Ex-Jordan FM: Hamas cannot be ignored, PA does not represent anyone

Former Jordanian Foreign Minister, Marwan Muasher, said yesterday the Palestinian Authority is at its weakest and “hardly represents anyone,” while the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has become “an active force on the Palestinian scene whose presence cannot be ignored.”

Speaking at the media forum organised by the Centre for Defending Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ) in Amman, Muasher said opinion polls are clear in this area, noting that an opinion poll conducted last month by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research (MAS) found that 88 per cent of the Palestinians do not want Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to remain in office, while 60 per cent want Hamas to rule Gaza.

Muasher stressed that Hamas has become an effective force on the Palestinian scene whose presence cannot be ignored, and Jordan must communicate with it on an official level.

Any political process to resolve the crisis, he explained, must specify the ultimate goal of ending the Israeli occupation within a specific timeframe.

“The negotiations should stipulate that the UN Security Council will recognise the State of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders before the start of the negotiations, and that [Israeli] settlement construction should be completely frozen, as there is no meaning to any peace process in light of the continuation of the settlements,” Muasher added.

He stressed that “if these elements are not achieved, the two-state solution will remain unachievable,” noting that Washington “has not shown a willingness to participate in peace processes during the past ten years and so far does not show any clear signs of change.”

The displacement of Palestinians, he explained, represents a major economic and security threat to Jordan. Adding that Jordan “does not want to reach a scenario in which it sees thousands of Palestinians on its borders.”

READ: Jordan King hails Turkiye efforts to end Gaza war