Jordan's King Abdullah II warned Sunday against attempts to exploit Israel's crackdown on the Palestinians to stir up discontent in Jordan, threatening to crack down on any "confrontation."
Abdullah, gathering the kingdom's military leaders for a traditional iftar meal breaking the daily Ramadan fast, said Jordan has authorized nearly 300 pro-Palestinian demonstrations since violence erupted September 28 and that "only a small percent" of protesters were troublesome.
"We have tolerated this minority, but if it seeks to destabilize the country further or if it's looking for a confrontation, I will be ready for them with the help of the Jordanian Arab army," said Abdullah, his remarks broadcast on state television.
Casting blame on unnamed "people and organizations in and outside of the country," Abdullah said that "Jordan's stability and safety is a red line we will not let anyone cross."
In early October, Jordan announced a ban on anti-Israel demonstrations after some residential neighborhoods were vandalized and a young Palestinian was killed in a protest at a refugee camp outside Amman.
But the government has since relented and authorized dozens of organized demonstrations.
Jordan's Prime Minister Ali Abu Ragheb in early November blamed a previously unknown group, "the Popular Association for the Support of the al-Aqsa Intifada", of carrying out illegal activities to destabilize the kingdom.
The group, which had issued statements denouncing any restrictions on protests, includes a number of Jordanian nationalists and is close to radical Palestinian groups, according to Jordanian political circles.
The association was particularly critical of the Jordanian police's use of tear-gas, water cannon and truncheons to block demonstrators on October 24 from marching across a bridge into the Palestinian territories.
More than half of Jordan's five million people claim Palestinian roots, including Abdullah's wife Queen Rania. Another 1.5 million Palestinians live in refugee camps in the kingdom, which is one of only two Arab country to have signed a peace treaty with Israel. The other is Egypt -- AMMAN (AFP)
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