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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jordan Declares War on Muslim Brotherhood

2025-04-25

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Leonid Tsukanov

[REGNUM] Jordan's political landscape is rapidly changing. Following the revelation of a secret "missile factory" by the security services, the kingdom's authorities have decided to completely ban the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood* group.

The decision was made almost instantly - literally a few days after the publication of details of the defeat of the failed underground missilemen. Most of the country's residents did not question the harsh reaction to the conspiracy.

At the same time, there is a high probability that, in addition to issues of national security, the foreign policy ambitions of official Amman played a role in the final defeat of the Brotherhood.

"BROTHERS" IN JORDAN
The Muslim Brotherhood has been active in Jordan for over eighty years, from the mid-1940s until recently, and was considered a serious political force.

The group had hidden influence over the country's civilian and military elites and even attempted several times to overthrow King Abdullah II.

The royal court responded in kind, with searches and arrests, as well as the temporary closure of individual offices of the group, and tightened control over its financial flows and political course.

However, for most of the time, both forces existed in a state of "cold peace".

Clouds began to gather over the group on April 21, when attacks against the Muslim Brotherhood began to be heard from the rostrum of the Jordanian parliament one after another.

Representatives of various political forces, both those close to the court and those who consider themselves part of the moderate opposition, accused the group of trying to sow discord and plunge Jordanian society into civil war, and to create a new “terrorist enclave” on the territory of the kingdom.

POLITICAL STORM
The accusations were prompted by reports from Jordanian security forces about the arrest in mid-April of a large group of underground fighters affiliated with the Brotherhood.

At an abandoned facility in the northwest of the country (dubbed the "rocket factory"), the conspirators manufactured homemade missiles and UAVs, and stockpiled weapons and explosives, all of which they allegedly intended to use against the authorities soon.

The deputies, clearly impressed by the scale of the secret arsenals, called on the Islamic Action Front (considered the political wing of the Brotherhood) sitting in parliament to publicly condemn the group's activities and even renounce them. Otherwise, the entire faction (31 deputies) risked losing their mandates in one fell swoop "for assisting the conspirators."

And although the speaker of parliament, Ahmad al-Safaadi, tried to soften the emotional attacks of some of his colleagues, the mistrust of the Front did not diminish, even taking into account the fact that some deputies complied with the demands and condemned the course of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The public defeat of the Brotherhood was completed by the Kingdom's Interior Minister Mazen Faraya. At a special briefing on April 23, he announced that due to the attempted anti-government conspiracy, the movement's activities in Jordan were completely banned. Any public support for the group - including online campaigning for it - would henceforth be prosecuted.

The Muslim Brotherhood’s attempts to defuse the crisis and present the activities of the detained underground fighters as “purely independent” and “separated” from all official structures have led to nothing.

THE PALESTINIAN INCIDENT
The Jordanian authorities not only dissolved the organization, but also confiscated its property and closed all its offices in the country.

At least five activists of the movement were detained "pending clarification of the circumstances." However, they were quickly released without any new charges.

It was not only the Muslim Brotherhood that came under attack from official Amman.

In parallel with the closure of the group's offices, Jordanian law enforcement officials began an operation against the Palestinian Hamas.

At least three mid-level Palestinian officials who were in the country legally were arrested in the past 24 hours and taken to al-Jandaweel prison, which has a reputation for being political.

It is also noteworthy that several days before this, several Palestinians from the Islamic Jihad faction were arrested in neighboring Syria.

The arrest was carried out by the authorities under the pretext of the Palestinians' cooperation with "anti-government forces," which shocked them quite a bit: "Islamic Jihad" and other factions felt quite comfortable in Syria not only during the Assad dynasty, but also after its overthrow, and they showed no intention of conflicting with the new Damascus.

PREPARING THE SOIL
Outside observers tend to link the two episodes together and interpret them as preparing the ground for the launch of negotiations on normalizing relations between Syria and Israel in the spirit of the Abraham Accords.

