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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 January 2000 Issue No. 463 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 January 2000 Issue No. 463
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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New king, old dilemmas
By Lola Keilani
King Abdullah II surrounded by his brothers after he was sworn in as monarch following the death of King Hussein in February (photo: AP)
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Heritage Millennium Features Profile Living Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters The death of King Hussein in February and the unexpected change in the accession to the throne, with the late king appointing his son as successor instead of his brother who had filled the position of crown prince for decades, brought uncertainty to Jordan's future early in 1999. However the young monarch, Abdullah II, has appealed to the majority of Jordanians in initiating a process of reforms, even if this has been painful and politically sensitive.
When he ascended the throne the 37-year-old monarch inherited a faltering peace process, a country suffering from regional isolation, an economy burdened by debt and a fast growth in Islamist opposition parties. Placing economic reform at the top of his agenda, Abdullah has made dealing with the country's $7.2 billion foreign debt, annual economic growth of only one or two per cent, falling living standards, and soaring joblessness and poverty a priority.
As an indication of his intentions, the reforms were started in the royal court, the king saving over $2 million by denying privileges to his retinue that had included free fuel, duty-free cars and other benefits.
The Jordanian monarchy, however, strongly relies on the army's support. The new king, himself a career officer, has been named "Son of the Army" by the Jordanian military, and enjoys the support of military officers the majority of whom come from East Bank tribes.
While the king's reforms may have alarmed some who have seen their privileges threatened, promised administrative, judicial, economic and educational reforms have already appealed to the country's youth, who make up over 60 per cent of the country's 4.8 million population, and to the business community.
When the king first took office, he surprised the nation by appearing incognito at many government offices, including the free-trade zone at the Red Sea port of Aqaba, state-run hospitals and public departments, where citizens showered him with complaints of inefficiency, red-tape and nepotism. His actions came as a shock for the country's powerful elite.
"It was strange to see a king going undercover as a TV reporter. I guess this is the style of the new millennium," said a former minister from the era of King Hussein. Musa Zaid, a Jordanian political analyst, said that the king was seeking to maintain "good ties with his late father's reliable friends and, at the same time, creating his 'White Revolution' of appointing young, western-educated liberals who would like to see the kingdom move into the new millennium."
On the regional level, Abdullah has restored Jordan's relations with key Arab states such as Syria, Libya and Kuwait, moving the country away from regional isolation and making it less dependent on its connection with Israel.
However the king's decision to crack down on the activities of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance movement, Hamas, in Jordan might be seen as being partly designed to maintain good relations with Israel.
This unprecedented move, which generated criticism from the influential Muslim Brotherhood, as well as from Jordanian opposition parties and professional associations, has shown that the young king is capable of taking tough decisions that thus far have nevertheless not had a negative impact on the unity between the country's traditional tribes and those of Palestinian origin.
Thus following his decision to arrest key Hamas leaders in Jordan, Abdullah visited the Palestinian refugee camps, stressing national unity and fairer treatment of the Palestinian majority in Jordan. However, many Jordanians were outraged by the government's decision to deport four Hamas leaders, including three who carry a Jordanian passport. This was an unprecedented move in the country's history and raised worries on how it would influence relations with millions of Palestinians settling in Jordan for decades.
Regarding the country's relations with its Israeli neighbour, King Abdullah, who has not visited Israel, told the current Israeli government that East Jerusalem was occupied Palestinian land that should be returned to the Palestinians. This was a clear message to Israel that Amman would no longer accept the Israeli claim that the Palestinians were not entitled to declare Jerusalem as their capital due to a Jordanian interest in the city and Hashemite claims to it.
With the final-status talks between Israel and the Palestinians slated to continue this year, Jordan is likely to be more involved in the peace process. The issues of the Palestinian refugees, the fate of Jerusalem, the future of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, and the nature and borders of a future Palestinian state will top the agenda of the talks, all of them being issues directly linked to Jordan, the Arab country with the longest border with Israel.
