Israeli conference promotes Jordan as an alternative homeland for Palestinians

A conference attended by right-wing Israelis has discussed the transfer of Palestinians to Jordan as their homeland. The Jordanian government has condemned the idea, calling the conference “pointless” and rejecting its central thesis. Speaking from Amman, Jordan’s capital, government spokesman Ayman Al-Safadi warned that conferences such as this “will harm efforts being made to achieve peace in the region”. The “transfer” of Palestinians is a Zionist euphemism for ethnic cleansing.

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The controversial anti-Islam far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders took part in the conference and expressed his support for Jordan as an “alternative homeland” for Palestinians. A Palestinian state to the West of the River Jordan would, he claimed, pose a threat to the existence of Israel. This theme was picked up by other participants who urged the Israeli government to dismiss the “two-state solution”. The Jordanian government called on Israel to condemn the conference, as it did not match the state’s official position.

The Dutch ambassador in Amman met with Jordan’s prime minister to reassure him that Wilders’ remarks “run counter to the official attitude of Holland’s government, which supports the two-state solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and envisages the setting up of a Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel.”