King abdullah II king abdullah our last best chance the purs ril (v5 0)

Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Dedication PREFACE PART I Chapter - The Conflict Begins Chapter - The 1967 War Chapter - Dark Clouds over Amman Chapter - Arriving in America PART II Chapter - Sandhurst Chapter - Qatraneh Nights Chapter - A Secret Mission Chapter - “You Guys Don’t Stand a Chance” Chapter - A Royal Wedding Chapter 10 - Lessons in Diplomacy Chapter 11 - Very Special Operations PART III Chapter 12 - In the Footsteps of a Legend Chapter 13 - Becoming King Chapter 14 - Friends and Neighbors Chapter 15 - Transforming Jordan Chapter 16 - Desert Deerfield PART IV Chapter 17 - Jerusalem at the Heart of Conflict Chapter 18 - Seeking Peace, Getting War Chapter 19 - War in the Desert Chapter 20 - “We Will Be Greeted as Liberators” PART V Chapter 21 - My Islam Chapter 22 - Jordan’s 9/11 Chapter 23 - The Amman Message PART VI Chapter 24 - The End of an Era Chapter 25 - The Mask Slips Chapter 26 - A New Voice from America Chapter 27 - Fortress Israel or a Fifty-Seven-State Solution? Acknowledgements INDEX VIKING Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A • Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) • Penguin Books Australia Ltd, 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) • Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi - 110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R oRL, England First published in 2011 by Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc Copyright © King’s Academy, Inc., 2011 All rights reserved Proceeds from the sale of this book will go to King’s Academy, to support its scholarship fund for needy students LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING IN PUBLICATION DATA Abdullah II, King of Jordan, 1962Our last best chance : the pursuit of peace in a time of peril / King Abdullah II p cm Includes index eISBN : 978-1-101-19013-5 Abdullah II, King of Jordan, 1962- Jordan—Kings and rulers—Biography Jordan—Politics and government Peace-building— Middle East Arab-Israeli conflict—1993—Peace I Title DS154.6.A23A.9504’4092—dc22 2009054380 [B] Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrightable materials Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated Penguin is committed to publishing works of quality and integrity In that spirit, we are proud to offer this book to our readers; however, the story, the experiences, and the words are the author’s alone http://us.penguingroup.com THIS BOOK IS FOR THE PEOPLE OF JORDAN PREFACE Two years ago, when I started writing this book, I hoped it would reveal the inner workings of how, against great odds, the United States, Israel, and the Arab and Muslim world had brokered peace in the Middle East As I write these words, however, I can only say that this is a story about how peace has continued to elude our grasp And yet, in my region, where optimism is even more precious than water, we cannot afford to give up hope Why would a head of state want to write a book? There are countless reasons why doing so may be ill-advised Running a country, after all, even a small one, is a full-time job Added to that is the requirement of getting along with neighbors—many of whom could easily be offended by an honest presentation of the facts as viewed from another nation’s perspective And then there are those who will want their actions either to go unmentioned or to be praised beyond their worth I have decided to put aside these arguments and write this book because the Middle East, the very tough neighborhood in which I live, is facing a moment of real crisis I believe we still have one last chance to achieve peace But the window is rapidly closing If we not seize the opportunity presented by the now almost unanimous international consensus on the solution, I am certain we will see another war in our region—most likely worse than those that have gone before and with more disastrous consequences People around here have long memories They readily remember previous failed attempts to bring together the parties to the conflict