What could possibly impel the leader of an Arab country to fly to Israel and actually meet the dreaded Ariel Sharon?

The possibility that his country might suddenly have to accept a flood of Palestinian refugees.

You know, the noble Palestinians, supported in their holy struggle by all Arabs. The children of the stones, the martyrs for Allah, the mighty Hamas mujahideen. The newspapers of the Arab world are filled with praise for their poor oppressed, occupied, humiliated brethren.

As long as they stay far, far away, in a place where they can only kill Jews.

Jordan’s King Abdullah Visits Sharon in Israel.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Jordan’s King Abdullah secretly visited Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s ranch to voice concern over Israel’s West Bank barrier and plans to disengage from the Palestinians, a senior political source said on Friday.

The monarch flew into Israel by helicopter on Thursday and spent several hours in talks with Sharon before returning home.

“The visit was meant to allay King Abdullah’s fears that construction of the fence will prompt a flight of Palestinians over the border into Jordan,” the source said about the controversial barrier now under World Court scrutiny.

Jordan, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, took in a large number of Palestinians displaced in the 1948 and 1967 Israeli-Arab wars.

Jordan fears another exodus from the West Bank if the barrier makes life impossible for Palestinians, separated from their farms, schools and hospitals. Israeli sources said Sharon promised the king to block any such mass movement.