Anti-Israel anger rising in Jordan after judge's killing
Protests in Jordan against Israel’s killing of a Palestinian-Jordanian judge have reached unprecedented levels, giving Amman the chance to readdress discrepancies in its treaty with Israel.
Tensions are on the rise between Jordan and Israel after Jordanian-Palestinian judge Raed Zuaiter was shot and killed on March 10 by Israeli soldiers at the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge. Public protests over the incident escalated to unprecedented levels and included an explicit demand to abolish the 1994 peace treaty signed by Israel and Jordan. The incident has exacerbated tensions in an already unstable political environment in Jordan, where a number of protests have erupted in the past year. How the government manages the crisis will prove crucial to its relations with the Jordanian public in general and to the stability of the kingdom in particular.
The Jordanian government condemned the shooting in “strong language” when Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Judeh summoned the Israeli charge d'affaires. It also demanded that the results of Israel's investigation of the shooting be shared with Amman. Some in Jordan, especially the political parties, denounced the government's acceptance of a unilateral Israeli probe as “weak.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his “regret” for the death and sent “sympathies to the people and government of Jordan.” He was also reported to have promised a joint Israeli-Jordanian investigation of the incident.
Twenty years after the signing of the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty, the Jordanian public’s reluctance about it and dissatisfaction are no secret. The anti-normalization movement, led by Islamist and nationalist parties, remains active and strong. A blacklist of 200 "normalizers" — advocates of relations with Israel — was circulated last June, with the more recent additions being made on March 6. The Islamist and nationalist post the list in the hope of publicly shaming and disgracing those on it.
