Posted on 10/29/2004 9:50:51 AM PDT by Mount Athos
Jordan has decided to renew a long dormant territorial dispute with Syria, and has issued Damascus with a formal demand to return territory illegaly seized in 1970.
This has been confirmed by western intelligence sources. Jordanian officials have refused to comment.
In September 1970 Syria attempted to invade Jordan and overthrow King Hussein, under the pretext of assisting the PLO uprising against the Jordanian government, in what became known as “Black September”.
Syrian president Nur’a din Attassi sent his 5th Armored division to invade Jordan and assist embattled PLO leader Arafat, who was besieged in Amman’s refugee camps after having launched an unsuccessful uprising against the Hashemite dynasty.
The invasion collapsed after Syrian air force commander Hafez Assad refused to allow his air force to provide air cover to the Syrian armor, out of fear Israel would send its air force to the aid of the Jordanian monarch. RJAF gave their ground forces effective air cover, almost annihilating the Syrian tanks in Jordan.
In the wake of the debacle Assad succeeded in overthrowing Attassi in a bloodless coup, and assumed the presidency. However Syria retained in control of some 125 square kilometers (48 square miles) of Jordanian territory, which it holds to this day, and in which some 17,000 Syrians have been resettled.
Prior to his death in 1999, King Hussein made several demands of Syria to return his land, but to no avail. Some 20,000 Syrian settlers now occupy the site under the protection of Syrian soldiers and police.
The renewed Jordanian demand is based on the 1923 map, which delineated the border between what was then the British controlled East Palestine and French occupied Syria. The Jordanians claim the map clearly shows the disputed land belongs to Jordan.
In addition to the map, the claim also includes a subtle hint that force could be used if all else fails, was made at the behest of Washington. The US is angry and frustrated at Syria, which has brazenly flouted promises and commitments to end its clandestine cooperation with the Sunni insurgents in Iraq. In addition Syria has refused to honor a UN demand to live up to its commitment to vacate Lebanon. Instead Assad has acted to increase Syria’s hold over Beirut, replacing former premier Al Hariri with a hand picked stooge.
As reported in Maariv International about a month ago, Syria has also, in coordination with its Iranian ally, allowed al Qaeda operatives to set up base on the Lebanese coast, in an area controlled by Hezbollah. Washington gave Jordan the go ahead after US intelligence caught wind that Damascus was two-timing it. On September 27, after the military cooperation accord was supposed to have gone into effect, Syrian vice president Abdel-Halim Khaddam paid a secret visit to the Syrian frontier town of Abu Kamal, across from Iraq's al-Qaim. The purpose of the visit was to discuss with the tribes who live in the border region and control the smuggling industry how to continue to allow the Iraqis to continue funneling arms, money and information across the border without being noticed by Uncle Sam’s prying eyes.
The move also hints that the US may be coming closer to accepting Israel’s position regarding the future of the Golan Heights. Syria’s justification for keeping the land is that some 20,000 Syrians currently live there. This is almost the exact same number of Israelis living on the Golan. Golan "linkage" is the last thing Syria needs as tensions with Jordan heat up.
Cripple fight!
The irony of this is almost too much to bear...
Other irony is the Jordanians killed more Palestinians in Black September than the Israelis have in their 50+ year history.
OX
Perfect.
Your photo-fu is strong.
In September 1970 Syria attempted to invade Jordan and overthrow King Hussein, under the pretext of assisting the PLO uprising against the Jordanian government, in what became known as "Black September". Syrian president Nur’a din Attassi sent his 5th Armored division to invade Jordan and assist embattled PLO leader Arafat, who was besieged in Amman’s refugee camps after having launched an unsuccessful uprising against the Hashemite dynasty.It's refreshing to see this mentioned. Even some alleged history books fail to mention this, or mention the IAF's intervention (buzzed the Syrian tanks, sending them scurrying) on behalf of King Hussein. Syria also has illegally blocked water flow into Jordan.
George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent
In addition to the map, the claim also includes a subtle hint that force could be used if all else fails, was made at the behest of Washington. The US is angry and frustrated at Syria, which has brazenly flouted promises and commitments to end its clandestine cooperation with the Sunni insurgents in Iraq. In addition Syria has refused to honor a UN demand to live up to its commitment to vacate Lebanon. Instead Assad has acted to increase Syria’s hold over Beirut, replacing former premier Al Hariri with a hand picked stooge... Syria has also, in coordination with its Iranian ally, allowed al Qaeda operatives to set up base on the Lebanese coast, in an area controlled by Hezbollah. Washington gave Jordan the go ahead after US intelligence caught wind that Damascus was two-timing it.I'd be surprised but not upset if Jordan went to war over this. Syria's defeat by Jordan would hasten the end of the Assad monarchy.
George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent
I believe King Hussein paid the PLO back in spades. Something to the tune of killing 25,000 of them and paving over the city. I wonder if Syria will use WMD's with UNSCOM tags still on them?
