Distorting Jordan’s image is an Israeli Policy
Human Rights Watch is the new tool

Forget the snow in Davos and the snow in Amman. Forget the Winter Season; we have a new season which I call the Human Rights Watch Bashing Season.

I have lost count of the number of articles written by so many journalists in Jordan in the last few days condemning Human Rights Watch’s criticism of Jordan.

The plethora of critical articles emanating from Jordan is not the best way to deal with the Human Rights Watch Report. However the Report raises a number of issues which deserve a detailed analysis.

The Politicization of Human Rights
My understanding of the role of HRW is to expose human rights abuses and violations in the World. Daily examples of abuses can be witnessed in many countries including Israel, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia and Iran, but definitely not in Jordan.

Jordan does not violate anyone’s human rights. Israel does on a daily basis in Jerusalem and the West Bank yet the HRW is coy about such abuses. Why?

My reading of the HRW tirade against Jordan leads me to believe that this esteemed organization has turned itself into a political tool in the hand of Israel’s Foreign Policy. I would therefore pose the question to the Directors of this August Body, why of late you have decided to meddle into political decisions taken by Jordan which is a sovereign state?

Why are you taking sides in the Arab Israeli Conflict by advancing the interest of the occupying power at the expense of the Palestinians and the Jordanian people? In other words, why are you siding with the abusers against the abused?


Israel resents Jordan’s closeness to the US.
It is no secret that Israel is annoyed by Jordan’s success at the world stage. American leaders from Dwight Eisenhower through Bill Clinton, Bush and Obama have always sought the advice of the late King Hussein and his successor King Abdullah II respectively over Middle Eastern matters. The US Administration and the Quartet (EU, Russia, USA and the UN) recognizes the fact that no peaceful solution of the Israeli Palestinian Conflict can be successfully concluded without the full involvement and blessing of Jordan. Jordan’s position is crystal clear as regards the occupied territories. It has no ambition to rule over the West Bank and it supports Palestinian right for their own independent state. HM King Abdullah II said this and confirmed this dozens of times over the last few years. Of course this position antagonizes Israel’s Right Wing which considers Jordan as the alternative homeland for the Palestinians.


Both Jordan and the US work together in the fight against terrorism. No justification is required here but Israel resents this and does its damn best to distort the positive image of Jordan. This is a fact borne by documented evidence and real examples.


The Case for Jordan
In his article on Thursday 4th February 2010, in the Pan-Arab Asharq Alawsat; Saleh Al-Kallab the new Media and Broadcasting Chief in Jordan has outlined in detail the hostile Israeli stance towards Jordan. Mr. Al-Kallab has been a fierce defender of Jordan’s interests in the Arabic media and for that he deserves our appreciation.

How to deal with HRW Report?
Let us look at the report calmly and list the specific accusations levelled against Jordan. Shouting, screaming and writing condemnatory articles will not wash.

First step: a high profile Jordanian Official to declare in the full glare of the media the appointment of an independent commission to look at each specific allegation and conduct a methodical investigation. Verifying the facts and addressing the issues raised by the Report.

Second step: A delegation representing HRW must be invited to visit Jordan to ask questions and to answer questions by journalists about its political agenda and to explain its politically biased report.

Third Step: An official rebuttal to be issued by the government of Jordan refuting the HRW allegations.

Jordan has nothing to hide, nothing to apologize for and nothing to be ashamed of and this is the reason for Israel’s hostility towards Jordan.

Nehad Ismail
Writer/broadcaster
Feb 2010