Investigations are being conducted by the interior ministry of Jordan into local truck drivers transporting goods to the Allenby Bridge, the crossing point between their nation and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. This course of action was triggered by a tragic event on Sunday in which a Jordanian driver took the lives of three Israeli security guards. The perpetrator, Maher Diab Hussein al-Jazi of the Hwaitat tribe, was killed at the scene. Hailing from the economically disadvantaged Maan governate in the south, al-Jazi reportedly had historical roots in the Arab Legion, which had successfully held off Israeli forces during the establishment war in 1948.
In honour of what they deemed Jazi’s “martyrdom”, a massive gathering of Jordanians walked from al-Husseini Mosque in central Amman on Sunday evening, marking the significance of his tribal lineage. Jazi is a descendant of Maher al-Jazi who led the legion troops in combat against the Israeli military during the 1968 battle at the Jordanian border town of Karameh, following Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem, West Bank, and Gaza.
Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood party’s leader, Murad Adaileh expressed his approval of the “heroic operation”. Factions like Hamas regarded Jazi’s acts as an understandable retaliation to Israeli “offences”.
Jazi’s links trace back to the local, indigenous tribes of Jordan, which have been supporting the monarchy since its inception in 1921. Many from these tribes serve in the military. The Hwaitat tribe, from which Jazi was sourced, is a notably influential tribe extending to Egypt’s Sinai peninsula and Saudi Arabia. This tribe has previously expressed dissatisfaction towards the monarchy due to perceived neglect, corruption and marginalisation, culminating in their support for a failed bid by King Abdullah’s half-brother, Hamza, against the king in 2021.
The conflict in Gaza has heightened tensions and incited large-scale protests against Jordan’s historically unpopular peace treaty with Israel from 1994. Discontent within the Jordanian government has been triggered by Itamar Ben Gvir, Israeli security minister, as well as religious enthusiasts who have breached the pre-existing agreement which gives Jordan stewardship of the mosque complex in East Jerusalem. This site is considered sacred to the Jews as the location of ancient Jewish temples. For several decades, Jordan has been the caretaker of Christian and Muslim religious sites in this city.
Jordan’s minister of foreign affairs, Ayman Safadi, has implored the United Nations Security Council to promptly intervene to halt Israel’s “unlawful measures”. His condemnation of the Israeli military’s operations in Gaza and the West Bank has been pronounced, due to concerns held by Jordanians that it could instigate a new wave of Palestinian refugees heading to Jordan.
The politically sensitive incidents occurred in the lead-up to the Jordanian parliamentary elections on Tuesday. Candidates who are tribal, centrist and pro-government are predicted to secure majority of the 138 seats available in the assembly.