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'Jordanian Option' Not an Option, Says Shimon Shamir

Shimon Shamir, former Israeli ambassador to Jordan, tells Akiva Eldar why raising the possibility of Jordan annexing the West Bank is a slap in the face to Amman and runs counter to Israel's interests.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak (L-R) listen to U.S. President Barack Obama make a statement on Middle East peace in the East Room of the White House in Washington September 1,  2010.     REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2HTFY
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Fifteen minutes. That’s how long it should take President Barak Obama and his entourage to drive from Jerusalem to Ramallah. That’s all it takes without any checkpoints or traffic along the way. No more than that.

On the other hand, the president will need light years to overcome the differences surrounding the permanent settlement that exists between the leaders sitting in these two cities. And this does not take into account the endless hours he will have to spend surrounded by American Jewish lobbyists and members of Congress hoping to foil any diplomatic effort that would require Israel to withdraw from the West Bank.

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