New Jordanian PM enjoys strong ties with Israel: Observers

Arab media and ex-Jordanian officials have described newly-appointed Prime Minister Hani Mulqi as a “pro-Israel” figure, who is likely to help advance Tel Aviv’s policies against Palestinians.

Jordan’s King Abdullah dissolved the parliament on Monday and appointed Hani Mulqi as caretaker prime minister.The legislative body had ended its four-year term and the election should be held within four months under the constitution.

The 65-year-old is believed to have strong connections to Israeli leaders, according to Arab media reports.

In an interview with Qatar’s Al Jazeera network on Monday, Husam Abdallat, a former top government aide at the office of the Jordanian premier, said Mulqi’s appointment was aimed at reviving Israeli-Palestinians talks in pursuit of a solution that would not benefit the Palestinian nation.

“Mulki will be working to bring Palestinians and Israelis to the negotiation table and work to bring a final solution to the Palestinian cause, which will most likely be at the expense of the Palestinian people,” Abdallat said.

The TV channel also reported that the new prime minister has “strong” ties with Israel.

Tareq al-Fayed, an Amman-based analyst on Jordanian affairs and a journalist at the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, said Mulki has two main mandates while in office.

“The first is to manage the new phase of the parliamentary elections and set the government’s political agenda. The second is to manage Israeli-Jordanian relations, which have seen tension over Israel’s policies and encroachment on the Palestinians in Jerusalem (al-Quds) and against al-Aqsa Mosque,” he said.

Meanwhile, the report highlighted the pro-Israel “investment law” approved by Jordan’s outgoing parliament, which allows foreign investments, including by Tel Aviv, in key projects such as energy and infrastructure development.

“Passing the investment law and allowing Israel to have control over our economics constitutes a serious threat to Jordan’s economic interests and its national security,” retired army general and columnist Mousa al-Odwan said.

Jordan and Egypt are the only Arab countries that have inked peace treaties with the regime in Israel.

The prime minister-designate served as the head of Jordan’s Aqaba economic zone before he was chosen by King Abdullah.

Observers believe the appointment comes as no surprise because Amman and Tel Aviv have long been working to promote their economic relations.

Jordan working to oust Abbas

Mulqi’s appointment amid reports that Israel and its allies, including the UAE, Egypt and Jordan, are planning to overthrow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and replace him with the former leader of the Fatah movement, Mohammed Dahlan.

The key objectives of the scheme for Abbas’ ouster include uniting Fatah, weakening the Hamas resistance movement, completing the so-called peace agreement with Israel and seizing control of sovereign Palestinian institutions in the West Bank, the report said.

The initiative was corroborated by a senior Jordanian source who revealed a visit by Dahlan to the Jordanian capital, Amman, on March 31, during which the Palestinian figure requested Jordanian intervention to reconcile him with Abbas.

The developments come ahead of a June 3 conference in Paris, France, aimed at reviving the so-called peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

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