And Jordan, as one of Israel's oldest Arab "friends," is quite capable of playing the role of mediator and providing channels of communication between Damascus and Tel Aviv. Especially since interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has declared his readiness for détente with the Israelis at least several times.

In addition, Jordan has significant strategic autonomy in organizing the negotiations and has no claims against either the Syrian or Israeli side, and is less focused on the interests of its neighbors. The same Saudi Arabia and Qatar are not in a hurry to get involved in mediation, fearing to cause discontent in Iran and Turkey.

The success of the new “Abrahamic” negotiations will not only raise Jordan’s prestige in the eyes of the US and Israel, but will also open up vast opportunities for the kingdom to strengthen its presence in the Syrian market – primarily in the energy sector, where the Turks currently hold virtually undivided sway.

However, for the successful implementation of such a combination, official Amman needs to keep all internal forces under complete control. In order to quickly extinguish any discontent with the change in the political balance.

And the Muslim Brotherhood, which is under conditional control, as well as the Islamic Action Front affiliated with them (which is also one of the largest consolidated political forces in parliament) could seriously stir up the public. And in a tactical alliance with Hamas, they could also turn the Palestinian communities living in the country against the throne.

Amman does not want to risk the stability of the dynasty for the sake of dubious political benefits, and therefore chose to solve the problem effectively, taking the confrontation with the “Brothers” beyond the political in advance.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jordan bans Muslim Brotherhood, seizes assets over security concerns

2025-04-23

Thanx and a tip o' the hat to our indispensible Grom!
[YNETNEWS] Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said in a statement that members of the Brotherhood were involved in activities that threatened national stability. He cited the recent discovery of explosive materials and short-range rockets, calling them ''unacceptable to any sovereign state.''
We need a Black April or Black May
Effective immediately, Jordan will enforce legal measures against the Brotherhood, declaring the movement an illegal organization, seizing its assets, and shutting down its offices. Al-Faraya warned that membership in the group is now prohibited and promoting its ideology may lead to prosecution.

Government sources told Reuters that police had already begun carrying out the order and had confiscated Brotherhood property.

The decision comes a week after Jordan announced the arrest of 16 individuals suspected of producing missiles and possessing explosives. Authorities said the suspects were trained and financed by foreign sources and aimed to destabilize the country. At least some of those detained were said to be affiliated with the Brotherhood and Hamas.

The Brotherhood has operated legally in Jordan for decades and maintains widespread popular support, particularly in urban areas. The group holds offices across the country and has historically played a prominent political role.

According to a report by the Saudi newspaper Elaph, which operates out of London, Israel provided Jordan with intelligence about the militant network following years of surveillance. Israeli security services reportedly shared documents and evidence with Jordanian officials, leading to several arrests. Other suspects are believed to have fled to East Asia.

Israeli defense officials have repeatedly warned that Iran has increased weapons smuggling through Jordan and is attempting to establish a presence in the kingdom. They also say terror-enabling resources—such as cash—are being funneled through Jordan to armed groups in the West Bank.

The Brotherhood and affiliated groups have previously been accused of supporting anti-government protests in Jordan, which is home to a large Palestinian population.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Islamists make gains in Jordan vote overshadowed by Gaza war

2024-09-12

[The Times of Israel] Jordan's Islamist opposition made significant gains in parliamentary elections, boosted by anger over Israel's war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
, initial official results showed on Wednesday.

The Islamist Action Front also benefited from a new electoral law that encourages a bigger role for political parties in the 138-seat parliament, though tribal and pro-government factions will continue to dominate the assembly.

The Front, the political arm of the Moslem Brüderbund, won up to a fifth of the seats under the revamped electoral law, which for the first time allocated 41 seats for parties, according to preliminary figures seen by Rooters and confirmed by independent and official sources.

