Jordanian reality check

Harry Brown was right (“Jaundiced perspective, Letters, December 29) in criticizing the hypocrisy of Dr. Munjed Farid Al Qutob’s praise of the King of Jordan for his declaration to end the landlease agreements and to “reclaim sovereignty.”

Interestingly, Al Qutob claimed that Jordan has cherished the “sacredness of Islamic and Christian holy shrines” but did not include Jewish shrines. As Brown pointed out, these were deliberately destroyed and profaned by Jordanian soldiers. Perhaps Al Qutob does feel some shame?

However, Al Qutob does not seem to understand the nature of leasing. The status quo does not deny Jordanian sovereignty of those areas. They are undeniably Jordanian and Israeli farmers pay to cultivate them.

Last week, together with friends from Beit Shemesh, I visited the northern of these two areas, Naharayim. On the border is an ornamental gate that was guarded by two Jordanian soldiers who detained us for half an hour until they obtained permission from a senior officer. Only then were we able to proceed to see “the Island of Peace,” the beautiful memorial garden for the seven Beit Shemesh schoolgirls who were brutally murdered there in 1997 by a Jordanian soldier.

His release from prison last year was greeted with wild celebrations by Jordanian sympathizers who obviously consider him a hero. ALAN HALIBARD Beit Shemesh