Since the Gaza war, Jordan has been balancing on a precarious tightrope. The royal family and the government express strong criticism of the Israeli attacks on Gaza. At the same time, they do not want to damage relations with Israel too much and also want to safeguard their alliance with the Americans.
Half of the population in Jordan is of Palestinian descent and there is great solidarity with the Palestinian cause in the country. At the same time, Jordan has strategic and economic ties with Israel. It is also, like Israel, an important regional ally of the Americans, from whom it receives 1.45 billion dollars (1.3 billion euros) in aid annually.
There is a lot of criticism about ties with Israel. The fact that Jordan helped intercept Iranian drones in Jordanian airspace towards Israel a few weeks ago has only increased the tension, even though, according to politicians, it was primarily about protecting Jordanian sovereignty.
“Jordan took a difficult position by removing the missiles, knowing that this is not a popular move among the population,” said Jordanian journalist and political commentator Osama al-Sharif, at his home in the capital Amman.
In recent months, there have been numerous demonstrations in Jordan against the Gaza war, the attitude of its own government and ties with Israel and the US. The protests are attended by a wide range of the population. The streets around the Israeli embassy in Amman have now been cordoned off. Police officers and security vans are stationed throughout the neighborhood.
Adding to the domestic tensions are the upcoming elections in September. According to Al-Sharif, some Jordanians are considering a protest vote against the Islamists. “Not necessarily because of their belief in the Muslim Brotherhood, but out of sympathy for the Palestinian resistance,” says Al-Sharif.
Traitor
In mid-April, Iran carried out a large-scale attack on Israel with missiles and drones, in retaliation for the Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, in early April. Jordan shot down drones and is also said to have opened its airspace to American, French and Israeli fighter jets.
This contribution was applauded in Israel. Israeli and American leaders presented the indirect “aid” from Arab countries as a hopeful sign of regional cooperation. But critics of Jordan’s relations with Israel called King Abdullah a traitor. Fictitious images of the king dressed in an Israeli military uniform appeared on social media.
Also read
Afraid of appearing weak, Iran and Israel prefer to hit back hard
During the demonstrations in Jordan, people are calling for the 1994 peace treaty with Israel to be broken. Jordan is the second Arab country to conclude a peace treaty with Israel, after Egypt (in 1979). Jordan imports Israeli gas and – as part of the peace treaty – receives water from the Sea of Galilee. In addition to economic relations, the Israeli and Jordanian intelligence services also work closely together.
Several Jordanian politicians now claim that Hamas and the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood are behind the domestic protests. On paper, Hamas has no presence in the country; their leaders were expelled from Jordan in 1999. Former Information Minister Samih al-Maaytah accuses Hamas of trying to regain a foothold and create chaos in Jordan through the Muslim Brotherhood.
Destabilize
(Former) Jordanian political representatives and analysts also point to Iran, which would benefit from the protests. “Iran has been trying to destabilize Jordan for a long time,” said Amer al-Sabaileh, professor at the University of Jordan in Amman and geopolitical analyst.
“We are all against the war in Gaza. But the reality is that Jordan could easily descend into chaos. You have no idea how many attempts there are to infiltrate Jordan from neighboring countries,” said Al-Sabaileh, referring to pro-Iranian militant groups in Syria and Iraq.
The National Forum for Support of the Resistance and Protection of the Homeland, an alliance of Jordanian activists and politicians, has been calling for demonstrations at the Israeli embassy for months. The Jordanian branch of the BDS movement (boycott, divestment, sanctions) is also one of the organizers of the protests. They want an end to relations with Israel, including the export of vegetables.
geopolitical analyst at University of JordanAmer al-Sabaileh We are all against the war in Gaza. But the reality is that Jordan could easily descend into chaos
Al-Sabaileh believes that the demonstrators have unrealistic demands: “No one expects Jordan to be Che Guevara. Jordan is a Western ally with a very stable policy and a clear diplomatic approach. The alliance with the US is sacred.”
However, according to Al-Sharif, political relations between Jordan and Israel have never been so “cold” since the peace treaty was concluded thirty years ago. At the beginning of November, Jordan recalled its ambassador in Tel Aviv due to the humanitarian catastrophe caused by Israel in Gaza. The country also asked the Israeli ambassador in Amman, who was in Israel at the time, not to return to Jordan.
Oppression activists
Meanwhile, the ongoing protests against the Gaza war are tightly regulated and activists are suppressed. According to demonstrators, Palestinian flags and banners with certain slogans are banned. Not only in Jordan, but also elsewhere in the Arab world, demonstrations are taking place against Israel’s war in Gaza. For many activists, the Palestinian struggle is linked to domestic politics and the struggle for greater freedoms, and Arab governments are well aware of this.
Since October 7, more than fifteen hundred people have been arrested in Jordan during protests against the war in Gaza, Amnesty International reported. At the end of March, when there were again large protests during Ramadan, demonstrators were dispersed by security forces with tear gas and batons, the organization writes.
“The majority have now been released, but dozens of people are still being held captive,” said Reina Wehbi, Amnesty’s regional campaigner for Jordan and Lebanon, by telephone from Beirut.
Last August, a cybercrime law was introduced in Jordan, a deliberately broad and vaguely worded law that, among other things, should prevent the spread of fake news and ‘immorality’. It is this law that is now widely used to arrest and prosecute protesters, says Wehbi.
Some are held in administrative detention – without charge or trial – and are not allowed to receive visits from their lawyers. “In Jordan, administrative detention can be indefinite, and there are very few means to appeal or appeal.”
To share
Email the editor
