Scores protest against US ‘interference’ in domestic affairs

AMMAN – Scores of people protested outside the American embassy premises on Wednesday, accusing the US of interfering in the Kingdom’s internal affairs.

Around 200 individuals from different affiliations participated in the demonstration, which aimed to send a message to the US administration that the people reject any attempt to address the Palestinian issue at the expense of Jordanian interests, according to a participant.

“The US intentions were clear in the documents published on the Internet by Wikileaks, in which senior Jordanian officials, diplomats and columnists of Palestinian origin urged the US to put pressure on the government to take measures to absorb Palestinian refugees within Jordanian society,” he told The Jordan Times.

“I am a Palestinian Jordanian, and I respect and appreciate this country for supporting our cause… I have never felt like a stranger in this country, although sometimes I have felt discriminated against. Nevertheless, I will always have a dream to go back to my home village in the West Bank, and I will never let anyone take this right from me,” he said.

According to the documents released by Wikileaks, former Royal Court chief Adnan Abu Odeh, former interior minister Rajai Dajani and Ad Dustour columnist Oraib Rantawi, among others, said that Jordanians of Palestinian origin do not have the same political rights as East Bank Jordanians.

The US embassy declined a comment on the issue.

The protest, which was called for by a group of ex-servicemen and carried out amidst heavy police presence, ended peacefully within two hours.

Meanwhile, an invitation to stage a protest outside the Israeli embassy on Thursday is being circulated on Facebook.

According to the event’s page on the social networking website, thousands have confirmed their participation in the protest, which will also be joined by the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood movement.

jordantimes