Many of the same players are still on the stage, and likely will remain so for years to come This could be seen as a compelling reason not to speak publicly about sensitive issues, but I believe the world must know the risks of doing nothing My father’s generation reeled from the blast of war about once a decade Following the war triggered by the creation of Israel in 1948, there was Suez in 1956, the disastrous 1967 war, when Israel seized the West Bank, the Sinai, and the Golan Heights, and the war of 1973, when Egypt and Syria tried and failed to win back the territory they had lost in 1967 These were followed by the Iran-Iraq War and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in the 1980s, and the Gulf War in 1991 The periods in between could be called “peace” only in the loosest of senses In the eleven years since I became King of Jordan, I have seen five conflicts: the Al Aqsa intifada in 2000, the U.S invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the U.S invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 2006, and the Israeli attack on Gaza in 2008-9 Every two or three years, it seems, another conflict besets our troubled region As I look forward, my greatest fear is that we will soon see another war between Israel and its neighbors, triggered by a yet unknown flashpoint, that will escalate in terrifying ways The conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians goes back to the early years of the twentieth century, but the impact of their struggle is felt very much in the present Since the breakdown of the peace process in 2000, about a thousand Israelis and over sixty-five hundred Palestinians have been killed, and many thousands more injured Today the whole Middle East faces the critical challenge of resolving a conflict that has almost defined the modern history of the region If we succeed, I believe we will strike at one of the main roots of violence and instability in the Middle East Many in the West, when they look at our region, view it as a series of separate challenges: Iranian expansionism, radical terrorism, sectarian tensions in Iraq and Lebanon, and a long-festering conflict See also specific groups Israel Abdullah II, tour as king army, power of formation, history of -Jordan peace treaty nuclear program radical groups Israel-Palestine conflict Abdullah I actions aggression, Israeli justification for Al Aqsa intifada building moratorium, failure of Church of the Nativity siege false link to “war on terror,” and governmental leaders See specific leaders and specific political parties Al Haram Al Sharif tunnel incident Jerusalem, Israeli seizure (1967) Jews, terrorism by Karameh, Israeli invasion of (1968) Karine A seizure Lebanon, Israeli invasions Netanyahu’s negative actions 1967 war Palestinian guerrilla violence (1960s-70s) Palestinian intifada (1987) and Palestinian territories See East Jerusalem; Gaza; West Bank peace agreements, Israeli actions against peace negotiations/agreements See Israel-Palestine peace roots of Sharon’s negative actions timing of Israeli attacks UN condemnation of Israel wall construction by Israel Yassin assassination Zionist violence (1940s) Israel-Palestine peace Abdullah I efforts Abdullah II efforts Annapolis conference (2007) Arab Peace Initiative (2002) Bush (G W.) neglect of Camp David Accords (1978) deadlock (2009-2010) Hussein of Jordan efforts land-for-peace policy Madrid Peace Conference (1991) Oslo Accords/Declaration of Principles (1993) Oslo II (1995) proximity talks (2010) Resolution 242 (1967) terms for road map approach Sharm El Sheikh Accord (1999) two-state solution world leaders, efforts of See individual leaders Wye River Memorandum (1998) Jaafari, Ibrahim Al Jabal Rum Janakat, Samih Japanese Red Army Jayousi, Azmi Jenin attack Jerash Jericho Conference Jerusalem historical view holy shrines, protection by Jordan Israeli actions, potential consequences of Israeli occupation (1967) Muslims, importance to Zionist violence (1940s) See also East Jerusalem Jesus Christ, significance in Jordan Jews Palestine, immigration to Zionist