Jordan has stated repeatedly that it will close its borders to prevent a mass exodus of Palestinians from the West Bank into the kingdom. "There will be no repeat of 1948 or 1967," an authoritative source told The Irish Times.
"King Abdullah has made this very clear on several occasions. He will use his army to seal the border."
The influx of Palestinians at the time of Israel's establishment in 1948 and its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967 overwhelmed Jordan with refugees. Today more than half of the country's 6 million inhabitants are of Palestinian origin.
The king has also turned down suggestions that Jordanian army troops could be deployed in the Palestinian territories as a "protection force" and he has rejected the re-imposition of Jordanian control over the West Bank which was ruled by Jordan from 1949-1967.
A senior Jordanian politician stated, "This king [Abdullah] is not like his father," King Hussein. King Abdullah "has no ambition to reign over both Jordan and the West Bank. He wants to be king of Jordan, that's all."
A fresh flood of refugees would undermine the Hashemite dynasty which depends on the solid support of the Bedouin tribesmen who constitute the majority of troops in Jordan's professional army. "The tribes are already grumbling about Palestinians with Jordanian nationality settling in the kingdom," a diplomat told The Irish Times.
Politically burnt from all sides in the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation, Jordan has opted to concentrate on putting its own house in order. King Abdullah recently started a reform of the economy.
A boost in exports, a booming stock market, increased investment and fiscal and monetary stability have turned round the Jordanian economy, in spite of the collapse of the tourism sector.
