Jordan is shaky

These protests are from a 1/4 of the population which is Bedouin. So far the Palestinians, who are the worst off are quiet and biding their time.Just last week discussions took place between some Beduoin leads and some Palestinian leaders and a tentative agreement was discussed for a proposed end result. Ted Belman

MEMRI

In recent weeks, Jordanian oppositionists have sharpened their criticism of King ‘Abdallah II to the point of questioning his legitimacy as the country’s ruler. There have been calls to oust the “occupier” (i.e., the king), and threats of an imminent “explosion” or an armed revolution should the situation in the country remain unchanged. These threats, unprecedented in Jordan, were voiced by oppositionist and retired military veteran Dr. Ahmad ‘Oweidi Al-‘Abbadi, a former MP and the current head of the Jordan National Movement (JNM), who called for Jordan to be freed from the Hashemite “occupation” and to become a republic. These statements led to his arrest on charges of “inciting to topple the regime.” His stance was supported by JNM members, by other retired military veterans, and by some members of the Al-‘Abbad tribe, to which he belongs. Following the arrest, his backers organized a rally in his support and called to topple the regime. He was eventually released on bail on March 1, 2012.

Among those who spoke out in support of Al-‘Abbadi was oppositionist Laith Shubeilat, who also visited him in prison. He stated that the king was the main source of the growing corruption in the country, and even urged the king to apologize to the Jordanian people and to agree to curtail his authority, threatening that if he did not, Jordan could soon expect an explosion and the anarchy of a revolution.

Another indication of the growing opposition to the king came on January 11, 2012, when ‘Udai Abu ‘Issa, an activist in the Youth Movement for Reform, torched a street poster of the king outside the Madaba municipality.[1] Two weeks later, the State Security Court sentenced Abu ‘Issa to two years’ imprisonment for “harming the king’s dignity,”[2] but, on February 29, the king ordered the government to pardon him.[3]

The poster of King ‘Abdallah II that was torched by activist ‘Udai Abu ‘Issa[4]

Intense criticism against the king also came from Jordan’s tribes, which have traditionally represented the backbone of the Hashemite regime but which, in recent years, have suffered from the king’s neo-liberal economic policy that entailed the privatization of state property and encouragement of a free market. The tribes, which have always dominated Jordan’s security institutions and decision-making circles, have also taken strong issue with the integration of numerous Palestinians into senior positions in the kingdom, at the expense of tribal forces. The latter feel that these moves not only pose a challenge to their alliance with the regime, but upset the longstanding, delicate balance of powers between the tribal sector and the Palestinians in Jordan.[5]

Retired military veterans are prominent among the tribesmen who harshly criticize King ‘Abdallah, Queen Rania, and their associates for granting citizenship to Palestinians and for the king’s economic policy.[6] Recently, a group of retired veterans even announced an intention to establish a political party which will advance “new laws curtailing the role of the royal family” and oppose granting Jordanian citizenship to Palestinians living in the kingdom.[7]

It is noteworthy that unlike these oppositionists, Jordan’s Islamist opposition stepped down its activity in the past two months, staging fewer demonstrations against the regime. Tensions between the Islamists and the regime reached a peak in early January 2012, when Islamist youth held a paramilitary procession in the streets of Amman reminiscent of those staged by Hizbullah in Lebanon.[8] The procession worried and angered the regime, which was quick to respond. The king, prime minister, and intelligence apparatuses held a series of meeting and discussions with the Islamist leadership, following which the latter expressed a commitment to nonviolence in calling for “reform in the regime.”[9] This gave rise to claims, already heard before, that the Islamists have struck a deal with the regime. The Islamist movement denied this, and recently even announced that it would not participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, expected to take place at the end of 2012, unless additional amendments are made to Jordan’s constitution limiting the king’s authority.[10]