UPDATED ON:
Monday, January 05, 2009
08:33 Mecca time, 05:33 GMT
News Middle East
Jordan 'reconsidering Israel ties'

Protesters have called for diplomatic ties to be frozen and the Israeli ambassador expelled [EPA]

Jordan's prime minister has said his country may review its diplomatic ties with Israel in the wake of the offensive in Gaza.

"Jordan will look into all options, including reconsidering relations with Israel," Nader Dahabi told legislators on Sunday.

"There is no way we would remain silent when this threat affects the security of the entire region."

Jordan and Egypt are the only two Arab states to have normalised relations with Israel. Amman also has strong ties with the US.

IN DEPTH

Latest news and analysis from Gaza and Israel

Al Jazeera Labs: Report on and track the war

Send us your views and eyewitness videos

Watch our coverage of the war on Gaza

But with public criticism mounting, the government is facing pressure to rethink those diplomatic links.

Earlier thousands of students from universities across Jordan marched to the parliament in Amman demanding the freezing of diplomatic relations with Israel and the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador.

Jordan is home to nearly three million Palestinian refugees, the majority of whom have been naturalised as Jordanian citizens but who remain strongly attached to their homeland.

One female student protester told the Reuters news agency that "we'll continue taking to the streets, otherwise we'll be like Egypt that is doing nothing".

The protesters said they would stay on the streets until their demands were met.

Jordanians have held street protests and rallies nationwide since the Gaza offensive.

On Friday around 60,000 protesters, with some chanting "No Jewish embassy on Arab land", answered an opposition call for a show of support for Hamas.

Security forces have been bracing for violence but have largely allowed demonstrations to proceed.

Riot police did, however, fire teargas and make arrests as they pushed back hundreds of protesters marching on the Israeli embassy after Friday prayers.

 Source: Agencies
 
Topics in this article
Country

City

Feedback Number of comments : 6
 
Abdul
United States
06/01/2009
And nor should the Arab Leaders stay silent on these crimes against humanity. All possible non violent actions should be taken, including Economic, Energy blockade of Israel and its supporters to bring about an end to this massacre. It is also up to the people of the world to ensure that these atrocities are cataloged and that one day, Israel answers to the Hague. This is nothing but a tactic to win the Israeli election with the blood of the palestenians...wrong n evil in every sense.

Dennis
Jordan
06/01/2009
Student Protest
What amazes me, is that the Middle East is silent while rockets are being fired into Israel for the past several years, but they come out screaming when the Israeli's start fighting back? Where is the morailty in this?

Ash
United Kingdom
06/01/2009
Reconsidering Israel Ties
Hamas has only fired rockets because of the crippling stranglehold Israel had and has on Gaza, even through out the the so called 'truce'. What do you expect the Gazans to do? You people who constantly remark that "Israel has a right to defend her self" How about Palestines right? Imagine French military forces constantly hanging around around Birmingham, or Manchester, and checking every car, motorcycle as it goes by? What would the British public do?

D
United Arab Emirates
06/01/2009
rockets fired at israel for several years..
what amazes me..is that people form opinions and judgements without knowing the whole story...get real credible facts..and then share your opion..

Suzan
Palestinian Territory
06/01/2009
Commenting on Denniss Feedback
It amazes me how some people try to justify what Israel is doing, and dare to talk about morality!! Israel = Occupation, where is the morality in Occupation??!! Did the Jews think about morality when they occupied Palestine??!! The Israeli’s have been occupying Palestine for the past 60 years, and the list of what they have done to the Palestinians is never ending!! Nations have the right to resist occupation Palestinians have the right to resist the Israeli occupation.

hitler
Afghanistan
13/01/2009
gaza
the murdering jews dont want peace cause they not stopping settlements and dont intend to give up land . they only talking about peace and bush and his dumb condolezza rice achieved nothing, instead the jews get the go ahead to murder.

 
ARTICLE TOOLS
 Email Article  Email article
 Print Article  Print article
 Send Feedback  Send feedback
 Share article  Share article
Aljazeera.net/english 2003 - 2010 ©
Designed & Developed by Aljazeera IT