Jordan's voice against Palestinian displacement

For weeks, the Jordanian street has witnessed a wave of protests and widespread popular marches in all governorates, cities and deserts, expressing the categorical rejection of any attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land.

These protests came in response to the statements of US President Donald Trump and the plans of the Israeli government   towards the Gaza Strip, amid fears of attempts to impose forced displacement scenarios that conflict with the historical rights of the Palestinian people and represent a flagrant violation of international law.

In light of these developments, the Jordanian people, in all their spectrums, rally around the Hashemite leadership, which confirms its firm position in rejecting any projects aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause or changing the demographic identity of the occupied land.

His Majesty King Abdullah has repeatedly stressed that Jordan will not accept any attempts to impose a new reality at the expense of the rights of the Palestinians, and that the Kingdom will continue its diplomatic and political efforts to protect the Palestinian people and prevent their displacement, relying on broad popular support that reflects the unity of the official and popular Jordanian position in confronting these plans.

These demonstrations reflect a historically entrenched position among Jordanians, as the Jordanian and Palestinian peoples are linked by strong fraternal and national ties, making any threat to the Palestinians a threat to Jordan itself. The most prominent reasons for these protests can be summarised as follows:

Jordanians categorically reject forced displacement, as they see that any new displacement of Palestinians poses a direct threat to the Palestinian national identity, and will lead to serious regional repercussions, in light of the Israeli occupation's attempts to repeat the scenarios of the Nakba and the Naksa.

The Jordanian people also reject the liquidation of the Palestinian cause, and Jordanians believe that the displacement of Palestinians will lead to the final liquidation of the Palestinian cause, and the abolition of the right of return, which is considered one of the Palestinian and Arab national constants.

Since the occupation of Palestine, Jordan has been at the forefront of countries that have supported the Palestinian cause politically and popularly and has embraced hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees who have refused to give up their legitimate rights.

Considering Jordan as the guardian of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, through the Hashemite guardianship, the Jordanian people believe that any new displacement of Palestinians will represent a direct threat to the Arab and Islamic identity of the holy city.

These protests were manifested in various forms of popular mobilisation, in mass marches where thousands of Jordanians took part in huge marches in the capital Amman, Irbid, Zarqa, Karak, Ma'an, Tafilah and Aqaba, in addition to the Jordanian Badia regions, where demonstrators raised Jordanian flags, chanting slogans calling for support for the steadfastness of the Palestinians and rejecting forced displacement.

Many areas witnessed protests in front of the embassies of some major countries, demanding that the international community take a decisive stance against Israeli policies.

Sit-ins and rhetorical festivals were also held in several rhetorical events in universities and professional unions, where speakers stressed that the displacement of Palestinians is a red line that cannot be accepted.

In addition to electronic and media solidarity, wide solidarity campaigns have spread across social media, with the hashtags #No_to_Displacement and #Jordan_Rejects_Displacement_of_Palestinians** trending, with messages affirming the unity of destiny between the Jordanian and Palestinian peoples.

These demonstrations have received support from political, parliamentary and union figures, as the Jordanian government has confirmed its position rejecting any attempts to impose a new displacement of Palestinians, and King Abdullah has confirmed on several occasions that Jordan will not allow any forced demographic change in Palestine, warning that any attempts in this direction will lead to a humanitarian and security disaster. The government has also intensified its diplomatic efforts, and sent warning messages to the international community regarding the danger of these Israeli policies.

Considering the regional and international dimensions, these demonstrations come at a time of escalating regional tensions, as many Jordanians fear that the displacement of Palestinians is a prelude to a larger plan aimed at rearranging the map of the region, in conflict with the historical rights of the Palestinian people. These developments also place the international community before its responsibilities, as it is unacceptable to impose sanctions on some countries while ignoring the violations of the Israeli occupation.

Jordan faces major challenges in this file, as it seeks to maintain its internal stability amid tense regional conditions, while continuing to defend the rights of the Palestinians and prevent any attempts to impose solutions that ignore the will of the two peoples. The official and popular Jordanian position is consistent in rejecting any plans aimed at displacing the Palestinians from their land, as this poses a direct threat not only to the Palestinian cause, but also to Jordanian national security and the stability of the region as a whole.

These protests are expected to continue unless the Israeli aggression on Gaza is stopped and the rights of the Palestinians to their land are not infringed upon. Here, the importance of the role played by the Hashemite leadership emerges, as it works to employ all diplomatic and political tools to stop these violations, in light of broad popular support that reflects the extent of national rallying around this fateful issue.

These Jordanian demonstrations reflect the depth of popular solidarity with Palestine and confirm that any attempts to displace Palestinians will not pass without categorical rejection by the Jordanian street, which continues to express its clear position through various marches and events. The biggest challenge remains how to transform this popular momentum into effective political and diplomatic pressure that contributes to protecting Palestinian rights and prevents the implementation of any plans that threaten the stability of the region and reproduce humanitarian catastrophes.

Hasan Dajah is professor of strategic studies at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University