Protesters call for closure of US, Israel embassies

AMMAN — Tens of people on Wednesday held a protest next to the American embassy in Amman to denounce US President Donald Trump’s decisions to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and to relocate its embassy to the holy city.

Amid heavy security presence, the demonstrators shouted slogans denouncing the US decisions and calling for the closure of the Israeli and American embassies in Amman, as well as the summoning of Jordanian ambassadors to the US and Israel.

“Resistance is not terrorism. Resistance is the solution,” shouted the men and women standing near the US embassy in Abdoun in western Amman, while waving Jordanian, Palestinian and Muslim Brotherhood flags.

The demonstrators also shouted: “Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Palestine”, “America is the root of terrorism in the world” and “the road to Jerusalem starts with millions of martyrs”, while other slogans called for annuling the Jordanian-Israeli 1994 Wadi Araba Peace Treaty.

Leading the demonstrations, Islamist deputy Abdul Majid Al Aqtash said: “The fate of Jerusalem is the fate of the entire human race.”

“What is happening now is a coalition of Zionist-Western-crusaders that is attempting to eliminate the Arabs and Muslims.  Jerusalem is not subject to any form of negotiation,” Aqtash told The Jordan Times.

He stressed that “the fate of Jerusalem is in the hands of the Arab people. The governments are not serious enough so people of the Arab nations should unite during this difficult time”.

Aqtash said the Jordanian Parliament has done part of its role by examining the Wadi Araba Peace Treaty, but more needs to be done.

The Lower House of Parliament on Sunday tasked its legal committee to revise the Wadi Araba Peace Treaty in reaction to the US’ announcement last Wednesday.

The committee is tasked with examining all Israeli violations against its commitments under the deal, and with compiling a detailed report to be forwarded to relevant Arab and international organisations.

Islamist Deputy Dima Tahboub (Amman 3rd District) said: “Trump’s decision is an aggressive act against all Arabs and Muslims.”

“The legal committee at Parliament is currently examining the Wadi Araba Peace Treaty and we hope we will manage to annul it,” Tahboub told The Jordan Times.

She added that the announcement by President Trump erases the “entire peace process and is a clear bias towards the Zionist state”.

Meanwhile, the US embassy on Wednesday issued several warnings, urging its citizens to “maintain a low profile and stay away from demonstration areas”. 

“US citizens should remain aware of the possibility of protests, some of which have the potential to become violent. The US embassy reminds its citizens of the need for caution and awareness of personal security,” a US embassy statement said.