19 - 25 July 2001
Issue No.543
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 19 - 25 July 2001 Issue No.543 |
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Lost in between
An abrupt decision by Israel to deport tens of thousands of Jordanian workers of Palestinian origin has further injured the shaky relations between Amman and Tel Aviv, reports Lola Keilani from Amman
Jordan summoned Israel's ambassador to Amman to answer to angry officials surprised by the Israeli government's decision to repatriate more than 50,000 Jordanian workers of Palestinian origin. In the past few weeks, Israeli police have been rounding up Palestinian workers who hold Jordanian passports on the premise that they have overstayed their residency visas in Israel. Without warning, the workers were locked up in detention camps until their deportation back home.
The sudden decision to expel the workers has further strained the fragile ties between Jordan and Israel. Relations have been plummeting between the two countries since the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada late last September. As the uprising gained momentum in the occupied territories, Jordan refused to send its new ambassador to Tel Aviv in protest against Israel's excessive use of force against Palestinian civilians.
Last week, Israeli border security arrested about 100 Jordanian workers residing in Arab villages located in northern Israel. Like many Palestinians who fled Palestine and took refuge in Jordan after the creation of Israel in 1948, the workers hold Jordanian passports and many entered Israel on a tourist visa. Most of these workers have settled in Israel, however, and many have married Palestinian women who hold Israeli nationality.
Israeli Minister for Public Security Uzi Landau instructed authorities to round up "illegal workers", reportedly on orders from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in order to contain what was termed as a "dangerous phenomenon." Israel says it has contacted the Jordanian Embassy in order to arrange for the deportation of those arrested. It also said that the government is taking measures against Israelis who assisted the workers in settling down and finding jobs.
The exact number of Jordanian workers in Israel is unknown, but according to the Arabic daily Al-Dustour, 57,000 Jordanians have overstayed their visa permits. Around 23,000 of them crossed to Israel with visas and the rest held special exit permits to territories controlled by the Palestinian Authority (PA). The emigrants work as farm hands or in construction and tourist services.
Although Palestinian workers earn very low wages compared to Israeli workers, their salaries are still three times what they could be earning in Jordan, where unemployment has soared. An Israeli senior police official told The Jerusalem Post that "there is nothing that can be done to deter [the workers]. We can build a camp for them and hold them, but the minute they are released they will be back."
A deadly Hamas suicide bombing operation in late May was carried out by a Palestinian holding a Jordanian passport and many analysts feel that the bomber, Said Houtari, did more than blow up a nightclub and kill 20 Israelis -- he also launched the current purge of Palestinian workers. Houtari had an Israeli-issued visa to work in Tel Aviv and Israel's latest decision is probably an attempt to tighten security.
The decision to send the workers back to Jordan has also worried Jordanian authorities because it was reportedly supported by Sharon, known for his view that "Jordan is Palestine" and his claim that Jordan should be the final home for millions of Palestinians, instead of the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
"I came to Israel five years ago to improve my economic situation," said one Jordanian worker of Palestinian origin who was held by Israeli authorities. "I later married in an Arab village and now I have two children. I submitted my documents to the Palestinian Authority in order to have legal recognition as a Palestinian whose family moved to Jordan, and I want to stay here. But the Israeli authorities insisted on deporting me to Jordan."
With the onset of the Al-Aqsa Intifada, Jordan has taken increased measures to stem the flow of Palestinians into Amman. According to Jordanian press reports, nearly 150,000 Palestinians have entered the kingdom since the Intifada began to escape Israeli oppression and bloodshed. It was not clear how many of them managed to settle in Jordan.
As a result of the unmitigated influx, Jordanian authorities issued new regulations in June restricting the entry of Palestinians through the King Hussein Bridge -- the entry point from PA-controlled territories into Jordan. The decision, which was implemented to circumvent any attempt by Sharon to effect a new transfer of Palestinians into Jordan, excluded Palestinians who have residency permits in Jordan, as well as merchants, businessmen, students, PA officials and those requiring medical aid.
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