In jordan, Gaza rage turns to US as Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood makes gains
As Hamas sees ‘unprecedented’ popularity in Kingdom, so too does its ally, the Muslim Brotherhood
December, 2023
Amman, Jordan – As the war in Gaza enters its third month, frustration and anger among the Jordanian masses is boiling. Massive demonstrations in support of Hamas and the Palestinian resistance have continued their momentum, the crowds still strong and their cries for the liberation of Palestine still loud.
“The level of anger and frustration is at its highest,” veteran journalist and political commentator Osama al-Sharif told Al-Monitor. “Now, the anger is very, very much directed towards the US, as a full partner to the genocide that’s taking place in Gaza,” he said.
The US has supplied Israel with billions-of-dollars in military aid and weapons to support Israel’s air and ground assault into Gaza, which has killed over 18,500 Palestinien men, women, and children.
Last Friday on December 8 hundreds gathered to protest in front of the American embassy in Jordan. “America is the root of terrorism,” the crowd chanted in unison as they waved the Palestinian flag.
The US defied the United Nations’ appeal for an urgent humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, vetoing the UN Security Council resolution last week. It was the only member of the 15-member council to veto the resolution, with the UK abstaining.
Hours before the ceasefire vote, Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi told reporters in Washington that if the Security Council failed to adopt the resolution, “it is giving Israel a license to continue its massacre of Palestinians in Gaza”.
The current demonstrations in Jordan are “unlike anything we have seen in 60 years”, al-Sharif said. The level of empathy and solidarity with the Palestinians and the people of Gaza is nearly unprecedented for Jordanians, he added. The majority, or an estimated 60%, of Jordanians are of Palestinian origin.
As a wave of frustration towards the US and the West comes over Jordan, the possibility lingers that it could ignite a new and potentially more serious phase of anti-Western rhetoric and even extremism, Jordanian analyst Amer Sabaileh told Al-Monitor. “There’s a big possibility that the huge level of hate, anger, and frustration bringing people to the streets could be manipulated by a terrorist group,” he said.