JERUSALEM (JTA) — Jordan revoked the citizenship of thousands of Palestinians to keep them from remaining permanently in the country.
The Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday that the move was taken in order to prevent Palestinians from being "resettled" in the Hashemite Kingdom.
Several Jordanian officials are concerned that Israel is working to turn Jordan into a Palestinian state, the newspaper reported. Palestinians make up 70 percent of Jordan’s population.
The Palestinians can remain in Jordan as residents of the kingdom, holding special identification cards issued to former residents of the West Bank.
"Our goal is to prevent Israel from emptying the Palestinian territories of their original inhabitants," Jordan Interior Minister Nayef al-Kadi told the Jerusalem Post.
Kadi said the decision to revoke citizenship was made after a request from the Palestine Liberation Organization, which wants to retain its position as the only legitimate representative of the Palestinians.