''The Jordanian people have given us their trust by voting for us. This new phase will increase the burden of responsibility for the party towards the nation and our citizens,'' Wael al Saqqa, head of the party, told Rooters.

Tuesday's vote represents a modest step in a democratization process launched by King Abdullah II as he seeks to insulate Jordan from the conflicts at its borders, and respond to demands for robust political reforms.

Update from the Times of Israel at 9:00 a.m. ET:

Jordan’s leading Islamist opposition party has won 31 out of 138 seats in the kingdom’s parliament, tripling its representation in legislative elections dominated by frustration over Israel’s war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

The Islamic Action Front (IAF), a political offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, came ahead of other parties and factions in the legislature after Tuesday’s vote, but was far from clinching a majority, according to official election results released on Wednesday.

The result is a historic win for the Islamists and their largest representation since the Muslim Brotherhood in 1989 gained 22 out of the 80 seats that existed then.

The IAF had 10 seats in the previous parliament elected in 2020 and 16 seats in the 2016 legislature.

The Islamists had sought to capitalize on growing anger over the ongoing war in Gaza among Jordanians, half of whom are of Palestinian origin.

Wael al Saqqa vowed that Jordanians would give Palestinians “financial and other assistance, and be their lungs in the path of liberation and achieving their right to a free state.”

The Muslim Brotherhood has been allowed to operate in Jordan since 1946. But it fell under suspicion after the Arab Spring, which saw Islamists pitted against established powers in many Arab countries.

“The elections reflect the desire for change and those who voted were not necessarily all Islamists but wanting change and had become fed up with the old ways,” Murad Adailah, the head of the Muslim Brotherhood, said.

The Islamists, the only effective grassroots opposition, praised the authorities for not meddling in polls. Adailah told Reuters their win was a “popular referendum” that backs their platform of support for the Palestinian terror group Hamas, their ideological allies, and their demand to scrap the country’s peace treaty with Israel.

The other seats in parliament went to representatives of major Jordanian tribes, leftist parties, pro-government factions, centrists, former lawmakers, and retired military officers.

Twenty-seven women won seats in the legislature, following 2022 reforms that allocated more seats for them and reduced the minimum age for candidates. That reform also expanded the number of seats from 130 to 138 and sought to strengthen the role of political parties in the legislature.

Under Jordan’s constitution, most powers still rest with the king who appoints governments and can dissolve parliament. The assembly can force a cabinet to resign by a vote of no confidence.

The monarch hopes nascent political parties under the new law will help pave the way for governments that emerge from parliamentary majorities.

The voting system still favors sparsely populated tribal and provincial regions over the densely populated cities mostly inhabited by Jordanians of Palestinian descent, which are Islamist strongholds and highly politicized.

Turnout registered 32 percent in the polls that were largely overshadowed by the Gaza war and Jordan’s economic troubles.

The war in Gaza has affected tourism to Jordan, which relies on the sector for about 14% of its gross domestic product.

Compounding the country’s economic woes, public debt has neared $50 billion and unemployment hit 21% in the first quarter of this year.

Jordan in 1994 signed a peace treaty with Israel, becoming only the second Arab state to do so after Egypt, but regular protests have called for the treaty’s dissolution since the war erupted on October 7 when Palestinian terror group Hamas led a devastating attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

Israel responded with a military offensive to destroy Hamas in Gaza and free 251 hostages who were abducted by terrorists in the Hamas attack.

Oraib Rantawi, head of the Amman-based Al Quds Center for Political Studies, described the Islamists’ gains in the election as “astonishing in their magnitude.”

The Islamists won “nearly half a million votes,” a figure he said was unprecedented in their history in Jordan.

“Gaza played a major role in this,” he added, as well as a feeling among voters that other competing parties “were created in haste… to reduce the chances of success of the Islamic Action Front.”

