Former Jordanian Minister And Diplomat Ambassador Ahmad Masa'deh: The Arabs Have Been Defeated; We Need To Start Acting Pragmatically Regarding The Palestinian Cause; Why Should Jordan Be On The Front Line?

Former Jordanian minister and diplomat Ambassador Ahmad Masa'deh said in a July 1, 2020 interview on Roya TV (Jordan) that although he believes that the Palestinian cause is just and that Palestinian land was plundered, the time has come to think realistically regarding the conflict with Israel and follow a course of action that is legally and politically pragmatic. He said that Arabs must acknowledge the reality that they have been defeated militarily, politically, and diplomatically, that the influential world powers support Israel, and that the United Nations and the E.U. have little impact with regard to helping the Palestinians. Emphasizing that some Arab countries are normalizing relations with Israel while others are engaged in civil wars, Ambassador Masa'deh asked: "Why should we in Jordan put ourselves on the frontline? Why should we be responsible for this cause all by ourselves?" Masa'deh served as Jordan's ambassador to the E.U., Belgium, Norway, Luxemburg, and NATO, as well as the Minister for Public Sector Reform.

Ahmad Masa'deh: "Regardless of what I am about to say, I do believe in the justice and patriotism of the Palestinian cause, and the cause of the Arabs in general. I am completely convinced that the Palestinian and Arab land was plundered from them. At the same time, however, I believe that the time has come for us to think somewhat realistically, and to follow a legally and politically pragmatic line. The world is no longer the world that we used to know. It has changed. The superpowers have changed, and there is a new reality that we - the Arab world or Arab countries - must acknowledge, whether we like it or not: We have been defeated. We have been defeated militarily, as well as politically and diplomatically. We started the Oslo process with the slogan of 'land for peace' and today, we were led to the slogan of 'normalization for refraining from annexation.'

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"The world today is different and the global [players] who have influence support Israel. Hence, the Arabs find themselves in a tough spot. Now, Jordanian diplomacy must become active in the international forums, but the question that poses itself is: What impact does this have? Let's be reasonable and practical, people. Let us examine the past 30 years. Where is the real impact? Today we see the evidence of that real impact.

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"As a law professor, I can tell you that international law has been modified. It has been violated and reshaped through the Arab-Israeli conflict. Even the U.N. resolutions come with a legal question mark: Do these resolutions have any impact or not? We want to turn to the E.U. - as a former ambassador to the E.U., let me tell you: We won't get anything beyond condemnations from them.

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"Today, for example, Britain's PM addressed Netanyahu and Israel, and said: 'As a friend, I hope that you do not move ahead with the annexation...' We should understand what this language means. The diplomatic measures of the world are limited today. The Arabs are clearly in crisis. Some countries are engaged in civil wars, and other countries have crossed their traditional political boundaries and are now directly cooperating with the Israeli side. So the question always rises: Why should we in Jordan put ourselves on the frontline? Why should we be responsible for this cause all by ourselves? Aren't there one billion Muslims out there? Where are the Arabs and the Muslims? Nowhere."