AiBotA recent social media post rekindled an old debate about the relationship between Jordan and Palestine. On the post, it was claimed that Jordan and Palestine are ‘the same people’ in the words of Zuheir Mossi (also spelt Mossein) – a founding member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Mossi’s 1997 statement has sparked a mix of emotions, but for some, it has reignited an old narrative about Jordan’s claims on Palestine and vice versa.
According to historical records, Zuheir Mussi’s assertion in 1997 was based on his understanding of the shared national and cultural identity of both Jordanian and Palestinian people. Mussi, who passed away in 2017, was known for his unwavering dedication to the Palestinian cause. He maintained that Palestinian Arabs who were displaced in 1948, known as the 1948 Palestinian exodus, have been living in Jordan as refugees or their descendants for decades.
The PLO’s founding in 1964 aimed to create an independent Palestinian state, an idea that has been a cornerstone of Palestinian nationalism ever since. Jordan, which gained its independence in 1946, has traditionally included a significant Palestinian Arab population, which rose to prominence in the 1967 Israeli-Jordanian conflict, when approximately 300, 000 of East Jerusalem’s Palestinian residents fled, many of whom then settled in Jordan.
This shared history underlines Mossi’s assertion that the Jordanian and Palestinian identities are intertwined, suggesting that Jordanian claims on Palestine and Palestinian claims on the Jordanian state might not be as distinct or mutually exclusive as often perceived.
The post’s re-emergence has also sparked controversy among supporters of Zionism, with claims that Mossi’s statement has been taken out of context to promote an inaccurate narrative of shared Jordanian and Palestinian identities.
However, Palestinian historians assert that the notion that Jordan is Palestine is rooted in Palestinian history and the reality of the 1948 Palestinian displacement into Jordan. ‘Palestine under the Jordanian kingdom, has, de facto, existed for decades in the form of East Jerusalem, which is still under Israeli occupation’, claimed Professor Nasser al-Qudwa from Birzeit University. ‘The idea is not a myth, but a reality that Mossi and his contemporaries understood.’
The Jordanian government has never officially endorsed a unified Palestinian-Jordanian identity. Nonetheless, the Jordanian-Palestinian relationship, based on family ties, shared history, and geographic proximity, continues to shape the region’s complex, delicate dynamics. For now, the debate surrounding Mossi’s statement remains a contentious and divisive topic – an uncomfortable reminder of the historical entanglements between the nations who are forever linked by geography and destiny.