Talk:Jordanian annexation of the West Bank

Mount of Olives cemetery desecration

"and it was said that some gravestones from the Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives had been used to build latrines for a nearby Jordanian army barracks." This is quite an understatement. The Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives suffered extensive destruction in the years of the Jordanian occupation, as did the ancient Jewish cemetery of Hebron. Both were surveyed extensively by the Israeli Committee to Examine the Desecration of Cemeteries on the Mount of Olives and in Hebron (הועדה לבדיקת חילול בתי-עלמין בהר זיתים וחברון). Following is my translation of its findings, published in October of that year (see page 23): "1) Extent of damage A) The Jewish Cemetery at the Mount of Olives was desecrated and destroyed almost entirely. The number of graves and headstones damaged is close to 38,000, i.e. a damage rate of 70-80%. B) Acts of desecration most likely started during the war, but reached a peak in their size and extent in the end of 1961 and 1962 with the building of the InterContinental hotel and the paving of the road leading to it. In this period were also built the camps and military bases of the Arab Legion which used headstones for building material and fortification. C) Tens and possibly hundreds of buildings in Arab Jerusalem, its neighborhoods, outskirts, as well as other settlement points in the West Bank (Jericho)[sic] are built from headstones taken from the cemetery at the Mount of Olives. D) It can be assumed that these stones were used not only in private buildings, but also in the erection of government offices and other public buildings. E) The Jordanian army leadership used headstones and marble plates that were taken from the graves for the purpose of building and fortifying military bases and posts for the Legion in the region of Jerusalem. F) The committee has discovered eight such military posts: al-Eizariya base; the base on Mount Zion; a mortar battery at Ras al-Amud; a recoilless gun battery in the Abu Tor road; The police station at Ras al-Amud; the fortifications at the Tower of David; a post at the American Colony; a shelter at Batei Mahse; G) Although the committee has visited all military camps in Jordanian Jerusalem, the possibility can not be ruled out that headstones are to be found in other military sites.

2) Typical manner of desecration and destruction A) Roads - The Jordanians paved three roads that caused different levels of damage to the cemetery. The road to the InterContinental hotel passes in its entirety within the cemetery and over the graves. As a results of its paving hundreds of graves were completely destroyed and others were covered by batteries of rocks and dirt, and others were opened and exposed. The Jerusalem-Jericho road up to the Bethlehem junction was expanded into a two-way road. This expansion destroyed hundreds of graves on each side of the road. A third road, slimmer, was paved to the village of Silwad, and it too passes at its start next to the Tomb of Absalom, on the cemetery grounds. B) Parking lot and buildings within the cemetery grounds - The Jordanians designated a large area within the ancient cemetery for a spacious parking lot. On this ground is a gas station in its final stage of construction. Next to the Panorama hotel, in the Tzur area, a two-story building was erect which foundations stand on graves that were exposed. C) Buildings containing headstones within the mountain area - In five residential buildings on the mountain area were found headstones and headstone parts that were used in rooms, doorways, ceilings, yards and latrines, as well as constructions that served as stables, sheep pens and chicken coops. D) Desecrated headstones - The reoccurring image across the cemetery on the Mountain of Olives is that of thousands of shattered headstones showing different levels of destruction. E)Open and exposed graves - The destruction of graves has caused hundreds of them to be left open and exposed; some were used by the Jordanians as communication channels, trenches and shelters. Human bones are occasionally discovered having supposedly been tossed on the ground. F) Destruction of fences and utility roads - Most fences and terraces that separated different lots were destroyed as well as inner utility roads. G) General desolation - The entire area is neglected, ruined and desolate. Thorn and thistle have grown among the graves, between the graves and on them were planted trees. At certain points in the cemetery are large heaps of garbage and cattle dung. H) Legion camps and posts - The Jordanians employed a wide use of the headstones and their parts in military facilities. Headstones were used in the building of barracks, headquarters, storehouses and offices. As well as paving paths, stairs, walls, latrines and other facilities. In gun and mortar positions, bunkers, shelters and ammunition stores, watch towers, defense walls, and other fortifications were used headstones and parts thereof. The masons did not bother to removed the inscriptions and in case these were erased or blurred it was surely the result of their use and wear."

I do apologize for the lengthy post, but I feel most of it was relevant. I refrained from posting it again in the talk page of Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery and instead left a link to this page. Kind regards --144.178.29.89 (talk) 00:40, 7 March 2019 (UTC)

I also added a reference to this page on the talk page of Seven Arches Hotel, which likewise lacks information. Kind regards --144.178.29.89 (talk) 01:06, 7 March 2019 (UTC)

Move request

I propose that this article be moved to Jordanian occupation of the West Bank per this BBC article. If a single BBC citation is good enough to have a paragraph posted at the top of every Jewish town/village in Judea and Samaria claiming that they are illegal, then surely it is also good enough to state correctly that Jordan occupied the West Bank.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 183.68.164.77 (talk • contribs)

There was a lengthy discussion over that and there is a consensus for this name. Makeandtoss (talk) 10:30, 24 July 2017 (UTC)

You should propose move discussion--Shrike (talk) 12:00, 24 July 2017 (UTC)

No, wrong advice. A move discussion was held recently and closed with a decision. It is much too soon to start a new one. Zero^talk 18:07, 24 July 2017 (UTC)

Typo on first page

Fifth paragraph from the top:

"After Jordan lost the West Bank to Israel in the 1967 Six Day War, the Palestinians there remained Jordanian citizens until Jordan decided to renounce claims and severe administrative ties with the territory in 1989."

Where it says "severe", it should be "sever".

Fixed. Thank you for finding and letting us know about the error. --Chewings72 (talk) 02:00, 7 December 2017 (UTC)

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Recognition by Pakistan

In the light of "Pakistan is often claimed to have recognized Jordan's annexation too, but this is dubious." (5th paragraph of Section 2.1 Jordanian control: Annexation) the "Recognition of Jordan's declaration of annexation was only granted by the United Kingdom, Iraq and Pakistan." (last sentence in the 2nd paragraph of the introduction) "The annexation of these territories was recognized only by Pakistan, Iraq and the United Kingdom." (last sentence of the 2nd paragraph of #3.2 Aftermath: Jordanian disengagement) need editing. See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk%3AWest_Bank%2FArchive_1#Pakistan.

The link to P. R. Kumaraswamy (March 2000). "Beyond the Veil: Israel-Pakistan Relations" (PDF). Tel Aviv, Israel: Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Tel Aviv University - (currently reference 33, the 2nd following "Pakistan is often claimed ...") is broken and should be replaced by https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/94527/2000-03_(FILE)1190278291.pdf.

Since I'm prevented from editing the article someone else needs to do so. Mcljlm (talk) 05:28, 2 February 2020 (UTC)

Recognition by USSR

West Bank as part of Jordan is designated in all soviet maps and all soviet reference books. See this map of 1980 for example: [1] -- Nicolay Sidorov