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Ongoing Protests in Jordan Threaten to Destabilize the Regime

(MEMRI) Z. Harel - The public unrest in Jordan is not dying down, and the frequent protests are threatening to destabilize the country. Several main forces have been active in the protests in Jordan in recent months. In mid-February jobless young people took to the streets, first in Aqaba and then across the country, to march towards the Royal Court offices in Amman in protest, where they staged a sit-down strike. In addition, for several months now, popular protest movements have been holding a regular Thursday demonstration across from the prime minister's office in Amman, demanding comprehensive political and economic reform. On several occasions, the demonstrators have shouted slogans against the king. A protest movement identified with Jordan's largest tribe, the Bani Hassan tribe, part of the regime's traditional support base, recently posted on social media a harsh statement against the king, the queen and their associates. Other tribes expressed support for this statement, including the Bani 'Abbad and Bani Hamida tribes. Former regime officials and military officers, many of them tribe members, have likewise been expressing displeasure with the conduct of the regime. And the Muslim Brotherhood, the main opposition group in Jordan, has been exploiting the protests.
2019-03-12 00:00:00
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