A section of border fence between Jordan and Israel has been taken down to facilitate the construction of a joint Jordanian-Israeli 150-acre science center. Ground was broken last night for the center, which is to be named the "Bridging the Rift Center." Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said, "This is an important day, good news for the Middle East for a change."
Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994. Israeli, Jordanian and American businessmen and educators initiated the Center, in an effort to expand the relations between the neighboring states. The supporters foresee a scientific center benefiting the entire region, with students and teachers from Israel and Jordan crossing freely into the center without passports, but rather with special magnetic cards.
Organizers said the 150-acre campus is a way of building peace from the ground up. "I'm hoping that a center like this will help promote better understanding between our peoples," said Jordanian Education Minister Khaled Toukan at the groundbreaking ceremony. Not everyone agrees, however. The head of Jordan's Professional Associations sent a letter of opposition to Jordanian Prime Minister Faisal Al-Fayez, writing that he is against having Jordanian students studying side by side with "the Zionist enemy."
Official Jordanian-Israeli relations suffered a minor setback last night. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said yesterday that he plans to meet with King Abdullah in the coming days - but the latter later said that he knows nothing of a planned meeting with Sharon.