"Greater Syria" ping.
Snicker if you want. If this is true, it tells me that Bush is confident enough of victory to start Phase II of the Middle Eastern Solution. Within five or six months, maybe less, we should start hearing of a prominent figure "in exile" who opposes Assad. If they're going for the all out war/replacement scenario that is. I suspect the goal will be more modest, but effective, nonetheless.
The plan will be to neutralize Syria by using Jordan (while holding the Israelis as the backup threat). The Kurds in the northeast will be "encouraged" to revolt, while their Iraqi bretheren cross the border to help them. (Turnabout is fair play!) An all out invasion may not be in the game plan. It may be weakening Assad enough to let someone else take over who will deal with the new reality of Team America (F*** YEAH!), and at a minimum, stick to consolidating his internal power, if not start outright reform.
Then with Syrian support of the terrorists in Iraq taken away, they've got no legs left but Saudi money and Iranian support. Give the Israelis some help and let them deal with Iran's weapons processing facilities the same way they dealt with Osirik.
That will buy a couple more years, while we make faces at Kim Jong Ill. Park five or six carriers off the coast of Taiwan and make pointed suggestions to both parties about resolving their dispute once and for all--as one China. What, you thought Powell was talking out his arse the other day? That was diplospeak for tossing chips on the table and telling the Chinese to ante up! And the Taiwanese know it too, which is why they're reacting so strongly.
We force Taiwan to bend its neck to China, but surrender only a minimum of autonomy. Something like China appoints the President from now on, but he has no real power, and a certain amount of tax revenue goes to China. Taiwan acknowledges it is part of China and reduces all of its embassies to some kind of "special legation" status. Militaries stay seperate, but one is now called the "Taiwanese Provincial Self-Defense Force." We stop selling advanced weapons to Taiwan.
Now we have that headache permanently solved, but at the same time, we're going "Oh, by the way China....mind solving that little problem in Korea for us?" And we sign nothing until they do.
Now that's out of the way and we can turn back to Iran's mullahs and the Saudi billionares who support the Wahabbists...
Looks like Abdullah is wanting to re-establish the Hashemite "empire."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1254989/posts
Taiwan is the only real china. We can't abandon it to the communists.
Jordan priming the pump for when the US invades Syria, and will end up with the territory, IMO.
Any one have a map showing the disputed area?
Any one have a map showing the disputed area?
The Jordanians have the historical claim on protecting Mecca and Medina as well.
Ali and Fatima had two sons: Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein. The direct descendants of their eldest son, Hassan, are known as "Sharifs" (nobles), while the descendants of Hussein are called "Sayyids" (lords). The Royal Family of Jordan, the Hashemites, is descended through the Sharifian branch of lineage.
Various Sharifian families ruled over the Hijaz region in Western Arabia between 967 and 1201 CE. Moreover, King Abdullah II's branch of the Hashemite Family ruled the holy city of Mecca from 1201 CE until 1925 CE, although they recognized the sovereignty of the Ottoman Sultan in 1517. This makes King Abdullah II the head of the Hashemite Family, which, in addition to being directly descended from the Prophet, also represents over one thousand years of rule in the area, and almost two thousand years of recorded presence in the holy city of Mecca.
uring the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, King Abdullah II's great-great-grandfather, Al-Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca and King of the Arabs (later he also became known as King of the Hijaz), led the liberation of Arab lands from their domination by the Ottoman Turks. After freeing the lands of Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Syria and the Hijaz, Sharif Hussein's son Abdullah I assumed the throne of Transjordan, while his second son Faisal assumed the throne of Syria and later Iraq. The Emirate of Transjordan was founded on April 11, 1921, and became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan upon formal independence from Britain in 1946.
During his thirty-year reign, King Abdullah I presided over the forging of a viable and durable state out of a tribal, nomadic society. He developed the institutional foundations of modern Jordan, establishing democratic legitimacy by promulgating Jordan's first Organic Law in 1928 (the basis for today's Constitution), and holding elections for its first assembly in 1929. While guiding Jordan's development into a modern state, King Abdullah I negotiated a series of treaties with Britain which earned increasing freedom for Jordan, culminating in full independence from Britain on May 25, 1946. link
"Jordan priming the pump for when the US invades Syria, and will end up with the territory, IMO"
I agree. Jordan has been a reasonable ally, and they must assume that: we will do what we need to do to establish stability in Iraq, including secure its border with Syria; we will not tolerate the continued Syrian sanctuary for Hezbollah Islamic Jihad, Hamas, etc., in order to create the conditions in which an Israeli-Palie agreement becomes possible; we will need to secure the WMD's hidden in Syria.
In short, the Jordanian king has decided Syria is toast and is putting in his bid for a few crumbs, in return for his diplomatic, intel and other assistance.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.