ISRAEL 1948-1967 WEST BANK ANNEXED by Jordan

ISRAEL 1948-1967 WEST BANK ANNEXED

What did the Arabs do about Jordan's annexation of the parts of Palestine they captured?

In April 1950, Jordan annexed eastern Jerusalem (dividing the city for the first time in its history) and the "West Bank" areas in historical Judea and Samaria that Trans-Jordan had occupied by military force in 1948 (Jordan changed its name to Trans-Jordan in April 1949). On April 24, 1950, the Jordan House of Deputies and House of Notables, in a joint session, adopted a Resolution making the West Bank and Jerusalem part of Jordan. This act had no basis in international law; it was only the de facto act of Trans-Jordan as a conquerer. The other Arab countries denied formal recognition of the Jordanian move and only two governments - Great Britain and Pakistan - formally recognized the Jordanian takeover. The rest of the world, including the United States, never did.
After the 1948 War for Independence and the Jordanian takeover, the Palestinian Arabs never attempted to establish an independent state in the territory alloted to them by the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan. They cooperated with its unilateral annexation by Jordan, becoming part of Jordan's political system. Across the barbed wire that marked the dividing line, Jordanian East Jerusalem was not made the capital, even for its Palestinian residents, in 19 years of Jordanian rule. The capital remained in Amman. There was no outcry of claims of "Palestinian" identity being submerged by Jordan.

The reason there was no Arab outrage over the annexation was because Jordan is a state whose ethnic majority is Palestinian Arabs. On the other hand, the Palestinians of Jordan are disenfranchised by the ruling Hashemite minority. Despite this fact, in the years following the annexation the Palestinians displayed no interest in achieving "self-determination" in Hashemite Jordan. It is only the presence of Jews, apparently, that incites this claim.
The Jordanian "occupation" of the West Bank was very abusive of the rights of Jews and Christians, or any resident of Israel. During the 1948-1967 period of its occupation, Jordan permitted terrorists to launch raids into Israel. Jewish and muslim residents of Israel were not permitted to visit their Holy Places in East Jerusalem. Christians, too, were discriminated against. In 1958, Jordanian legislation required all members of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre to adopt Jordanian citizenship. In 1965, Christian institutions were forbidden to acquire any land or rights in or near Jerusalem. In 1966, Christian schools were compelled to close on Fridays instead of Sundays, customs privileges of Christian religious institutions were abolished. Jerusalem was bisected by barbed wire, concrete barriers and walls. On a number of occasions Jordanian soldiers opened fire on Jewish Jerusalem. In May 1967, the Temple Mount became a military base for the Jordanian National Guard.

Sources and additional reading on this topic:

• We must dispel lies that Israel stole 'Palestinian' land
• Jordanian Annexation of West Bank
• Armistice Agreement 1949
• Myths and Facts about Israel
• Jerusalem—An Introduction
• Jerusalem: Whose city?
• Why Israel Is The Victim And The Arabs Are The Indefensible Aggressors In the Middle East

MORE ON ISRAEL 1948-1967

Select Another Topic Israel's First Years ======= Law of Return UN Resolution 194 Israel's Borders Israel & Arab Countries West Bank Annexed Holy Sites Desecrated Tripartite Agreement The Early 1950s ======= Abdullah Assassination Fedayeen Qibya 1953 Egypt-Soviet Arms Deal Kfar Kassem 1956 The Sinai Campaign ====== Sinai 1956 Khan Yunis 1956 Sinai Campaign Results The PLO ====== PLO Founding Yasser Arafat PLO Activity The Six Day War of 1967 ====== Six Day War Background Start of Six Day War Six Day War Course Six Day War Result USS Liberty Settlements after 1967 UN Resolution 242 ======= Index

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