Jordan is temporarily suffering a diplomatic scuffle with its neighbors, internal opposition and the Muslim world over its downing of Iranian missiles.
This action was done in cooperation with the U.S.A., Israel, France and the U.K., leading many critics to claim Jordan is a Western puppet. These accusations are harmful because they sow the seeds for revolution, a reality Jordanian leaders have had to fend off before.
The 1970s saw Jordan expel many Palestinian refugees over the Palestine Liberation Organization's civil war to oust Jordan's monarchy.
The 2010s Arab Spring led to the Hashemite Dynasty’s power reduction for more democracy.
Today, King Abdullah II still suffers illegitimacy claims because he retains Western allies, even on home soil. Jordan was attacked this year by neighboring militias killing three U.S. military personnel. The U.S. maintains military in Jordan on a mutual agreement to keep Jordan and American interests safe.
The revolutionary ideology serves as a basis for continued protests inside Jordan against anything American like Coca-Cola to anything else connected to nations deemed to be aligned with Israel. Additionally, the ideology is funded and promoted by opponents of Jordan’s monarchy who wish to oust the 41st-generation direct descendent of the Prophet Muhammad.
King Abdullah II’s and the Hashemite’s role in formulating peace treaties and agreements with Israel and the U.S. has received criticism. The Wadi Araba Treaty of 1994 that ended Jordan’s and Israel’s war and established diplomatic recognition has been most criticized because it established the security guarantees that neither country will serve as a starting point for attacks against the other, that each nation will try to stop attacks from third nations that use each other’s territory, and that each will work together in energy, water, tourism, and other sectors.
Islamists and leftists often rally against the treaty as “acting upon America’s wishes” and not Jordanian’s. Since the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, and the Israeli response, Jordan has been beefing up its border security to stop its more than two million registered Palestinian refugees turned Jordanian citizens from storming Israel.
The recent releases of royal deals whereby King Abdullah II himself has led trade agreements to attain de-salinized water from Israel in exchange for solar energy from Jordan, as well as the 2021 agreement to allow U.S. military personnel in the Hashemite Kingdom has created more dissatisfaction.
While Jordan maintains support for Palestinian people through aid delivery, a refuge, diplomatic support for a two-state solution and the continued protection of Muslim and Christian holy sites and sectors in Jerusalem, these efforts have been overshadowed. The recent shooting down of Iranian rockets has exasperated the critics who now feel Jordan has gone too far, including from officials in Iran.
Inside Jordan, large opposition is now demanding changes to anti-terrorism laws to allow for “armed resistance,” a complete break from any deals deemed reliant on Israel or the U.S. and a more militarized populace to fend off the West and Israel.