Jordanian scholar: Re-annex the West Bank

From left, Mark Miller, SWU Volunteer; Sara Miller, SWU SD Director;
Jenny Josephson, SWU Lay Leader; and
Abe Haak, Guest Speaker. (Photo courtesy of StandWithUs)

 

By Eva Trieger

Eva Trieger

SAN DIEGO – A two-state solution to peace in the Middle East… Are there truly only two options:  A truly Jewish democratic Israel or an occupying Israel?  According to a self-described, “pro-Israeli” Jordanian Abe Haak, that is an erroneous assumption.

Brought to San Diego by the StandWithUs organization, Haak said it would be better for Jordan to reassert its sovereignty over the West Bank than to permit the development of an independent Palestinian state.

Currently an adjunct professor at New York University, Haak emphasized that he speaks only for himself – not for the Kingdom of Jordan and not for StandWithUs.

Arabs on either side of the Jordan River are one people, Haak told a recent luncheon for 50 people catered by Felicia Gipsman at the Mintz Levin law firm.  Palestinians comprise the bulk of the population in Jordan, although the nation is led by a Hashemite dynasty that hailed from the Arabian peninsula.

Haak said chaos would result  if the Palestinian Authority were to become an independent nation in Judea and Samaria, which are also known as the West Bank.

If Palestinian leaders are able to force Israel out, Haak predicted, the West Bank region would lose support, humanitarian aid, and 16 field hospitals.  This would result in people fleeing the West Bank, and flooding into all neighboring lands.  Haak pointed out that Jordan is stretched beyond its limits with refugees from Syria and cannot take in any more refugees. He averred that factional warfare would most surely break out. And Israel would continue to be the scapegoat, seen as culpable for the unrest and misery as Arabs scramble for shelter and aid.

On the other hand, he said, if Jordan and Palestine were to united, it would benefit both the people of Jordan and those living in Areas A and B of the West Bank, who are brethren, after all.  Confederation of Jordan and Palestine would diminish the influence of the Palestinian Authority, he added, while strengthening opportunities for cooperation between Israel and Jordan, which already collaborate on issues of water, security, and economic development.

The professor said when he came to the United States as a student, he shared most of his countrymen’s negative views of Israel.  However, the more he researched, the more surprised he was about how Israel was able to overcome great obstacles and advance as nation.  Over time, he said, he became increasingly pro-Israel in his outlook.

Although Haak has experienced a great deal of “push back” among Arabs for his unpopular views, he is not alone.  Other educators, researchers and writers are experiencing their own “forays into free thinking,” and spreading the word that Israel is a boon to the world and may be actually “dragging the Arabs out of a medieval rut.”

On this point he cited Dr. Abdullah Swalha, who started the Center for Israel Studies in Amman in 2014, with a mission to provide a deeper understanding of Israel in all Arab states. Haak readily verbalized his singular dedication and fondness for Israel and her people, and stated that while he has been on the receiving end of negative remarks, he feels compelled to continue his “battle for civilization with Israel right in the middle of the cosmic battle in the Middle East.”

One Israeli audience participant raised her hand and asked, “Are you sure you’re not Jewish?  Have you done Ancestry.com?”  Haak did not miss a beat, and responded with a smile, “I’m sure I am a Zionist!”

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Trieger is a freelance writer based in Solana Beach, California. She may be contacted via eva.trieger@sdjewishworld.com