movement See also entries under Israel Jihad Jihad Muqaddas Johnson, Lyndon, 1967 war Jordan under Abdullah I See Abdullah I ibn Al Hussein, King of Jordan under Abdullah II See Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, King of Jordan Arafat/PLO in Christian community of citizen petitions to king economic crises -Egypt defense treaty (1967) films made in governmental system of Gulf War (1991), impact on under Hussein See Hussein bin Talal, King of Jordan -Iran relations Iraqi refugees in -Iraq relations -Israel peace treaty Jerusalem holy shrines, protection by kings, rule of succession -Kuwait relations military See Jordanian army (Jordan Armed Forces); Royal Jordanian Air Force Palestinian refugees in -Saudi relations sites of beauty/interest in surrounding countries -Syria relations Talal bin Abdullah, becomes king women, education of Jordanian army (Jordan Armed Forces) Abdullah II, early career Abdullah II as commander Abdullah II commands Special Forces Abdullah II creates Special Operations Command Abdullah II upgrades to Abdullah in armored unit Aisha as brigadier general members, profile of paratroopers strength of wars fought Jordan Export Development and Communication Centers Corporation (now Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation) Jordanian-French Uranium Mining Company Jordan International Rally Jordan option Jordan River Foundation Judeh, Nasser Juma, Aoun Kaaba Kaabneh, Field Marshall Abdul Hafez Kabariti, Abdul Karim Kadima Party Kahan Commission Kamel, Hussein Kamel, Saddam Karameh, Israeli invasion of (1968) Karine A Kawar, Tawfiq Kerak castle Khair, Saad Khalayleh, Ahmed Fadil Nazzal See Zarqawi, Abu Musab alKhalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Emir of Abu Dhabi Khamenei, Ayatollah, Abdullah II, meeting with Khasheb, Abu Khatami, Mohammad, Abdullah II, meeting with Khomeini, Ayatollah Khoury, Hussam Kim Il-sung King Abdullah II Award King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) King Abdullah II Fund for Development King David Hotel King Hussein Medical Center King’s Academy King’s Highway Kuwait Iraq invasion of (1990) -Jordan relations Land-for-peace policy Latrun, battle of (1948) Lawrence, T E Lawrence of Arabia (film) Lebanon Israeli invasion of (1982) Israeli invasion of (2000) Israel invasion (2006) Israeli partial withdrawal from (2000) Palestinian guerrillas in Libya Abdullah II, tour as king -Jordan relations Lieberman, Avigdor Likud Party Livni, Tzipi Lohamei Herut Israel (Stern Gang) McMahon, Sir Henry Madaba Mosaic Map Madrasati (My School) Madrid Peace Conference (1991) Mahdi Majali, Colonel Hussein Majali, Habis Majed, Mohammad Maktoob Maliki, Nouri Al Abdullah II, meeting with Iraqi leadership Maqdisi, Abu Muhammad alMasri, Safwan Mayo Clinic Mecca Grand Mosque seizure and Hashemite family location of Muslims, importance to Medina Meshaal, Khaled Middle East Abdullah II, tour as king diversity of people Great Arab Revolt military weakness modernization of nationalism, 20th century Palestinians, protection of politics, personal nature of pro-Soviet states pro-Western states and Soviet collapse treaties among countries of See Middle East peace agreements See also individual countries Middle East peace agreements Jordan-Egypt Jordan-Israel Rabat Summit (1974) Washington Declaration (1994) Miliband, David Military, Jordan See Jordanian army (Jordan Armed Forces); Royal Jordanian Air Force Mitchell, George Mohammad, Prophet and Jerusalem Jordanian rulers’ descent from Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mordechai, Yitzhak Mossad Mount Nebo Moyne, Lord (Walter Edward Guinness) Muasher, Marwan Mubarak, Hosni Abdullah II, meetings with assassination threat to and Hussein of Jordan Israel-Palestine peace efforts Muhammad bin Talal, Prince of Jordan Muna Al Hussein, Princess of Jordan background information courtship/marriage to Hussein divorce and Lawrence of Arabia film Mutaib bin Abdulaziz, Prince of Saudi Arabia Nadwa Palace Nasrallah, Hassan Nasser, Gamal Abdel actions against Jordan 1967 war pro-Soviet support Straits of Tiran