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jordan’s pro-Hamas opposition, buoyed by Gaza war, seeks shakeup in Tuesday vote

2024-09-10

[IsraelTimes] Muslim Brotherhood political arm demands abrogation of pro-Western kingdom’s ties with Israel, overhaul of electoral system that disadvantages urban Islamists

Jordan’s main opposition, buoyed by anger over the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
war, says it expects its Islamists to win enough seats in Tuesday’s election to loudly challenge the country’s pro-Western stance, a result that could stir up the kingdom’s staid political scene.

The opposition Islamic Action Front'>Islamic Action Front
...Jordan's branch of the Moslem Brüderbund...
(IAF), the Jordanian political arm of the Moslem Brüderbund, says its voice is needed in the assembly to help reverse unpopular economic policies, stand up to laws curbing public freedoms and oppose further normalization with Israel, with which Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994.

"It’s enough that there is a significant bloc that is able to influence public opinion and the general political scene," Murad Adailah, the head of Jordan’s Moslem Brüderbund, which is an ideological ally of Hamas
Hamas

..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
, told Rooters.

In a country where anti-Israel sentiment runs high, the Gaza war is expected to help the electoral fortunes of the IAF, which is Jordan’s largest opposition party and has led some of the region’s biggest pro-Hamas rallies.

Hundreds erupted into the streets of Amman to celebrate on Sunday, hours after a gunman from Jordan rubbed out three Israeli civilians at the Allenby Bridge border crossing with the West Bank.

The IAF, fielding only 38 candidates for the 138-seat assembly, is unlikely to unseat the tribal, centrist and pro-government deputies who dominate a system that underrepresents cities, where their Islamist and liberal opponents do best.

But the Islamists, who have angered the authorities with demands to abrogate the peace treaty and end commercial ties with Israel, are urging supporters to go out and vote to show their opposition to Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

"Today what is happening in Gaza is an existentialist [sic] battle and neither the Jordanian or Islamic movement can be bystanders. The voice of the Jordanian street was heard and influential," Adailah said in an interview on Monday.

He said the Jordanian state needed a strong parliament more than ever, arguing that a vocal IAF parliamentary presence could strengthen Jordan’s ability to navigate, and if necessary stand up to, any pressures it might face from Israel and Western allies.

Adailah was echoing sentiments by many Jordanians across the political spectrum, who fear Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government seeks a wider war in which Paleostinians in the Israel-controlled West Bank could be pushed out to Jordan.

”Because even we, their Jordanian brothers, think Palestinians are icky and dangerous. We have not yet forgotten when they tried to overthrow King Hussein in Black September (1970-71).”

Israel on Saturday completed a 10-day counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank, as fighting in Gaza drags on. The war in Gaza was sparked when thousands of Hamas-led faceless myrmidons stormed southern Israel on October 7 to kill nearly 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.

VOTING SYSTEM FAVORS TRIBAL AREAS
The Islamic Action Front is contesting the polls despite its reservations over a voting system the party feels is biased against it. Party leaders are demanding even broader political representation following changes introduced under an electoral law passed in 2022.

"The law is not up to our ambitions but it presents a recipe for gradual political reforms," Adailah said, referring to the law that for the first time directly allocates 41 seats for over 30 licensed and mostly pro-government parties.

Officials say the vote is a milestone in a democratization process launched by King Abdullah, paving the way for political parties to play a bigger role.

The results — due within 48 hours of polls closing — are expected to keep parliament in the hands of tribal and pro-government factions, which are powerless to make deep changes.

Nevertheless, the elections could see the Islamists shaking up Jordan’s bland political scene, analysts said.

"We expect a significant bloc from these elections provided we are left without a direct and blatant interference in the ballot box," Adailah said, without being drawn into exactly how many seats they expect to capture.

The party, whose slogan is "With Islam we protect the nation," says the authorities have used clan pressure to persuade tens of IAF candidates to drop out of the race.

"This hurts our chances," Adailah said.

