.cfr.org/blog/palestine-and-jordan