JORDAN – ISRAEL – GAZA Amman: Thousands of people in the square for days, want relations with Israel to be broken

A spontaneous movement began on March 24 when a crowd marched toward the long-closed Israeli embassy. In response to the demonstrations, police made arrests and charged protesters with “assault.” Rifa Badert: fears an internal violent drift, essential to resolve the Palestinian question.

Amman () – The repercussions of the war in Gaza are increasingly evident in Jordan, the scene for some time of street protests by angry citizens who attack the government for its “rhetoric” on the conflict, calling for the end of the treaty of peace with Israel. Demonstrations that shake up the nights of Amman, behind which, according to the institutions of the Hashemite kingdom – among the most critical voices of the Jewish State – there are “infiltrators” and “agitators” who seek to fuel disorder and internal discontent already itself tense after the attack on Tower 22. “We are in the month of Ramadan, every night after iftar [comida que rompe el ayuno] “People go out and gather near the Israeli embassy to demonstrate,” Father Rifat Bader, director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media (Ccsm), confirms to .

For the eleventh consecutive night, thousands of Jordanian citizens took to the streets to protest against the war in Gaza and demand the severing of ties with Israel. An apparently spontaneous movement that began on March 24, when a crowd marched towards the Israeli embassy in the capital – which had been evacuated months ago – following a series of calls published on social networks. Among the messages and demands that bounced around the network were calls to “siege” the diplomatic representation and put an end to the peace treaty signed by Amman with the Jewish State in 1994.

The protests have gained momentum and vigor in recent days; In response, Jordanian security forces have made several arrests and charged protesters with resisting a public official or assaulting police officers deployed to protect public order. Regarding the protests, frequent in many parts of the Arab world and the Middle East since the beginning of the conflict on October 7, it is worth noting that the magnitude of the protests in Israel's eastern neighbor has acquired unprecedented consistency and persistence. So much so that some Jordanian officials have gone so far as to accuse “foreign agents” or “troublemakers” of fomenting the unrest.

“We are the closest nation to Palestine, and about half of the Jordanian population itself is of Palestinian origin,” continues Father Bader, head of the Catholic news site abounga.org, and one of the most authoritative personalities of the Church. local, “so the issue is being felt. Especially the victims among the women, children and the elderly in Gaza.” Reports (unconfirmed) of sexual violence by Israeli soldiers against women in the Strip add further vigor to the demonstrations. “They chant slogans against Israel, the United States, but also against the weakness of a part of Arab public opinion. Generally,” he concludes, “care must be taken to avoid a violent drift and prevent someone from outside from maneuvering to disrupt society.” Jordan. That is why a solution to the Palestinian problem, with the end of the occupation and the birth of a State, is also increasingly urgent.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Lower House of Parliament in Amman issued a note in which it rejected “any attempt by a small infiltrated group, which seeks to sabotage and undermine national unity.” In addition, deputy Khaldoun Hina, who chairs the commission itself, shared a video on ” and his repeated condemnation of Israeli military operations. Former Jordanian Minister of Information Samih Al-Maaytah is even more explicit, stating in an interview with the Saudi channel Al-Hadath that Hamas leaders in Qatar fomented the unrest in Jordan.

Analysts and experts emphasize that the country is more vulnerable than others in the region to a possible wave of protests, not only due to the high percentage of Palestinians among the population (estimated around 50%), but also because of the room for maneuver that is granted to Muslim movements. These include the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood and its political representative, the Islamic Action Front, the Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars (Iums), considered “terrorist” in other Arab nations. Witnesses report that one of the most popular chants during these days of protest would have been “All Jordan is Hamas”, combined with the more famous and used in other places (such as Iran) “Death to America, death to Israel”.

Since the early days of the war, the Hashemite kingdom has been one of the most critical voices of Israel, the first nation to withdraw its ambassador from Tel Aviv and repeatedly on the front line in calling for a ceasefire in the Strip. , as well as working for the delivery of humanitarian aid. On more than one occasion, King Abdullah II of Jordan himself personally participated in the airdrops, in coordination with Israel. And Queen Rania has gone so far as to claim that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is “deliberate.” However, the anti-Israel rhetoric of the leaders and their actions in support of the Palestinians do not seem to be enough for many citizens, who demand stronger actions.