King Hussein of Jordan
Well, what do you know? It took an Arab, Prince Bandar ibn Sultan, the Saudi ambassador, remonstrating with another Arab, King Hussein of Jordan, to tell the truth about Israel and the Palestinians (Commentary, Sept. 26). Excerpts included:
“Tell us, Your Majesty, what you have done to safeguard the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher that you lost to the Israelis in 1967?” (When Israel asked Jordan not to join in the unprovoked attack on her by Egypt and Syria.)
“And, Your Majesty, you claim to defend the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and a state of their own.”
“But you were responsible for the Palestinian homeland on the West Bank from 1948 to 1967.
“Why in all that period did you not give them their rights and statehood?”
“You say the Kuwaiti-Iraqi border is disputed and based on a historical record created by colonial British.”
“Your Majesty, you should be the last one to say that. Not only all your borders but your whole country was created by the colonial British.”
In contrast, Israel was created by the United Nations, but no Arab country, except Egypt, has ever agreed to its right to exist.
AARON KOLOM
Los Angeles
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