Syria, Iran And The Last Minute Policies – OpEd

By Ali Bluwi

Newly leaked documents reveal that the Syrian intelligence department was working out a plan to destabilize Jordan. The Syrian plan comes at a time when Israel is trying to pass the blame on Jordan for non-resolution of the Palestinian problem and Iran is messing with Jordan’s internal security. We all remember when Jordan was desperately in need to execute the Disi Water Conveyance Project in 2001. Sadly, Jordan suffers from water shortage, thanks to the water policies of Assads (the father and the son), that led to wastage and benefited only Israel. According to a senior Syrian official, water was a strategic issue for Assad in dealing with Jordan. At the end the Syrian coercive tactics forced Jordan to come to an agreement with Israel to get water during the summer.

Even Col. Qaddafi interfered in 2001 when he visited Jordan. He stipulated certain protocols to be in line with his tents, women, and body guards. He asked for meeting women to lecture them about their issues and his Green Book. I met one of his confidantes who told me that it would be foolish to expect that Libya would support transferring water from Disi to Amman. Back then, Qaddafi asked the Jordanians to name the first well after the name the “Alfatih of September.”

Jordanians did not reject his demand but then he insisted that his book becomes a text book in schools and universities. Jordan rejected this demand and accordingly Qaddafi packed his tents and left.

A few days later Iran stepped in and volunteered to help build the project to transfer water from Disi to Amman provided that the implementation of the project would be by Iranian experts. Tehran talked about five years to complete the project and therefore it asked for accommodation for Iranian technicians and engineers. Iranians suggested that the accommodation be near the grave of one of the Prophet’s companion — Ja’far Al Tayar — who was killed in the battle of Muta. Jordanians realized that the issue was not about water as such but about having religious influence. Iranians also suggested rebuilding the graves of all companions of the Prophet and here we are talking about more than 30 graves. A delegation from Karak — a southern city in Jordan — sought a meeting with the king. In the meeting they made the case that Iranians would make a negative impact on the people of the city. According to them, Iranian rituals will be there and money would be used to bring people closer to Hezbollah. After this meeting, the king decided not to hand over the project to the Iranians.

In Jordan, some people are socially linked to Syrian and Lebanese cities. Therefore, many Jordanians study in Syria or are married to the Syrians and Lebanese. In this area, the ideology of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party and the Baath Party is common. But those people confirm that the Syrian regime is not looking for social ties as much as it is looking for agents.

Sometime ago, people talked about a Syrian-Iranian scheme to destabilize Jordan. Just three months ago, Amman turned down requests from the deputy of Iranian intelligence chief to visit Amman. King Abdallah of Jordan did not attend the nonaligned summit held in Tehran. Instead, he sent his uncle Prince Hassan to replace him. Just before Prince Hassan’s visit, some members of Hezbollah were arrested with some weapons. In addition to that, there have been some arms smuggling from Iraq into Jordan. Tehran has infiltrated Hamas with members of another organization named Palestinian Hezbollah. As Hamas has no presence in Jordan, some of its members became members of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood. Just a few days ago, Amman revealed that it had arrested three members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard with Turkish passports. Additionally, Amman arrested some Iraqis who were recruited by Tehran. Today, Iran is supporting — through traditional Iraqi trends — some Jordanian tribes to stir disorder in the country.

The Iranian scheme is exposed especially after Amman arrested an officer from the Syrian intelligence who was among the refugees. Amman also arrested some of the arms dealers, seized millions of dollars and managed to identify those who blew up fifteen times the gas pipeline that connects Egypt to Jordan.

The problem is that Tel Aviv has been promoting through its media the end of Jordan. But it does not say anything about the internal crisis within Israel, about the Salafi and Muslim Brotherhood or about its future in the region. Some analysts say that the Muslim Brothers might not stay in power more than one term in view of the existence of a Salafi current with strong structure and social presence.

Some of the events that are caused by intelligence agencies to gauge a policy sometimes backfire. An Arab youth is dynamic and aware and deals with everything properly. He knows that the Muslim Brothers are power seekers and also that the Salafi currents are purer and more influential. He also knows that the West is attaching importance to the role of the Arab youth to carry out its plans on their behalf. The same thing happened in Yemen and the Yemeni president sent Iran a message not to interfere in the internal affairs of his country.

Tehran is yet to understand that the Syrian revolution came after almost 40 years of repression. The Syrian citizens feel humiliated with the interference of the Iranians in the Syrian affairs. In the Syrian Foreign Ministry, some officials complain of Iranian hegemony. Additionally, the people of Deraa complained about the presence of an Iranian Revolutionary Guard camp near their city. The question is how Iran can control the Arab tribes when it cannot control the Shiite Arab tribes in Iraq?

Today, Iran is carrying a sectarian product that should be employed to serve an Iranian-Western agreement. In the name of religion, revolution and resistance, Iran is trying to control the street at a time when it is being rejected by the people. Not surprisingly, both Iran and the West contribute to mobilizing the radicals while the Muslim Brothers still think that they are in the middle of making the caliphate state and restoring the place of Istanbul.