Protests in Jordan

T. Belman. No mention is made of Mudar Adnan Zahran but he will prevail.

Amid Protests In Jordan That Include Calls Against The King And Support For Prince Hamzah, Journalists And Former Ministers Warn: The Sense Of Resentment Is Unprecedented; The Authorities Must Adopt A New Approach

MEMRI

By H. Varulkar and Z. Harel

In early December 2022, a wave of protests broke out in Jordan, following a government decision to raise the price of fuel, which aggravated the already serious economic crisis in the country. The protests took the form of demonstrations, a truck drivers’ strike, general strikes and riots, especially in the southern parts of the country. This protest wave differed from previous ones by crossing an important line: on December 15, during riots in the city of Ma’an in southern Jordan, shots were fired at the security forces, killing the district’s deputy police chief, ‘Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Dalabih. Several days later, on December 19, three more police officers were killed while arresting suspects in Al-Dalabih’s shooting. The suspects, one of whom was also killed during the raid, were caught with extensive weapons and ammunition. The regime referred to them as “a takfiri terrorist cell,” although their militancy was probably motivated by the economic crisis.

Alongside criticism against the government for the rise in prices, the protests also included criticism against King ‘Abdullah himself, and claims that he was responsible for the severe crisis in the country. Although criticism of the king and calls to limit his powers were heard in previous protest waves as well, they are still regarded as the breaking of a taboo and the crossing of a red line, and may therefore indicate a real threat to the stability of his regime. Another significant development in the current wave of protests is that the criticism against him was accompanied by suggestions for an alternative ruler: his half-brother Prince Hamzah, who has been under house arrest since being accused of an attempted coup against the king in April 2021. Expressions of support for Hamzah were heard in protests across the country and also on social media, with some presenting him as an alternative to the king, as stated, and calling on him to intervene in the Jordanian crisis.

Like in some of the previous protest waves, a conspicuous feature of the current one is that the criticism is being voiced, inter alia, by the Jordanian tribes, which have always been considered the main support base of the Hashemite regime. In recent years there has been a growing sense of resentment and frustration among the tribes, in light of their exclusion from the country’s power centers and  due to shifts in Jordan’s social makeup. Jordanian officials visiting one of the mourning tents for the police officers killed in the riots were met with angry statements by local sheikhs complaining about the dire economic situation and the regime’s conduct.

At the same time, it is notable that the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood has so far refrained from joining the protests or fanning them, and has sufficed with urging the regime to heed the citizens’ suffering and address the economic crisis.

Another prominent expression of the dissatisfaction in the country and the king’s deteriorating position is a letter sent by Jordanian MP Muhammad ‘Inad Al-Fayez, Jordan’s former intelligence minister, to Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, urging him to suspend the economic aid to Jordan, since it ends up only “in the pockets of the corrupt gang of decision-makers” and is not used to help the Jordanian citizens.  The letter, posted on Al-Fayez’s Facebook page, caused an uproar since it was perceived as a challenge to the regime and an expression of no-confidence in the king. Subsequently, presumably in response to the harsh criticism he incurred,  Al-Fayez declared his loyalty to the king and announced his intention to resign from parliament.

The Jordanian authorities responded to the protests in several ways. The security forces tried to curb the riots in the various regions, while also arresting figures who were supporting the protests or fanning them, including political activist Khaled Turki Al-Majali, editor of the Kul Al-Urdun website, who was accused of spreading incitement and slander. Another figure arrested was Majed Al-Sharari, the former mayor of Ma’an and a powerful and popular figure in the city, who was among the leaders of the truck drivers’ strike and expressed support the protests. His arrest caused an uproar in the city, with residents petitioning for his release and calling for it at demonstrations and on social media. Another measure taken by the government was to block TikTok, on the grounds that it was being used to praise the violence and spread chaos in the kingdom.

According to reports, over the past two weeks the chief of the royal court Yousuf Hassan Al-‘Issawi held meetings with tribal representatives and with retired generals in various governorates and regions, apparently in an attempt to quell the rage. On December 31 the government fuel pricing committee announced an 8% reduction in the price of oil derivatives. On January 2, 2023, in a meeting with dignitaries in the Aqaba governorate, the king announced that he had directed the government to freeze the tax on kerosene for the winter so as to alleviate the burden on the citizens.

In light of the protests and harsh criticism of the regime, several former ministers and senior journalists published articles warning that the economic crisis has created an unprecedented situation and sparked unprecedented resentment against the regime even among its support base.  They called on the Jordanian authorities not to ignore the significant change in the public mood, positions and discourse, but rather to meet the situation with new tools and approaches and enact reforms to stop the deterioration.

This report presents the criticism against King ‘Abdullah and the expressions of support for Prince Hamzah during the current wave of protests, as well as excerpts from the articles by the senior journalists and former ministers.

At Demonstrations And On Social Media: Criticism Of The King, Expressions Of Support For Prince Hamzah

The protest and criticism against the Jordanian authorities found expression in demonstrations on the street, as well as on social media, in particular on TikTok, Twitter and Facebook, under hashtags such as “Jordan Is Rebelling,” “Jordan Is Unwell,” “Trucker Drivers’ Strike,” “Strike of Honor” and “Free Majed Al-Sharari.” As in previous waves of protest, there has been personal criticism against King ‘Abdullah, who is seen as responsible for the dire economic crisis. A video from one of the protests shows participants chanting “Why beat about the bush? ‘Abdullah is responsible [for the situation],” and “We pledged loyalty to you, but reaped only trouble.”

Also conspicuous were expressions of support for the king’s half-brother Hamzah, who has been under house arrest for participation in an attempted coup against the king in April 2021.This support has been evident at the demonstrations and in social media posts tagged with the hashtags mentioned above or with “Prince Hamzah” and “the country wants Hamzah.” At a December 17 protest march in the Al-Tafaileh neighborhood in the capital, demonstrators called on Hamzah to intervene in the crisis, chanting “O Hamzah bin Al-Hussein, the country is in ruins, where are you?!”Another video, from a protest in the Tafila region,  showed participants chanting “With spirit and blood we will  redeem you, O Hamzah.”


The protest in the Tafila region

As mentioned above, Journalist and political activist Khaled Turki Al-Majali, editor of the Jordanian website Kul Al-Urdun, was arrested for messages he posted on Facebook. The posts that led to his arrest were the following. On December 17 he wrote: “Since Hamzah bin Hussein has given up the title of prince and his immunity. I believe that nothing in the constitution rules out appointing him to form a national reform government. I have no doubt that this would be the beginning of a national breakthrough. “The post elicited many responses, for example from retired general Muhammed ‘Autoom, who was active in the protest movement against the king, and who commented: “That is a creative opinion. [Hamzah] can solve the country’s chronic problems. We thank you for your suggestion.”

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January 4, 2023 | Comments »

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