At the end of a week from the establishment of the new government in Israel, it becomes clear that Israel has embarked on a political collision course with the PA and with Jordan following the Palestinians’ appeal to the Court of Justice in The Hague for a legal opinion on the legality of the occupation and following the visit of the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir to the Temple Mount.
The Security Cabinet approved impose economic sanctions on the Palestinian Authority and personal sanctions against its senior officials, the Palestinian Authority condemned the cabinet decision and pledged to continue to protect Palestinian rights, it appealed to the Biden administration to stop Israel’s actions, Hamas also joined the Palestinian Authority and condemned Israel despite its rivalry with the PA.
The visit of Ben Gvir to the Temple Mount continues to shock the Arab world, although no acts of violence broke out in the West Bank following the visit, but Israel entered the arena of political struggle at the United Nations and the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
The status quo has not changed on the Temple Mount following the visit and Ben Gvir has not yet said his last word, the security officials are actually these days examining a series of requests submitted by right-wing activists to change the status quo on the Temple Mount, including offering sacrifices during the Passover holiday that will fall in close proximity to the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has already made it clear to the international community that he will not allow any change in the status quo on the Temple Mount. Will he keep his promise?
The atmosphere between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is very tense, the Palestinian Authority again says that it is considering freezing security coordination with Israel, but the security officials are very worried about the developments in Jordan, with which Israel has the longest border where security peace has been maintained for many years.
The fear of a change of direction in Jordan
King Abdullah sent Israel a stern warning through an interview he gave to the CNN network that changing the status quo on the Temple Mount will lead to a conflict and a new intifada, the king accuses in conversations with foreign diplomats that the Israeli right is dragging the region into a religious and ideological war.
Political officials in Jerusalem are warning from the joining of Jordan, with whom Israel has a peace treaty, to the PA’s political struggle against Israel in the international arena.
Jordanian sources say that Jordan will join the Palestinian demand to prosecute Israel at the Criminal Court in The Hague and open an investigation against it for “war crimes”.
Security officials in Israel fear the change in moods in the Hashemite Kingdom as they are expressed on the street and in parliament.
Many members of the Jordanian parliament are using for the first time expressions towards Israel that they have not used since the peace agreement between the two countries was signed in 1994, including calls from representatives of the Bedouin tribes” to open the border with the Israeli enemy “, that is, a request from King Abdullah to allow terrorist attacks against Israel from Jordanian territory.
For example, Jordanian MP Yanel Farikhat warned that “the Israelis will meet the Jordanian bullet and not just talk”.
Among the Bedouin tribes, for the first time, there are also calls for King Abdullah to allow the activities of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Jordanian territory.
The right wing government must not behave like an elephant in a china shop, otherwise it could lead to the sabotage of attempts to obtain a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia and the collapse of the normalization agreements already reached with Arab countries, not to mention damage to relations with the Biden administration that Israel needs its help to prepare for a military confrontation with Iran, the writing is already on the wall.
