Open Letter to King Abdullah II of Jordan

(Editor’s Note: Canada Free Press columnist Jonathan Moseley, a man who aims high in every life endeavor, is holding out hope that his former school chum, His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan, will read his Open Letter about their happy school days together at the iconic Eaglebrook Academy and Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts.

A lifelong Defender of the Underdog, Mosley, who calls on King Abdullah, asking him to help resolve the crisis in Israel/Gaza and the West Bank, until recently worked as an attorney for the release of J6 political prisoners.)

Open Letter to
King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,
His Excellency Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein:

When I became your friend, briefly, at Eaglebrook Academy, on the beautiful mountain perch above Deerfield, Massachusetts, and then at Deerfield Academy, I knew nothing of politics or government even in my own country, much less of the immense pressures and challenges of the Middle East and other regions of the world. All I knew was that Abdullah was a cool classmate with energy and optimism, an eager student, and there were always these men in sharp, black suits around with ear pieces. A teacher mentioned that they were DSS agents from our U.S. State Department.

I still have a photograph of you at the harvest festival at Eaglebrook. Of course, it would be impossible for your parents to attend with security and duties in the Kingdom of Jordan. Yet I remember you never stopped finding the fun and the bright side in anything.

I remember hearing that you were not then burdened with expectations of assuming the throne. I later learned of the tragedy with your brother. When later I travelled as a business teacher and missionary to areas of the former Soviet Union, I started to see how understanding each other across the world is a valuable part of international success. Understanding the larger world is an asset.

Now, the world faces the stirrings of yet another war. And I speak in the only way I can of grim realities. Enemies of the Palestinians point frequently and strongly to the fact that Arab nations with vast amounts of land and wealth don’t want anything to do with the Palestinians other than to throw some money their way. (I realize that Jordan has all the burdens of a dangerous area of the world without oil revenues that other nations enjoy. Perhaps Jatropha biodiesel on a massive scale deserves a look.)

But the argument that violence between Palestine and Israel comes from Palestinians seems supported when Arab nations won’t have them on their land. That’s “not a good look.”

Of course, Israel has granted citizenship to 1.9 million Arabs, most of whom are Palestinian. Israel allows 1.9 million, mostly Muslim, to live in Israel, vote in Israeli elections, serve on the Israeli Supreme Court, run for office and serve in Israel’s parliament the Knesset and in Israel’s executive cabinet. But there is a cost: The Palestinians living in Israel had to end their addiction to killing Jews.

So grim realities must be faced: Either the Arab nations can “fight Israel to the last Palestinian” until all the Palestinians are dead or deal with what is actually going on. Much of life involves doing what we don’t want to do. Or as some comic said: “Life is what happens while you are making other plans.”

Clumsy and ill-considered plans of the UK included a homeland for Palestinians in TransJordan. And Egypt and Saudi Arabia should help. Jordan may argue they never entirely agreed, but the international diplomacy was part of the creation of Jordan by the double-dealing UK.

Jordan’s King Abdullah I, a war hero in WWI, your great uncle I believe, was assassinated by a Palestinian gunman on the temple mount outside the Al Aqsa mosque in 1951. It is also history that King Hussein suffered dozens of attempted assassinations and a heated insurrection movement by the Black September uprising. 

These things do not make house guests very welcome in any country. But this is especially difficult for Jordan in that neighborhood.

Nevertheless we must face the world as it is: No country can tolerate 2 million people impossibly squeezed into the Gaza strip bent on killing their neighbors. Sooner or later, no matter how much delay the world can achieve, Israel is going to have to put a stop to it.

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Yemen’s Houthis are firing mid-range ballistic missiles across the entire North-South width of Saudi Arabia, meaning they can hit any place inside Saudi Arabia. They are seizing ships in the Gulf of Aden, which means the Lloyd’s of London insurance trading floor will shut down all marine insurance for all cargo ships, if this goes on.

So the first question begins: Are there actually any innocent civilians in Gaza? If yes, it is mandatory to separate those who want to live in peace from those who live to kill Jews. There is no way to do that without filtering people and moving safe Gazans out at least temporarily and removing the murderers.

It is unworkable for Israeli soldiers or U.S. or U.K. soldiers to spend weeks roaming around Gaza without massive loss of life on both sides. Soldiers from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, or the like may be able to separate the militants from the innocents far better wearing unoffensive uniforms.

The previously unthinkable may have to be considered. We must recall that a compromise is something that leaves everyone somewhat unhappy.

Israel gave back the entire Sinai to Egypt. With massive water desalinization technology and solar electric farms in the tropical sun, the Mediterranean coast between Rafah and El-Arish could provide a wonderful home on the sea. However, the inhabitants would have to refrain from digging up the water pipes to make missiles to fire at Israel.

If innocent civilians are to be protected, how is this to be accomplished? The cycle has gone around the circle too many times. Time’s up. Palestinians are never going to defeat or scare away an actually-persecuted minority in its historic land. The only unknown is the eventual body count.

Today, we hear Palestinians and other Arabs wail and lament of the trauma of Palestinians having to move again like 1948. That would be the brutal war of genocide launched against Israel in 1948? They are complaining because they started the war? How very Palestinian.

When I was about 5 years old, we children were playing in our basement. The parents and neighbors socializing upstairs heard me screaming up the stairs: “Mom! Dad! Greggy hit BACK!”

Can militant Palestinians show us their great-great-grandparents’ grave sites in Palestine? Would they confirm the family relationship with DNA? Or would we find those graves scattered all around the gigantic Arab subcontinent?

The region and the world has to consider what was previously unacceptable, because first war is the only other option and second because taking charge early offers the greatest control to craft the most acceptable solution. There has to be a better way.

Jonathon Moseley
Eaglebrook Academy Class of ’74
Deerfield Academy Class of ‘78

Related:
Encyclopedia: Abdullah II Bin Hussein
King of Jordan revisits his alma mater
His Majesty King Abdullah II Returns to Deerfield
Abdullah II of Jordan

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