AMMAN: A cross-border attack in October by two young Jordanians against Israeli soldiers is a sign of deep anger at the war in Gaza in a country with strong ties to the Palestinians.
“Jordanians are boiling with anger, this is undeniable,” said Oraib Rantawi, head of the Amman-based Al Quds Center for Political Studies.
The attackers, who were killed in a firefight south of the Dead Sea last week that lightly wounded two Israeli soldiers, were members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, although the Islamist group said they acted independently.
It came just weeks after another attack by a Jordanian gunman at a border crossing with the occupied West Bank which killed three Israeli guards.
The two assailants in the most recent attack, Hussam Abu Ghazaleh and Amer Qawoos, had “always participated in events in solidarity with Gaza and in support of the resistance,” a Muslim Brotherhood spokesman recently said.
While there have been protests, Rantawi said, many Jordanians want concrete action against Israel, such as suspending trade or cutting diplomatic ties.
“Some young people, particularly those from Islamist, nationalist and leftist movements, feel that protests alone are not enough,” he said.
Jordan, where about half of the population is of Palestinian origin, has yet to officially condemn the attack.
But, Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said after the latest attack: “We will not be a place for strife or accept the risking of the future of this country, and we will not allow any party to replicate their models of chaos and destruction in our homeland.”
In 1994 Jordan became the second Arab country, after Egypt, to recognize Israel and establish diplomatic ties. Their shared border has remained largely calm since then.
Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has been fighting Israeli forces in Gaza since its October 7 attack last year sparked the war in the territory, called the latest attack “a significant development in the ongoing battle.”
It came just hours after Israel confirmed its forces in Gaza had killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, accused by Israel of masterminding the October 7 attack.
That attack resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed 42,924 people, the majority civilians, according to data from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures which the United Nations considers reliable.
The cross-border attacks “highlight mounting pressure on ordinary Jordanians as a result of Israel’s escalating aggression with the United States’ continuous support,” said political analyst Labib Kamhawi.
He said “the anger is evident both at the public and official levels, with the Jordanian government frustrated by Israel’s aggressive behavior.”
Amman has been “signalling that Jordan cannot ignore rising public outrage,” he added.
Many Jordanians saw the perpetrators of both attacks against Israel as martyred heroes, some even celebrating with sweets and fireworks in Amman.
Maher Diab Hussein Al-Jazi, who carried out the September attack before killing himself, was also hailed as a hero.
His father told local media that he was “honored to have raised a brave son who carried out an act of sacrifice.”
Faced with widespread anger from its people, Jordan has been striving to bring a diplomatic end to the war in Gaza.
But, Kamhawi said, “some Jordanians now see that attacks remain the only way of expressing solidarity with Palestinians.”
Jordanians ‘boiling with anger’ at Gaza spurring Israel border attacks
https://arab.news/z3w5f
Jordanians ‘boiling with anger’ at Gaza spurring Israel border attacks
- In 1994 Jordan became the second Arab country, after Egypt, to recognize Israel and establish diplomatic ties
- Many Jordanians saw the perpetrators of both attacks against Israel as martyred heroes
US officials say Gaza stabilization force will not fight Hamas
- An American two-star general is under consideration to lead the ISF, but no decision has been made, officials said
NEW YORK: International troops could be deployed in the Gaza Strip as early as next month to form a UN-authorized stabilization force, two US officials said, but it remains unclear how Hamas will be disarmed.
Officials said the International Stabilization Force, or ISF, would not fight Hamas.
They said many countries have expressed interest in contributing, and US officials are currently working out the size of the ISF, its composition, housing, training, and rules of engagement.
There is a lot of quiet planning that’s going on behind the scenes right now for phase two of the peace deal.
Karoline Leavitt, White House spokesperson
An American two-star general is under consideration to lead the ISF, but no decision has been made, officials said.
Deployment of the force is a key part of the next phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan.
Under the first phase, a fragile ceasefire in the two-year war began on Oct.10, and Hamas released hostages, and Israel freed detained Palestinians.
“There is a lot of quiet planning that’s going on behind the scenes right now for phase two of the peace deal,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.
“We want to ensure an enduring and lasting peace.”
Indonesia has said it is prepared to deploy up to 20,000 troops to take on health and construction-related tasks in Gaza.
“It is still in the planning and preparation stages,” said Rico Sirait, spokesperson of the Indonesian Defense Ministry.
“We are now preparing the organizational structure of the forces to be deployed.”
Israel still controls 53 percent of Gaza, while nearly all the 2 million people in the enclave live in the remaining Hamas-held area. The plan — which needs to be finalized by the so-called Board of Peace — is for the ISF to deploy in the area held by Israel, the US officials said.
Then, according to the Trump peace plan, as the ISF establishes control and stability, Israeli troops will gradually withdraw “based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization.”
A UN Security Council resolution adopted on Nov. 17 authorized a Board of Peace and countries working with it to establish the ISF.
Trump said on Wednesday that an announcement on which world leaders will serve on the Board of Peace will be made early next year.
The Security Council authorized the ISF to work alongside newly trained and vetted Palestinian police to stabilize security “by ensuring the process of demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, including the destruction and prevention of rebuilding of the military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, as well as the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups.”
However, it remains unclear exactly how that would work.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz noted on Thursday that the Security Council authorized the ISF to demilitarize Gaza by all means necessary, which means the use of force.
“Obviously, that’ll be a conversation with each country,” he told Israel’s Channel 12, adding that discussions on rules of engagement were underway.
Hamas has said the issue of disarmament has not been discussed with them formally by the mediators — the US, Egypt, and Qatar — and the group’s stance remains that it will not disarm until a Palestinian state is established.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech on Sunday that the second phase would move toward demilitarization and disarmament.
“Now that raises a question: Our friends in America want to try and establish a multinational task force to do the job,” he said. “I told them I welcome it. Are volunteers here? Be my guest,” Netanyahu said.
“We know there are certain tasks that this force can perform ... but some things are beyond their abilities, and perhaps the main thing is beyond their abilities, but we will see about that,” he said.
