The Palestinian connection: Jordan marches en masse for Gaza

The Asr prayer has just concluded, and a historic scene unfolds in downtown Amman. The sky is adorned with a sea of Palestinian flags, each one billowing proudly in the breeze.

Thousands of people, both Palestinians and Jordanians, fill the streets with a deep sense of purpose, making their way towards the Al Husseini Mosque.

It's at this juncture that the Pro-Palestinian rallies commence, echoing with powerful slogans such as “Open the borders,” “We are walking to free Palestine, either dead or alive,”, and “We are one nation not two”.

"The protests we have seen over the past two weeks are unprecedented. Even during the Arab Spring, we did not see such demonstrations in Jordan"

Among the crowd stands Diana Sarhan, a 35-year-old lawyer hailing from the city of Jaffa in the West Bank, currently residing in Jordan.

Although she had never actively engaged in protests in the past, uncertain about their potential impact, the recent war in Gaza and the overwhelming sense of distress has led her to realise that participating in a protest serves several purposes.

“It allows me not only to alleviate the stress I feel when I'm confined to watching the news from home, but also to express my solidarity with my Palestinian brothers and sisters, reassuring them that they are not alone, and we stand beside them,” Diana tells The New Arab.

Since the onset of the war, daily protests have become a regular occurrence in Jordan, spanning from Irbid to the border with the West Bank, and Aqaba.

In Amman, demonstrations consistently gather people at symbolic locations, such as the Al Kalouti mosque near the Israeli embassy, as well as the historic city centre, to name just a few.

In a country where a significant portion of the population is of Palestinian origin, it is not surprising that there is support for the Palestinian cause. However, it is the scale of this support that makes it truly historic for the country.

“The protests we have seen over the past two weeks are unprecedented. Even during the Arab spring, we did not see such demonstrations in Jordan,” confirms Marwan al-Muasher former Jordan's foreign minister and current vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Challenging Palestinian dehumanisation and exposing Western double standards

According to Marwan al-Muasher, it is also the double standards employed by Western nations that have spurred many Jordanians into action. 

In recent weeks, numerous voices have risen to decry this unequal treatment, as evident in a letter signed by 842 European staff addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen where she has been criticised for her “unconditional support” of Israel, and the “double standards” regarding her reaction to the war in Ukraine and to the one in Gaza.

“There has been a worldwide condemnation for various crimes committed by Hamas, but when it comes to Palestinians, such condemnation seems to be elusive even if the civilian death toll has already reached 3.500,” says al-Muasher.

“This has infuriated Jordanian public opinion, and generated a deep sense of outrage over the Palestinian dehumanisation occurring at such a significant scale,” he added.

Marwan was the first Jordanian ambassador to Israel after the signing of the Wadi Araba treaty in 1994.

As a result, many of the protesters, besides expressing solidarity with their Palestinian relatives, also seek to convey their stance on the war to the global community.

This is particularly true for individuals like Mohammad, a 30-year-old Palestinian from Gaza who now works in Germany. He returned to Amman not only to reunite with his family but also to freely demonstrate in the face of the crackdown on Palestine solidarity in Europe.

“Western media are missing something, they need to engage more with us, understand our thoughts, and why we are protesting. Much of the media coverage refers to this war as the “Hamas-Israeli war,” but it is essential to underscore that this is not solely a Hamas war, it is a Palestinian struggle for survival,” says Mohammad to The New Arab.

“Many people are unaware of the history of Palestinians, and it's important to remember that the war didn't begin with on the 7th of October; it traces its roots back to the creation of Israel and 75 years of occupation,” he adds.

Comprehensive support extending far beyond the streets

To share their side of the story, many Palestinians in Jordan are also actively using social media. Since the onset of the war, Instagram accounts, such as that of the film director Alaa Hamdan, have been committed to continually sharing content and news about Palestine.

Other users, have taken it upon themselves to create videos that direct users to Gaza-based journalists, as well as pages dedicated to sharing information about Palestine, such as “Eye on Palestine”.

For Mohammad, it was during Israel's 2021 aggression that he came to realise the impact social media could have on those around him and the significance of online mobilisation.

“I have a lot of international friends, and I realised that many of them did not grasp what was happening. That is when I became an active online activist, posting 24/7 on social media about the war. Thanks to that, many of my friends started to support Palestine because they had a better understanding of the situation,” he tells The New Arab.

In the current context, Mohammad is primarily engaged in debunking fake news on social media in response to what he describes as the “Israeli propaganda machine”. Since the beginning of the war, misinformation, disinformation, and fake news have inundated social platforms, and at times, have even been shared by international media outlets.

While it's challenging to ascertain the full extent of this phenomenon, the New Guards counter misinformation tool has already identified no fewer than 21 myths circulating across platforms like X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as on various websites.

Boycotting products

Concurrently, there has also been a surge in calls for boycotts in Jordan echoing with the regional one, as a growing number of individuals advocate for the boycott of Israeli products and of American and European companies that align with the occupation.

“We are trying to boycott everything, from everyday items like Starbucks coffee and McDonald's food to shoe brands like Nike and Puma. We really do not need those brands, and it is always better to support local brands anyway,” says Diana to The New Arab.

“This conflict has moved beyond its historical origins to become a pressing human issue. It is clear that this situation is no longer an ordinary conflict; it has evolved into something far more distressing and inhumane. We must continue to stand in solidarity,” she concluded.