Several hundred Jordanians gathered in the center of Amman in the early hours of Friday, July 26, in support of the Palestinians in Gaza. They chanted in support of Hamas, criticizing the Palestinian Authority for US support for Israel’s war in the Palestinian territories and Arab inaction.
These weekly demonstrations in Jordan include leftists. But Islamists are the main mobilizing force. They hope to build on the emotions fueled by Israeli retaliation in the Gaza Strip after a deadly Hamas attack in October 2023. Their popularity is being closely monitored by the Jordanian government, with legislative elections scheduled for June 10.
In a statement issued on July 23, the Islamic Action Front, the Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing in Jordan, condemned the continued arrests. “Fighters” And detaining members declaring to contest the next election.
“Hamas Support Fortress Sense”
The first wave of arrests took place in the fall of 2023, following pro-Palestinian street mobilizations calling for the abrogation of the 1994 peace accords between Jordan and Israel. Security Services. Ayman Sanduka, secretary of another Islamist group, the Partnership and Salvation Party, was arrested in December 2023. “Defamation against official body” After criticizing the maintenance of relations between Jordan and Israel, he was later indicted by the prosecutor of the military establishment State Security Court. “Incitement to resist the political regime”. In another twist of fate, the offices of Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated al-Yarmouk TV were closed in May; He cooperated with the Hamas channel Al-Aqsa, from which he received images.
“Pressure on political Islam circles is dictated in part by fears of unrestJordanian rates a good connoisseur of politics. But by tightening control of public space, authorities risk fueling further animosity. »
“Islamists have taken center stage since the October protests [2023]. The government does not want Gaza to be used as a banner for elections: hence the arrests, even for short periods, Analyzes a journalist close to Islamic circles. Officials gauge strong pro-Hamas sentiment among Jordanians, seen as anti-Israel. An uprising in the kingdom would be dangerous for the regime and for Israel. » In June, security forces announced the discovery and arrest of two explosive devices in Amman.
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