closure Suez crisis Nasser bin Jamil, Sharif of Jordan Nasserites National Economic Forum (1999) Netanyahu, Benjamin Abbas, meetings with Abdullah II, meetings with assassination attempts in Jordan by and building moratorium failure Israel-Palestine peace efforts as negative influence Wye River Memorandum (1998) 1967 war Nixon, Richard Nobel Peace Prize Noor, Queen of Jordan North Korea, Abdullah II visit Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Nuclear program Iran Jordan Nuclear weapons Obama, Barack Abdullah II, meetings with Israel-Palestine peace efforts Middle East visits by new Israeli settlements, reaction to and U.S withdrawal from Iraq Olive oil exports Olmert, Ehud Annapolis conference (2007) Gaza, bombardment of (2008) Lebanon invasion (2006) as prime minister resignation of Olympic games massacre (1972) Oman, Abdullah II, tour as king Omar bin al-Khattab, Caliph Operation Peace for Galilee Oslo Accords/Declaration of Principles (1993) Oslo II (1995) Otaibi, Juhayman alOttoman Empire, Great Arab Revolt against Pact of Omar Pahlavi, Mohammad Reza, Shah of Iran Palestine educational reforms -Jewish conflict See Israel-Palestine conflict Jewish migration to refugees in Jordan statehood efforts See Israel-Palestine peace territories See East Jerusalem; Gaza; West Bank Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) expelled from Jordan expelled from Lebanon founding of in Jordan as legal representative of Palestinians See also Arafat, Yasser Palestinian guerrillas in Jordan threat to Arab world violence (1960s-70s) See also specific groups Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Fatah control (2005) See also Abbas, Mahmoud Peace agreements See Israel-Palestine peace agreements; Middle East peace agreements Pembroke College Peres, Shimon Perle, Richard Petra Pillars of Islam Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Powell, Colin Prophet Mohammad’s Army Proximity talks (2010) Qaboos Bin Said Al Said, Sultan of Oman, Abdullah II, meeting with Qadhafi, Muammar Abdullah II, meeting with and Hussein of Jordan Al Qaeda Abdullah II assassination plot hunted by Jordan in Iraq in Jordan roots of September 11 attacks Qibya attack (1953) Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZs) Quartet Queen Alia Heart Institute Quraish tribe Rabin, Yitzhak assassination of Declaration of Principles (1993) Hussein of Jordan relationship with in Israeli military Washington Declaration (1994) Radisson Amman attack Raghadan Palace Raid, General Abdul Monim Raiyah bint Al Hussein, Princess of Jordan Rania Al Abdullah, Princess of Jordan background information children See Hashem bin Abdullah II, Prince of Jordan; Hussein bin Abdullah II, Crown Prince of Jordan; Iman bint Abdullah II, Princess of Jordan; Salma bint Abdullah II, Princess of Jordan home life Jordan Export Development and Commercial Centers Corporation, work with meeting and courtship with Abdullah II as social problems advocate wedding Rania Al Abdullah, Queen of Jordan and Benedict XVI educational programs launched by global outreach tools of pronounced queen as women’s rights advocate on World Economic Forum Foundation board Rania Al Yassin See entries under Rania Al Abdullah Rantisi, Abdel Aziz Rawabdeh, Abdul Raouf Rawashdeh, Nathem Razaq, Abdul Reagan, Ronald Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts Rice, Condoleezza Rifai, Samir Rifai, Zaid Rihab excavation Rio Tinto Road map approach Ross, Dennis Royal Court (Diwan) Royal Guard Royal Jordanian Air Force Royal Jordanian Airline Rubicon Rumsfeld, Donald Russia, Abdullah II visit Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait Sabra massacre Sadat, Anwar assassination of Israel visit (1977) regains Sinai (1979) Sadr, Muqtada alSaid Bin Taimur, Sultan of Oman St Edmund’s School Salafi movement Salaheddin Minbar Salma bint Abdullah II, Princess of Jordan Salomon, Gershon Sandhurst Abdullah II at Aisha, Princess at Hussein of Jordan at Talal bin Abdullah at San Remo Conference (1920) Sarvath El Hassan, Princess of Jordan Saud Al-Faisal, Prince of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia