Tuesday, July 21, 2009 Israel Today Staff
Jordan revokes citizenship of thousands of Palestinians
Jordan this week began revoking the citizenship of thousands of Palestinians who have personal roots in Judea and Samaria.
Jordanian officials told reporters that the decision was made in order to head off any possible Israeli plans to evict Palestinians from Judea and Samaria and demand that Jordan take them in.
Jordanian Interior Minister Nayef al-Kadi told London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayat that he doesn't view the move as a revocation of citizenship, but rather the correcting of a mistake made when Jordan officially severed all administrative ties to Judea and Samaria in 1988. Al-Kadi said Jordan wants the Palestinians to adhere to their true identity and nationality, rather than be seen as Jordanians.
He ignored the fact that about 70 percent of Jordan's population is self-defined as Palestinian.
Because Jordan (a name given to the region by the British) is in fact a nation of Palestinians, some Israeli politicians who are now part of the ruling coalition have argued that a Palestinian state in fact already exists, and that Israel should not have to surrender land in order to create a second Palestinian state.
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