By MUDAR ZAHRAN- Secretary General of the Jordanian Opposition Coalition
1. Background: The Hebron-based Jaabari clan, central to the emirate initiative, remains one of the city’s most influential and numerous families. Security sources estimate the tribe maintains access to approximately 30,000 weapons, primarily assault rifles, held collectively among its members.
2. The family has historically demonstrated a cooperative posture toward the Israeli government and the IDF. In 1967, tribal elder Mohammad al-Jaabari notably received the first Israeli military jeep to enter Hebron and subsequently hosted the Israeli Minister of Defense at his residence.
3. The recent move by thirteen tribal sheikhs from within the Jaabari clan, declaring independence from the Palestinian Authority (PA), remains in its early stages and is not yet capable of producing tangible change on the ground. Nonetheless, the notion itself has triggered concern in both Ramallah and Amman. [COMMENT: The regimes of PA and Jordan remain closely entangled, and a destabilizing shift in one could reverberate through the others. Notably, demographic realities in Jordan, where a majority of the population is of Palestinian origin, amplify these concerns. END COMMENT]
4. The declaration provoked strong and impulsive responses from both the PA and the Jordanian government. Amman was particularly vocal. State and private Jordanian media, especially those aligned with the regime, aired scathing criticism of the Hebron sheikhs and mocked their initiative. The Jordanian Royal Court’s press office engaged directly with media figures in the region, including those in Israel and the West, urging them to counter the concept publicly. One such journalist, widely regarded as aligned with Jordanian intelligence and currently residing in Jerusalem, launched a vehement online campaign targeting the Hebron initiative via his account on X.
5. While caution remains warranted, the concept introduced by the Jaabari sheikhs deserves close observation. It reflects mounting local frustration with the PA and may signal early-stage alternatives forming in the political imagination of the West Bank. Recognizing this trend—not as an endorsement, but as a relevant geopolitical signal—could provide policymakers in Washington and Jerusalem with useful context for future stabilization strategies.
Mudar Zahran is a Jordanian Palestinian politician living in exile. He heads the Jordanian Opposition Coalition. He previously served as an economic specialist and assistant policy coordinator for the U.S. embassy in Amman. Zahran is a Ph.D. in political science — the Arab-Israeli conflict.
It’s no surprise that PA and Jordanian efforts to counter the Hebron initiative are receiving so much intention. They enjoy their positions of power, however weak it may be.
Nonetheless, both the PA with Abu Masen and King Hussein must go. If the Sheiks in Hebron are up to the task is another story. They may have enough pull to control their neighborhoods but we need more initiatives like this. Taking it a step further, the Arab population in Judea and Samaria needs representatives who can work to their benefit within the government of Israel, especially to keep them safe and cooperative with Israel rather than against it.
Coming back to Jordan and the PA, if Jordan can become Palestine as we have been reading here for some time now, that would be a great improvement. If the Jordanians can then replace the PA and work with Israel to make the Arab population of Judea and Samaria into citizens of Israel or Jordan, we could enjoy “peace in our times”.
Very well said!