Palestine

Israel coordinates with puppet Jordanian regime to keep Jordan Valley under its control

images_News_2013_12_06_Jordan-valley_300_0The Israeli occupation regime reportedly told Jordan to convince the US to accept long-term Israeli control over the Jordan Valley despite the fierce Palestinian opposition, the Israeli newspaper Maariv claimed on Thursday.

According to the newspaper, Israel has coordinated with Amman to drive home the message to the Americans, especially secretary of state John Kerry, who was in the region Thursday for talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials, that keeping its army in the Jordan River is crucial to regional stability.

A senior Israeli official told Maariv that Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to finish building a security fence along the border with Jordan, a move Amman sees as important to its own security as well.

Kerry landed in Israel Wednesday night and met with Netanyahu Thursday morning.

According to US officials, Kerry brought with him a plan for making security arrangements in the West Bank, including the Jordan Valley, following the establishment of a Palestinian state, Haaretz newspaper said.
For his part, Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian authority negotiator , has denied knowing about a US plan for security arrangements despite confirmations in this regard by other Palestinian diplomatic sources.

The Jordan Valley is a flat land with an area of ​​about 800 thousand acres, located on the border between occupied Palestine and Jordan. There are dozens of Palestinian and Jordanian villages in the area.

Israeli media sources revealed that Israeli authorities plan to build a security barrier on a 200- kilometer area of the Jordan Valley, extending to the dead sea.
Israel’s separation fence additionally includes a 16-meter-wide road for military patrols.

Thousands of Palestinians in the area are at risk of forced displacement. This is due to a combination of factors, including demolitions, forced evictions from closed military zones and the inability to meet basic needs due to a range of Israeli-imposed restrictions.

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