ABSTRACT
Until 1971 the Hashimite regime had to struggle to maintain control of the country against Palestinian nationalists who felt that the new Palestinian majority should determine Jordan's policies, policies that they hoped would enhance the Palestinian cause. The extent to which Jordan assumed that role would determine the degree to which the very survival of the Hashimite regime was justified in Palestinian eyes. After 1971, when the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was expelled from the country, having operated in Jordan since 1967, certain changes took place in the Hashimite-Palestinian struggle. Between 1971 and 1983, the Hashimites' struggle with the Palestinian nationalists was waged primarily with the PLO, which operated from Beirut—a struggle that while bitter, was diplomatic rather than violent. Ostensibly, this was a contest that would decide who would inherit the West Bank and the Gaza Strip when and if Israel relinquished them.