Abdullah II, tour as king -Jordan relations Schwarzkopf, General Norman September 11 attacks Shalit, Gilad Sharifa Dina Abdel Hamid Sharif Nasser bin Jamil Sharm El Sheikh Accord (1999) Sharon, Ariel Abdullah II, meeting with Al Haram Al Sharif visit Bush (G W.) meeting with disengagement orders election of (2001) in Israeli military Lebanon, invasion of (1978) as president, destructive actions and slaughter of Palestinians stroke/coma wall construction Shatila massacre Shawabkeh, Jamal Shia Islam Shia parties Iranian connection to power in Iraq, post-war -Sunni conflict in Iraq Shobak castle Sinai Peninsula Israeli seizure of (1967) peacekeeping troops returned to Egypt (1979) Sino Uranium Smith, Chip Smith, Jim Sofia, Queen of Spain Soviet Union collapse, and Middle East pro-Soviet Arab states Special economic zones Special Forces, Abdullah as commander Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Abdullah II creates Abdullah II as head drug smuggling operation murder ring bust on standby for domestic trouble Spielberg, Steven Status of Forces Agreement (2009) Stern Gang Straits of Tiran Sudan, Abdullah II, tour as king Sunni Islam Sunni parties American negativity toward -Shia conflict in Iraq Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916) Syria Abdullah II, tour as king attacks Jordan (1970) Golan Heights attack (1973) -Iraq relations -Jordan relations 1967 war Palestinians, protection of revolutionary groups in See also Assad, Hafez, al- Takfiris See also Islamic extremists Tal, Wasfi Talal bin Abdullah, King of Jordan Talal bin Muhammad, Prince of Jordan 1967 war and Saddam Hussein family Tal Al Rumman Tarawneh, Ahmad Temple Mount Temple Mount Faithful Tenet, George Thahiri Islam Thatcher, Margaret Toukan, Alia Toukan, Samih Truman, Harry Two-state solution Umra United Arab Command United Arab Emirates, Abdullah II, tour as king United Arab Republic United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) United Nations (UN) condemnation of Israel forces in Lebanon (1978) and Iraq invasion of Kuwait (1990) land-for-peace policy Resolution 242 (1967) two-state solution United States Gulf War (1991) hostages in Iran (1979) Jewish migration to Palestine, position on -Jordan FTA September 11 attacks See also specific U.S presidents University of Jordan Uranium deposits Urban II, Pope USS Cole USS Elrod USS Samuel B Roberts USS Stark USS Vincennes U Thant Vella, Perry Wadi Rum Waqf Watts, Sir Arthur West Bank Arabs, allocation to (1949) building moratorium, failure of in Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan illegal Israeli settlements Israeli disengagement (2005) Israeli seizure of (1967) Israeli seizure of (2002) Jordanian disengagement from Palestinian partial control Palestinian refugees in wall construction by Israel Weymouth, Lally Widmer, Eric Wolfowitz, Paul World Economic Forum (2000) World Trade Organization (WTO) Wye River Memorandum (1998) Yassin, Ahmed, Sheikh assassination of Israeli release of Yatom, Danni Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel is Our Home) Zahran Palace Zarqa Zarqawi, Abu Musab alamnesty by Jordan death of development as terrorist in Iraq violence in Jordan by Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Emir of Abu Dhabi, Abdullah II, meeting with Zeid bin Al Hussein, Prince of Iraq Zeid bin Shaker Zein Al Sharaf, Queen of Jordan Zein bint Al Hussein, Princess of Jordan Zia-ul-Haq, Brigadier Zionists ... PUBLICATION DATA Abdullah II, King of Jordan, 196 2Our last best chance : the pursuit of peace in a time of peril / King Abdullah II p cm Includes index eISBN : 978-1-101-19013-5 Abdullah II, King of Jordan,... Damascus My mother and father watched from a hill overlooking the set When the word spread that my father was there, the bedouin extras left the camp and rushed up to him, shouting out their loyalty... ways The conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians goes back to the early years of the twentieth century, but the impact of their struggle is felt very much in the present Since the breakdown