Now, the vote will test the Islamists’ grassroots support, politicians and analysts say. Most other candidates with limited political agendas have focused their campaigns on economic conditions such as unemployment, public services and inflation.

With Iran Increasingly Meddling in Jordanian Politics, the Hashemite Kingdom’s Relations With Israel, America Could Fray

[NYSun] With Jordanians voting for a new parliament Tuesday, the Hashemite kingdom’s delicate ties with America and Israel are expected to become even more fraught.

King Abdullah II is walking a tightrope: While he needs to appease angry constituents who are seething over the worsening economy and the Gazoo war, he also must maintain vital relations with Israel. With Iran

...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
seeking to add Jordan to its "ring of fire" strategy targeting Israel, the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s interference in local Jordanian politics is further undermining the king’s grip on power.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Moslem Brüderbund’s political arm to compete in Jordan vote

2016-06-12

[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The political arm of Jordan’s original Moslem Brüderbund has announced it is taking part in parliament elections Sept. 20, after boycotting the two previous ballots in 2010 and 2013.

Spokesman Murad Adayleh says the Islamic Action Front
...Jordan's branch of the Moslem Brüderbund...
’s leadership voted overwhelmingly late Saturday to compete in the elections. He says the IAF, the most organized opposition group in Jordan, will look for partnerships to improve its chances.

The Moslem Brüderbund in the kingdom started out as a branch of a region-wide movement, but suffered a series of splits.

The Moslem Brüderbund was declared illegal - though its political arm was not - after a group of defectors registered a new Moslem Brüderbund Society as a Jordanian entity. Two other factions have also broken away, with plans to establish political parties.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood cuts ties to Egypt's parent group

2016-02-16

[AlAhram] Jordan's branch of the Moslem Brüderbund has formally cut ties with the region-wide movement based in Egypt, a front man said Monday.

The decision is the latest setback for the wider Brotherhood, once seen as the main political beneficiary of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings but hit hard in recent years by government crackdowns.

The Jordanian branch has undergone several splits over the past year, with breakaway groups emphasizing a domestic agenda.

The original core group decided late last week, in a meeting of its main decision-making body, or Shura Council, to change its bylaws and cut ties with the parent movement, said a front man, Moath Khawaldeh.

"On Thursday, the Shura Council met and amended the basic law, disconnecting the Moslem Brüderbund in Jordan from Egypt," he said.

Egypt's Brotherhood, from which ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi hails, is declared a terrorist organization in the country.

Khawaldeh said the decision is part of reform efforts ahead of internal elections next month.

Jordanian analyst Ibrahim Gharaibeh said he believes the core group came to see its parent movement as an increasing liability. "This led to political concerns (for the group) in Jordan and the group's ability to survive," he said.

Three relatively pragmatic groups have broken away from the more hawkish Brotherhood core group and its political arm, the Islamic Action Front
...Jordan's branch of the Moslem Brüderbund...
, over the past year.

Disagreements focused on whether to participate in elections in Jordan and the nature of ties with the parent movement and the Lion of Islam group Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,, the Brotherhood branch in the Paleostinian territories.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood has become one big mess

2016-01-05

[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] It would be no exaggeration to say that Jordan's Moslem Brüderbund is perishing. Given the widening cracks within the long-established group, which led to hundreds of leaders recently submitting their mass resignation, the kingdom's Islamist movement is now as fragmented and weak as leftist powers. In other words, the dispute-plagued movement is no longer Jordan's largest opposition force.

Over the past year, the Moslem Brüderbund's prominent leaders have been jumping overboard, mostly for being fed up with the totalitarian attitude of the group's 'hawkish' leadership. Last week's mass resignation of 400 leaders and founding members of the Islamic Action Front
...Jordan's branch of the Moslem Brüderbund...
(IAF), the Moslem Brüderbund's political arm, was the most recent manifestation of fierce disputes within the group which, for decades, was well-known for being in harmony and having a solid structure.

