(Washington, D.C.: October 18, 2024): On October 18, 2024, two Jordanian citizens, Amer Qawas and Hossam Abu Ghazale, carried out an attack on the Israeli military, crossing the border near the Dead Sea into Israel and wounding two Israeli soldiers. Jordan's largest political party, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), which won the biggest block in parliament in the September 2024 elections, endorsed the attack, in a statement reproduced in English below, calling it a "heroic operation… in response to the massacres committed by the occupation against the Palestinian population in Gaza and the West Bank."
"Popular armed resistance to Israel's war in Gaza has now spread from Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen to Jordan, reflected not only in this surprise cross-border attack by two ordinary Jordanians, but also in the public endorsement for the attack by Jordan's largest political party, the Islamic Action Front," said Sarah Leah Whitson, DAWN's Executive Director. "This escalation is a direct result of the Israeli military's genocidal campaign in Gaza and the West Bank, which is fueling anger and militancy across the region."
"This event is further proof that the the Jordanian public's anger at Israel's Gaza genocide cannot be soothed with hollow official statements or contained by force and surveillance, " said Raed Jarrar, DAWN's advocacy director. "Despite Jordan's exceptional security apparatus, two young, untrained men managed to carry out a serious attack. The only way to stop the escalation is for the U.S. to force a ceasefire in Gaza by imposing an immediate arms embargo on Israel."
"This is a dangerous moment for Jordan, the first time in decades when a political party in Jordan is endorsing non-state military action against Israel," said Jamal Al-Tahat, DAWN's senior advisor. "The Jordanian government should respect the rights of its citizens to express their opinions about the genocide in Gaza, and avoid further inflaming its citizens with reckless reprisals against the Islamic Action Front."
Islamic Action Front Statement:
The Islamic Action Front Party blesses the heroic operation carried out by two young members of the Islamic movement, the heroic martyr Amer Qawas and the heroic martyr Hossam Abu Ghazaleh, this morning in the Dead Sea area on the Jordanian-Palestinian border, which resulted in the injury of several soldiers of the criminal occupation. This action is a response to the massacres committed by the occupation against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank, and the aggression against holy sites.
The party sees this operation as a true expression, through bullets and blood, of the stance of the free Jordanian youth and the heartbeat of the Jordanian street, which supports the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and their resistance against the occupation. It represents a natural response to the genocidal massacres being committed against our brothers in blood and destiny for more than a year, amidst blatant international complicity and disgraceful Arab silence. This operation continues the path of sacrifice and martyrdom paved by the Jordanian martyrs who preceded them on the soil of Palestine as partners in the struggle for liberation.
The Islamic Action Front Party expresses its pride and honor in this heroic operation, in which two young Jordanians, with their pure blood, wrote scenes of heroism and sacrifice, avenging the innocent blood spilled on the land of Palestine and Lebanon. The party calls on the government to reconsider all agreements signed with the Zionist enemy, to stop the land passage to the Zionist entity, and to work on preparing the necessary arrangements to confront Zionist threats. This includes strengthening the internal front and reactivating the Popular Army to prepare Jordanian youth to be a support for the valiant Jordanian army in the face of the increasing threats posed by the Zionist enemy to Jordan's sovereignty and national security.
