The Jordanian security services cracked down on a public demonstration on Friday before it could reach the Israeli Embassy in Amman, Anadolu news agency has reported. The protest was organised by leftist and national factions to condemn the “Zionist violations against the holy sites in occupied Palestine.”

During the dispersal of the demonstration, security officers arrested a number of the demonstrators, although they were released once the protest had ended. Protestors called for the Israeli Embassy to be closed and the Jordan-Israel “Wadi Araba” peace treaty to be scrapped. They also called for immediate intervention by the Jordanian government to protect the holy sites, particularly Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Saying that the Palestinians should unite in order to be strong in the face of their enemy, a statement issued by the demonstrators also said that Arab governments should be “serious” about dealing with the Israel-Palestine conflict. Interestingly, it also pointed out that the cause of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque is not the whole issue. “Israeli aggression against the holy city and sites is part of a regional and international Zionist plan to liquidate the Palestinian issue,” it insisted.

At the same time as the march to the embassy, a rally was organised by the Committee of Engineers for Palestine and Jerusalem, which is affiliated to the Jordanian Professional Associations’ Complex. Under the banner “Al-Aqsa will never be divided”, it was attended by a number of national, Islamic and popular factions.

(Middle East Monitor)