Jordan summons Israel envoy over undiplomatic letter
Published today (updated) 21/01/2012 17:28
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=454067

AMMAN (Ma'an) -- Jordan's foreign minister has summoned the Israeli
ambassador over a letter sent by Israel's parliament head to his Jordanian
counterpart, which Jordan says breaches diplomatic rules, the country's
media reported.

Al-Masri, who was born in Nablus, notified Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser
Judeh of the private correspondence, which he said broke rules governing
diplomatic channels between the countries.

He also objected to the letters' content, al-Ghad noted, saying it contained
"fallacies and political claims that contradicted Jordan and the
international community’s attitude towards the question of Palestine."

The letter is an "embodiment of Israel’s arrogance, boasting and racism as
well as perverting historic facts to prove Israel’s claims," al-Masri said.

Israeli Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin wrote to Jordan Senate President Tahir
al-Masri expressing "best wishes on the occasion of the new year," Jordanian
daily al-Ghad reported on Friday.

According to al-Ghad, Rivlin also wrote to Palestinian-born al-Masri:
"Israel has been facing challenges and anti-Semitism over the past few years
as well as attempts to delegitimize Israel. Israel faced terrorist attacks
by Hamas and Hizbullah on civilians, and is facing Iran’s nuclear program
which threatens to destroy Israel.

"Furthermore, the Palestinians refuse to resume face-to-face peace
negotiations with Israel, and there is the Arab Spring which nobody still
knows where is it headed.

"Despite hardships, the Jewish people managed to return to their homeland
and to build a modern democratic and viable state. Despite all challenges we
will remain optimistic because our fathers who founded the state in 1948
were optimistic. Israel was barren land with quagmires spreading malaria,
and almost without natural resources, or oil underground."

The establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 resulted in the exodus of
nearly two thirds of the Palestinian people from their historic homeland.

The BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
describes the situation of Palestinian refugees and internally displaced
persons as "the largest and longest-standing case of displaced persons in
the world today."