Jordanians call for tough measures on US, Israel

AMMAN — The country's professional associations on Sunday held a protest to condemn and reject US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Standing on the stairs of the Professional Associations Complex in Shmeisani, members of the professional associations called for expelling of the US ambassador from Jordan and for summoning the Kingdom's ambassador from Washington.

They also called on the government to scrap the Jordanian-Israeli Wadi Araba Peace Treaty, which they described as "the treaty of shame", and urged the public to start an immediate boycott of Israeli and American products.

President of the Jordan Agricultural Engineers Association Mahmoud Abu Ghneimeh said that the Jordanian leadership and people reject Trump's decision, highlighting that Jordanians have always supported the Palestinian cause and will continue to do so.

"We salute His Majesty King Abdullah for his stand and his complete and clear bias in favour of the Palestinian cause," Abu Ghneimeh said.

Ibrahim Tarawneh, president of the Jordan Dental Association, said that the US administration was always biased towards the "Zionist entity".

"The decision will never steal the Arabic identity of Jerusalem, it will always remain the capital of Palestine and the Arabs' first and central cause," Tarawneh said at the protest.

Head of Palestine Parliamentary Committee at the Lower House Yihya Saud said that, by declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Trump has paved the way for the Judaism of Israel and legitimised the Israeli occupation.

"The decision is in violation of international legitimacy. Trump must retract his decision, which is rejected by all Arabs and Muslims," Saud said.

Meanwhile, representative of the Jordanian political parties Khaled Juheini said that, as the United Nations Security Council and all international organisations are unable to stand in the face of Trump, Arab and Muslims must support the Palestinian Intifada. 

The protest brought together over 300 members of the professional associations, many of whom brought their family members and children with them.

Holding her six-month baby in her arm, Maysoon stood in the protest next to her husband as he carried their older daughter on his shoulders.

"The children must know what the Palestinian cause is. They must know what is happening to our beloved Jerusalem so that they can tell the next generation. This is very important because I see little empathy to the Palestinian cause amongst the young generation," Maysoon, a pharmacist, said.

Raed Hassan, an agricultural engineer, said that Jordanians and Arabs must continue their strong demonstrations until Trump withdraws his decision.

"We must not lose the momentum, we must not forget. This is our land and the land of our ancestors and neither Trump nor anyone else can decide with a signature that it belongs to Israelis," Hassan said.

Two demonstrators held a large banner of the faces of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the phrase "makers of terrorism" in the middle while others held banners reading "Jerusalem is our capital".