Arab neighbours regard the flaws as reassuring

THE CONDUCT of the historic Palestinian election campaign might be less than democratic. But this seemingly disturbing feature is no source of woe to the authorities, both on the spot and around the Arab world.

An influential Jordanian political commentator told The Irish Times that if the Palestinians had run a truly free and fair campaign and election, "this would put great pressure on the Arab regimes to do the same.

"In general (the regimes) are very pleased with the autocratic, inefficient and corrupt practices of the Palestinian Authority.

"If the Palestinians had been able to create a democratic, accountable government, this would have made it difficult for the other governments of the region. But the Palestinian Authority is just another Arab regime," the commentator said.

This, of course, has greatly disappointed Palestinians. True believers used to say the government of an independent Palestine would be democratic and accountable to its people, while taunting other Arabs with the behaviour of their rulers.

A close relationship between the Hashemites and Israel and the US is seen as the best guarantee for the continuation of the Jordanian dynasty.

The Jordanian establishment is almost as concerned as Israel about the emergence of a Palestinian state on the West Bank. For this would mean that there would be, in fact, two Palestinian states, the West Bank Gaza entity under the PLO, and Jordan, which has a Palestinian majority population.

Both peoples have expressed the wish for a confederation to be established between these two entities. But such a confederation would involve a struggle for power between the Palestinian and Jordanian leaders hips.

It is for this struggle that the king is now preparing by establishing close ties with Israel. He is also promoting the Iraqi opposition with a view to a Jordanian role in liberating Iraq from President Saddam Hussein and perhaps the return of Hashemite rule to Iraq.