Jordanians, Palestinians, and the Hashemite Kingdom in the Middle East Peace Process
September 1999
The complex, often uneasy, relationship between Transjordanians and Palestinians has profoundly influenced not only Jordan but also the entire Middle East peace process. At different times, Jordan's Hashemite royalty has sought to accommodate, embrace, exclude, or cooperate with the Palestinians and the PLO, and the impact of these efforts has been felt throughout the region. Today, Jordan has signed a peace treaty with Israel, and Palestinians account for over half of the Jordanian population--yet the dynamic relationship between the regime and its Transjordanian and Palestinians citizens still arouses powerful sentiments at home and can send shock waves through the West Bank and Israel. Abu-Odeh explores this relationship from its origins in the 1920s to the very latest attempts to cope with competing national identities and to sustain a peace process.
A powerful and important book that tackles controversial issues with a combination of facts and analysis that is refreshing for modern Jordanian and Arab scholarship
- Jordan Times
An excellent book which, in addition to shedding light on the eight-decades-long Jordanian-Palestinian saga, provides an insider’s evaluation of the current Israeli-Jordanian-Palestinian arena
- Middle East Journal
Published just after the death of Jordan's King Hussein, this well-reseach book describes how the late King in his lifetime worked out most of the state-to-state crises in Jordan's regional relationships and why he could not pass on to his heir, now King Abdullah, a full resolution of the rivalry and tension between the nationalisms of Jordanians and Palestinians.
Richard Murphy, Council on Foreign Relations
Adnan Abu-Odeh
Dr. Adnan Abu-Odeh was a senator in the Jordanian House of Parliament from 1998 to 1999, when he was appointed political advisor to King Abdullah. In September 1995, Dr. Abu-Odeh became a senior fellow for one year at the United States Institute of peace in Washington D.C. He served as Jordan’s permanent representative to the UN (1992-1995), non-resident Ambassador of Jordan to Cuba (1993-1995), Chief of the Royal Court in Jordan (1991-1992), Minister of Information (1976-1979 and 1980-1984), and Political Advisor to King Hussein (1988-1991), Minister of the Court (1984-1988) and Minister of Culture and Information (1970-1972 and 1973-1974).