One of the Islamist leaders whose membership in the Brotherhood was previously terminated by an internal tribunal, professor and columnist Rheil al-Gharaibeh, has founded Zamzam,

...named after Zamzam Cola, possibly no longer to be the soft drink of the Hajj?

a reform-oriented initiative which has been gaining ground and attracting conservative statesmen who long-opposed the Islamist movement. Zamzam is now a licensed body in Jordan with moderate socio-political tendencies and is highly expected to participate in the upcoming parliamentary election, expected in January 2017. This will definitely strike a big blow to the Brotherhood's trend of boycotting elections.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jordan Islamists threaten legal action over Israel gas deal

2014-12-21

[IsraelTimes] Jordan?s main opposition Islamist party threatened Saturday to take legal action against anyone in the kingdom who signs a controversial gas deal with Israel.

Clearly they feel strongly on the subject.

Amman?s plans to buy gas from the Jewish state have aroused fierce opposition at a time of mounting criticism of Israel?s policies towards the Paleostinians.

Yeah, yeah. So shiver in the dark this winter. Enjoy!

The Islamic Action Front
...Jordan's branch of the Moslem Brüderbund...
, political wing of the Jordanian branch of the Moslem Brüderbund, said on its website that it ?strongly rejects the deal in question, no matter what the pretext, political or economic, and will prosecute all those who agree to or sign such an agreement?.

The IAF said it regretted that the government ?has stubbornly ignored the popular will to maintain suspect relations with the occupying power [Israel] and to conclude such an agreement.?

Apparently there are some Jordanians who think highly of Israel.

The 20-year-old peace treaty between Jordan and Israel is deeply unpopular among Jordanians ? almost half of whom are of Paleostinian origin.

Detractors of the September gas deal, under which Israel would supply Jordan with 45.4 billion cubic meters (1.6 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas from its Leviathan offshore field over 15 years, reject any cooperation with a country they regard as an enemy.

A source close to the deal, which has yet to be approved by the government, said it would be worth $15 billion (11.4 billion euros).

Energy-poor Jordan was heavily reliant on gas supplies from Egypt, until they ground to a halt following a spate of kabooms since 2011 on the export pipeline through Egypt?s restive Sinai Peninsula.

Parliament debated the deal on Tuesday after 79 politicians in the 150-seat house filed a motion calling for it to be scrapped.

Defending the project, Energy Minister Mohammed Hamed told parliament buying gas from Israel ?does not threaten the future of Jordan nor does it leave Jordan?s economy hostage in the hands of any country.?

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jordanians Protest Israel 'Jewish State Law'

2014-11-29

[An Nahar] Hundreds of Jordanians joined a rally Friday organized by the Moslem Brüderbund to denounce Israeli plans to enshrine in law the country's status as the national Jewish homeland.

An estimated 1,500 protesters set off from the Husseini mosque in downtown Amman holding up signs saying "Al-Aqsa is in danger".

"There is a greater danger today, and that is the Jewish state draft law," Hamzeh Mansur, the former head of the Brotherhood's Islamic Action Front
...Jordan's branch of the Moslem Brüderbund...
party, told the protesters.

"Where is Jordan's custodianship over Jerusalem and where is the promised Paleostinian state," he asked.

Jordan has custodianship over the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem -- which is holy to both Jews and Moslems -- and other Moslem holy sites in annexed Arab east Jerusalem, which the Paleostinians want as the capital of their future state.

East Jerusalem has been hit by months of violence, which has spread across the occupied West Bank and to Arab communities inside Israel.

The tensions soared earlier this month when Israeli police entered Al-Aqsa during festivities triggered by a vow by far-right Jewish groups to pray at the holy site, which they call Temple Mount.

Against that background, the Israeli government endorsed Sunday a proposal to enshrine in law the country's status as the national homeland of the Jewish people.

