Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh: Jordan Can Remain Steadfast Against the ‘Greater Israel’ Project for a Thousand Years through Self-Sufficiency
Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh Praises His Majesty King Abdullah II’s Stance and Speech before the UN General Assembly
AMMAN – HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, founder and chairman of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Global Digital (TAG.GD), stated that Jordan, with its leadership and people, resists the Zionist project in the region, emphasizing that confronting political and economic challenges requires boosting self-reliance and achieving self-sufficiency in food, pharmaceutical, technology, and education fields.
He said in an interview in ‘Nabd Al-Balad’ program, presented by journalist Mohammad Alkhalidi on Ro’ya TV, that the current phase, although temporary, is difficult, and countries in the region will suffer its consequences especially in light of the ‘Greater Israel’ project, and the Zionist perceptions associated with it regarding control over the region.
Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh explained that there is an “Israeli religious conviction granting them the right to control Palestine and parts of neighboring countries, including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.” However, the Zionist vision regarding Jordan differs from those other countries.
He pointed out that Israeli perceptions regarding Jordan are based on “granting Palestinians Jordanian passports while keeping them in Palestine and allowing them to reside in so-called Israel, rather than displacing them to Jordan or annexing Jordan. So, the Palestinians would become Jordanian citizens residing in Israel”.
Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh affirmed that the late King Hussein bin Talal and His Majesty King Abdullah II strongly opposed this proposition, with Jordan viewing any such proposal as a grave crime.
In this context, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh praised the speech of His Majesty King Abdullah II before the United Nations General Assembly, noting that the King called things by their proper names, as His Majesty articulated the truths at hands with honestly and precision, and emphasized that rights will not be compromised. Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh described this stance as reflecting the clarity of the Jordan’s vision in addressing the challenges facing the region.
He considered that navigating the current phase requires combining political steadfastness with strengthening economic capacity, enabling Jordan to face pressures and safeguard its national interests, emphasizing that countries in the region have a wide margin of flexibility and considerable scope for maneuver.
Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh added that what raises concern is Jordan being subjected to restrictions and penalties for its rejection of this project. He explained that the difficulties facing the country are partly due to domestic shortcomings and government deficiencies, but are also linked to “penalties imposed on us because of our opposition to the Zionist project”.
Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh stressed that Jordan, with its leadership and people, resists this project, but at the same time needs to translate this stance into an economic and productive capacity that protects the country from external pressures.
He believes that Jordan can endure for the next thousand years if it succeeds in achieving self-sufficiency in the main areas: food, pharmaceutical, technology and education.
In the food sector, he stated that Jordan has the ability to domestically meet its food needs, achieves self-sufficiency and exports agricultural products. He said that agricultural production should not be solely judged based on its direct financial cost.
In the pharmaceutical sector, he affirmed that Jordan is capable of manufacturing the medicines it needs, noting that intellectual property rights in this field are limited to twenty years.
As for the third area, concerning technology and education, he said that the knowledge revolution offers Jordan broad opportunities to build its local capabilities and achieve self-superiority.
Moreover, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh stressed the importance of never yielding to the advice of certain international organizations when these contradict their strategic national interests, citing the World Bank's misguided advice to officials in Egypt regarding their country's insistence on growing wheat, despite the possibility of importing it from abroad at half the cost.
Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh highlighted that this logic might seem acceptable from a financial accounting perspective, but it is weak from the perspective of national interests; because producing wheat locally, even if its cost reaches twice the global price, generates local employment and reduces the need for foreign currency.
Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh further affirmed that reliance on local production; rather than marginalizing citizens, is the path to protecting societies from crises, noting that true power lies in producing food, medicine, technology, and education domestically, which helps minimize a country's exposure to external threats and risks.
Regarding joint Arab action, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh said that the formation of the League of Arab States was wrong from the beginning, noting that the possibility of achieving unity among Arab countries under current conditions is far away. He stated that Arab focus should be directed toward bilateral relations between countries rather than relying on a comprehensive unity project.
He called for transforming the Arab League into an instrument for economic cooperation and working toward building an Arab world that cooperates economically and culturally, in a way that serves the interests of the peoples and enhances their capabilities.
Regarding the matter of Zionist occupation, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh predicted that the upcoming phase will witness a shift in the Israeli mindset and psychology, stating that Zionists will ultimately reach the conviction that there is no place for them in the entire region.
He linked this expected transformation to the US-China agreement, adding that the Zionists who wish to remain in Palestine in the future can stay as Palestinian citizens, while those who do not wish to do so must return to their country of origin.
Finally, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh considered the US midterm elections more important than Zionist occupation elections, given the influence of American policy on the balance of powers and the transformations witnessed by the region and the world.