Jordanians angered at govt’s role in downing Iranian drones
Jordanians, angered at Israel’s actions in Gaza over the past six months, were outraged when they heard the news that their country aided the Israeli Air Force in intercepting drones coming from Iran, The Guardian reported on April 15.
In the early hours of April 14, Iran’s retaliation strikes arrived into Israel in what was the first time that the country had attacked Israel directly. Israel had bombed their embassy in Damascus just two weeks prior, taking out over a dozen Iranian military officials as well as five civilians.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant noted that 99% of drones and missiles were foiled and the only damages were on its Nevatim Airbase, in the south and close to the Negev Desert, and one casualty was reported – a seven-year-old from the Bedouin community who lived near the base was struck by shrapnel, causing severe injuries to the child.
Alongside the US military and Israeli Air Force, Jordan’s Air Force shot down drones whilst they were raining in on Israeli soil.
Tensions between Amman and Tel Aviv were already frosty as Israeli officials have called on Jordan to tone down its criticism of Israel’s ruthless bombing campaign in Gaza which has killed just over 34,000 people in the space of half a year and thousands of angry protesters gathered around the Israeli embassy in Amman just as recently as late last month to demand Jordan to pull out of the 1994 peace treaty, an agreement that ended the state of war that has existed between the two countries since the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and established mutual diplomatic relations between the pair.
READ: “Death to Israel!”: Jubilant Iranians applaud retaliation strikes
Although many Jordanians perceive that the government is not doing enough with regards to disassociating themselves from Israel, it has been consistent in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, banished the Israeli ambassador from Amman as well as being supportive of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) genocide case against Israel, which was brought to the court by South Africa.
Despite this, water-lacking Jordan has asked Israel for an extension to the water-for-energy deal the two countries signed in late 2023.
The agreement expires in May and it is unlikely that it will be renewed given the Jordanian government’s recent remarks and measures taken against Israel.
1 in 5 people in Jordan are of Palestinian descent and UNRWA has registered around 2.2 million Palestinian refugees living in the country.
Jordanian X, formerly Twitter, users voiced their anger in large numbers at the country’s Air Force downing Iranian drones and missiles.
Walid al-Jama’iye angrily pointed out on April 16 that, “King Abdullah II (Jordan’s king) protected Israel from Iranian drones, all is well. But he cannot protect the West Bank.”
Ahmad Awad, the director of the Amman-based Phenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies, castigated the government’s apparent double standards: “The Jordanian government said many times that it would do its best to confront all missiles that passed through its airspace. The question is, will Jordan confront Israeli military planes or missiles if they strike Iran?”
The Guardian/ Middle East Eye
