What is the story of "Israeli private property" in the Jordanian Baqoura?

Mahmoud al-Sharaan-Amman

Twenty-five years after the Israelis exploited it under two annexes to the Wadi Araba Treaty signed in 1994, the land of Baqoura and Jordan is in full sovereignty. But questions remain about what is being said about "private property" of Israelis there.

The Jordanian announcement of ending the lease of the two areas was a "major shock" to the Israeli side, according to Hebrew media, a declaration that was finalized by King Abdullah II of Jordan on Sunday, before he visited on Monday in Baqoura.

The area of ​​Baqoura is about 6,000 dunams (6000 m 2). The area forms a border triangle for the convergence of Jordan, Palestine and Syria, and the point of the waters of the Yarmouk and Jordan rivers.

Baqoura was occupied by the Israelis in 1950 and is located in the Northern Jordan Valley Brigade of Irbid Governorate (northern Kingdom). During the negotiations of the peace agreement between Jordan and Israel, the occupation authorities claimed to own 820 Israelis out of 1390 without occupying them at the time.

It is noteworthy that the British Mandate authorities sold the area in 1921 to a Zionist investor named Pinhas Rothenberg in order to generate electric power, in the framework of a project of the Palestine Electric Company known as the "Rothenberg Project", the investor discovered that he did not need all this space, and sold part of it to the Jewish Agency, which owned In turn to Jewish farmers, they became individual properties.

In 1948, the Rothenberg project was discontinued, and two years later Israel occupied the territory of Baqoura and continued to act and administer it completely until the signing of the Wadi Araba Agreement with Jordan on October 26, 1994.

Jewish property with hidden bonds
Former Jordanian Prime Minister Abdel Salam Majali, who signed the Wadi Araba agreement, said in a press statement that "Baqoura has been owned by the Jews since 1926 and officially registered in the name of the Jews."

Jordanian fears arise that the kingdom may not be able to exploit the land of Baqoura, in light of talk of Israeli property, as discussed in Annex 1 (b) of the Wadi Araba Agreement.

"The parties agree to apply a special regime to the Baqoura / Nahariyem (area), on a provisional basis as stipulated," said the annex to the Baqoura and Ghammar area.

The annex also states: "Recognizing that this area is under Jordanian sovereignty and has private land rights and Israeli-owned interests (land administrators) in the territory that constitutes the area."

Legal opinion
According to international law expert Anis al-Qasim to Al Jazeera Net that the area of ​​Baqoura was a concession granted by the British Mandate to Rothenberg, pointing out that the privilege imposes control of the Jordanian state, stressing that no issuance of any title to the health of the Israeli property.

Al-Qasim adds that there is a possibility that the monarchy would be Jews during the Mandate, who later acquired Israeli citizenship after the Palestinian Nakba, which created the occupation state.

The expert explains that in the case of the presence of Israeli-owned land in Baqoura and inundation, it became after the restoration of Jordan to the two areas under the sovereignty of the Jordanian state and subject to the laws of investment, residence and permits, without the possibility of special treatment.

The official Jordanian position
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that Amman will respect private ownership in Baqoura and will allow its owners to use it after proof of ownership, take visas from the Jordanian Embassy in Tel Aviv, and pass through official crossings, in accordance with residency or visas as any foreign investor.

Safadi said during a press conference on Monday that Jordan will allow Israeli farmers to harvest what they have planted in the lands of Baqoura for this season, according to Jordanian laws and regulations only once, which may take two to four months.

He pointed out that access to these lands will not be through the gates that have been closed, but through the official crossings (Sheikh Hussein crossing or Karama crossing "King Hussein Bridge").

Jordan has offered the occupation authorities to buy privately owned land in the Baqoura area, but has refused, according to the Jordanian foreign minister.

Safadi explained that "the two special systems in the areas of Baqoura and Ghamr, had been granted tax exemptions to Israeli workers, but these exemptions and advantages in the two annexes ended," adding that the fall of the annexes does not cancel the private Israeli property rights to some private land.

The minister added that most of the names given by the occupation authorities to the owners of private property in Baqoura do not have Israeli citizenship.

Questioning
Observers question the authenticity of Israeli claims of private property, and make it clear that in 1921 there was no Israeli state and Israeli citizens to own property, especially in light of a law prohibiting dealing with the enemy before the Wadi Araba agreement.

In 1954, a law was issued abolishing the concession within the borders of the Kingdom, and the ceding of land to the Palestinian Electricity Company was conditional on its use for the purposes of the concession granted to the company and return it after the end of this concession and not to assign it to any party other than the company.