Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
rilla) fighters were effectively acting as a state
within a state, openly defying Jordanian sol-
diers.
In 1970 Palestinian militants fired on King
Hussein's motorcade and held 68 foreigners
hostage in an Amman hotel, while the rogue
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
hijacked and destroyed three Western planes in
front of horrified TV crews. Martial law and bloody fighting (which claimed 3000 lives)
followed. Yasser Arafat was spirited out of Amman disguised as a Kuwaiti sheikh in order
to attend an Arab League summit in Cairo. A fragile ceasefire was signed, but it was not
until midway through 1971 that the final resistance (around Ajloun) was defeated. The
guerrillas were forced to recognise Hussein's authority and the Palestinians had to choose
between exile and submission. Most chose exile in Lebanon.
When it was founded, the PLO had the blessing of
the Arab League to represent the Palestinian people
and train guerrilla fighters. The Palestine National
Council (PNC) became the executive body of the
PLO, with a remit to govern Palestine.
Relinquishing Claims to Palestinian Leadership
In 1974 King Hussein reluctantly relinquished Jordan's claims to the West Bank by recog-
nising the PLO as the sole representative of Palestinians with the right to set up a govern-
ment in any liberated territory. By 1988 the King had severed all Jordan's administrative
and legal ties with the West Bank.
In the meantime profound demographic changes, including a sharp rise in population,
particularly of young people, had reshaped Jordan. Economic migration, both from the
countryside to the city and from Jordan to the increasingly wealthy Gulf States, together
with improved education changed social and family structures. Most significantly,
Palestinians no longer formed an edgy minority of refugees but instead took their place as
the majority of Jordan's population.
The complete integration of Palestinian refugees into all aspects of mainstream Jordani-
an life is due in no small part to the skilful diplomacy of King Hussein. The numerous as-
sassination attempts (there were at least 12) that dogged the early years of his reign were
replaced with a growing respect for his genuine, deep-rooted concern for the Palestinians'
plight - which is significant in a region where few other countries were willing to
shoulder the burden.
