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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Thousands of Jordanians surround Israeli embassy for fourth consecutive day</h1>
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By <a class="gmail-author-name" title="View user profile." href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/mohammad-ersan">Mohammad Ersan</a> in Amman
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<span class="gmail-date-created">Published date:</span> 28 March 2024</div>
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<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><div><p>Mohammed
al-Abssi is one of thousands of Jordanians who have been surrounding
the Israeli embassy in Amman for the last four days. </p>
<p>He is clear about their intentions. “Our protests will continue until
the war on Gaza comes to an end,” he told Middle East Eye. “The
protests are expanding to other cities and governorates. We will call
for demonstrations in multiple locations.” </p>
<p>Yesterday marked the fourth consecutive day that thousands of
protesters have come out on to the streets of the Jordanian capital to
surround the Israeli embassy, demanding its closure. Young demonstrators
tried to breach the security cordon established around the complex by
Jordanian security forces, resulting in the arrest of approximately 200
protesters. </p>
<p>While the embassy is currently without a diplomatic mission, after
Israel’s ambassador left Amman in October and Jordan recalled its
ambassador in November in protest at the ongoing war in Gaza, al-Abssi
said that protesters “have heard that the embassy has partially resumed
operations”.</p>
<p>Jordanian security forces and gendarmerie have forcefully prevented
protesters from reaching the embassy compound in the Rabia neighbourhood
of Amman. Demonstrators have gathered in the vicinity of the square
next to Kalouti Mosque, approximately two kilometres from the embassy,
and other areas close by.</p>
<p>Protests have escalated significantly since the onset of Israel's war
on Gaza. The National Forum for Supporting Resistance, a coalition of
political parties and activists, has been one of the organisers.</p>
<p>Al-Abssi, a participant in the protests and a member of the Ataharrak
movement against normalisation with Israel, said the siege of the
embassy is part of a series of Jordanian protests that have not ceased
since 7 October.</p>
<p></p>
<p>“The siege of the embassy has intensified in response to the blockade of the Shifa complex and al-Aqsa Mosque,” he said.</p>
<p>Israeli forces have been attacking and laying siege to the medical
complex since 18 March, and have severely restricted Palestinian
worshippers' access to the Jerusalem holy site.</p>
<p>“Our demands include the complete closure of the Israeli embassy. We
have heard that the embassy has partially resumed operations.
Additionally, we call for the cessation of the land bridge,” al-Abssi
said, referencing claims - denied by the Jordanian government - that
Arab Gulf countries are circumventing the Houthi blockade on Israeli
ships by trucking products to Israel via Jordan.</p>
<p>“Israel targets Jordan just as it targets Palestine. The danger is
one, and the Jordanian community recognises this,” al-Abssi told MEE. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>'Our demands include the complete closure of the Israeli embassy. We
have heard that the embassy has partially resumed operations'</p>
<p><em>- Mohammed al-Abssi</em><em>, a participant in the protests</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The protesters, estimated to number around 10,000, condemned the
genocide against Palestinians, chanting: “O cowardly Arab governments!
On behalf of the voiceless, we shout against the land bridge. The land
bridge is a betrayal. We, too, stand with Gaza. We are besieged.</p>
<p>"Let the voice rise from Amman. We are part of the flood. Let every
traitor and collaborator hear it. With Hamas for liberation.”</p>
<p>Young protesters who spoke with MEE demanded the Jordanian government
“stop normalisation with Israel, cancel the Wadi Araba and gas
treaties, stop the land bridge that transports goods from Gulf countries
towards Israel, and prevent the export of Jordanian vegetables” to
Israel. </p>
<p>The Jordan-Israel peace treaty of 1994, signed at the southern border
crossing of Wadi Araba, is still deeply unpopular in Jordan. Jordanian
protesters have previously denounced the kingdom’s import of Israeli gas
as <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/black-day-hundreds-rally-jordan-over-treasonous-gas-deal-israel%C2%A0" target="_blank">“treasonous”</a>.</p>
<h3>Protests resonate in Gaza </h3>
<p>Khaled al-Juhani, a member of the National Forum Supporting
Resistance, said that even though the Israeli embassy was closed, “this
movement still sees it as a symbol of normalisation despite the ongoing
genocide. The Jordanian people categorically reject normalisation and
embrace resistance as an option”</p>
<p>“Today, it is the duty of the Jordanian authorities to begin thinking
and acting in a manner that aligns with the aspirations of its people
and reconciles with their will,” al-Juhani told MEE.</p>
<div>
<p><img src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/Amman%202.jpg" width="395" height="222" alt="Jordan embassy protest" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img" style="margin-right: 25px;"></p>
Jordanian security forces can be seen on the left holding back protesters (MEE/ Mohammad Ersan)</div>
<p><span><img src="cid:ii_lubc73wx0" alt="image.gif" width="15" height="15"></span></p>
<p><span><img src="cid:ii_lubc73x01" alt="image.gif" width="15" height="15"></span>This,
he said, meant halting the land bridge and “immediately stopping the
export of vegetables to the occupation. In return, efforts should be
made to establish a humanitarian land bridge to northern Gaza, in
cooperation with international bodies”. </p>
<p>During protests, security forces arrested several young people who
attempted to reach the Israeli embassy. Tear gas canisters were fired to
disperse them. According to lawyer Abdul Qader al-Khatib, the number of
detainees reached 200.</p>
<p>“Although security agencies released a large number of protesters,
the administrative governor re-arrested some of them despite their
release by the judiciary,” al-Khatib said. Himam, a civil society
alliance, has rejected the detention of protesters and called on the
Jordanian government to ensure that security personnel adhere to a code
of conduct.</p>
<p>The Jordanian protests have resonated in Gaza, with human rights
activist Maysara Malas sharing tweets from Palestinians welcoming them.</p>
<p>“To those sitting at home and not participating in constitutional
peaceful activities to support Gaza, claiming that they do not benefit
Gaza in any way - this is the heroic response of the people of Gaza to
their claims,” Malas <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=7177567699008984&set=pcb.7177567912342296%C2%A0" target="_blank">said </a>on social media.</p>
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