The Paleostinian leadership has said the law "kills" the Middle East grinding of the peace processor and namely the creation of a Paleostinian state side by side Israel.

Critics have also said the move will weaken democracy in Israel and could institutionalize discrimination against Israel's 1.7 million Arab citizens.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jordan Charges 26 with 'Terrorism' after Market Unrest

2014-10-14

[AnNahar] A Jordanian court charged 26 people on Monday with "terrorist acts" following unrest that maimed four people, including two police, when security forces shut a market in central Amman.

They were jugged
Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out!
during festivities Friday evening that flared again on Saturday after stalls at Abdali second-hand clothing market were dismantled, a judicial source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered...
"The prosecutor general of the state security court charged 26 people over terrorist acts, using weapons and inflammable materials in contravention of the anti-terrorism law," the source said.

The prosecutor general took the men into custody for 15 days.

"Four people were maimed during the unrest, including two gendarmes," a security source told AFP. The source added that security forces were targeted by "live gunfire and Molotov cocktails".

The Islamic Action Front
...Jordan's branch of the Moslem Brüderbund...
, the political wing of the Jordanian Moslem Brüderbund and the country's main opposition group, criticized the decision to close the market because it "did not take into account the hundreds of families whose sole income comes from the market".

Authorities say the market was impeding traffic and needed to be relocated, although stallholders believe such a move would see its size halved.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jordan Arrests Brotherhood Leader For Incitement

2014-09-17

[IsraelTimes] Jordan arrested a senior member of the country's Muslim Brotherhood Tuesday on charges of "incitement" against the authorities, a judicial source said, as the group's political wing demanded his release.

Mohamed Said Bakr, a member of the Brotherhood's consultative council, was detained for 15 days by prosecutors after criticizing the government at an event marking the end of the conflict in Gaza, the source said.

The Jordanian Brotherhood's political wing, the Islamic Action Front, condemned the arrest.

"It is unacceptable that clerics and activists should be arrested on the basis of positions they expressed," said IAF Secretary General Mohamed al-Zayoud on the party's website.

Zayoud called for the "immediate release" of Bakr, saying that "stable regimes would not be threatened by a speech given at a festival or expressing an opinion."

The Hamas movement that dominates the Gaza Strip is officially a branch of the Brotherhood.

At the event in Amman on Friday, Bakr used insulting terms to describe Jordan's leaders, and accused the government of being "subject to the United States."

He also congratulated Gazans for their "victory" against Israel and said he was "waiting for and hoping to celebrate the victory of Jordan and the victory of Jordanian men and the victory of the Jordanian army, while we are on the longest frontlines" with Israel.

Formed in Egypt in 1928, branches of the Muslim Brotherhood appeared across the region in the following years. The Jordanian movement is tolerated by the authorities and has wide grassroots support.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jordan Islamists Slam U.S. Envoy for Dancing

2014-01-14

[An Nahar] Jordan's Islamists on Monday criticized the U.S. ambassador in Amman for taking part in a dabke folk dance at the inauguration of a project, describing it as "shocking behavior."

Following the opening of a $140 million (100 million euro) U.S.-funded project in the northern governorate of Irbid last Thursday, envoy Stuart E. Jones joined officials and women in dancing a Jordanian dabke.

"It was shocking behavior for Jordanians who know very well that America and the Zionist entity (Israel) are two sides of the same coin," the opposition Islamic Action Front
...Jordan's branch of the Moslem Brüderbund...
party, the political arm of the kingdom's Moslem Brüderbund, said in a statement.

"We condemn such actions in our villages, and demand the government make sure diplomats adhere to their roles."

Performed at weddings, parties and similar occasions, Dabke is a traditional dance in Arab countries such as Leb, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Turkey as well as Israel and the Paleostinian territories.

It has many versions, but generally dancers form a line facing an audience, hold hands, slightly lift their left feet and stamp to traditional music.

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