Assessment for Palestinians in Jordan

Risk Assessment | Analytic Summary | References

Risk Assessment

Given Jordan's relatively weak position in the region, its peace treaty with Israel, and political alliance with the United States, Jordanian governmental authorities have a close eye on its Palestinian population, especially its most radical elements. One can view the condition and future of Palestinians in two ways: 1) The Palestinians are a disenfranchised majority in Jordan without equal rights or 2) Palestinians in Jordan by and large have it better than their ethnic brethren both economically and politically than in any other country in the region. Regardless of either position, there does not appear to be widespread sentiment among Jordanian Palestinians that the constitutional monarchy should be overthrown. While grievances against domestic policies exist, Palestinians in Jordan appear to be more concerned with the plight of Palestinians in the PA and the resurgent intifida in Israel.

Analytic Summary

Palestinians constitute about one-half of Jordan's population, and most of these Palestinians are Sunni Muslim. A people without a sovereign state of its own, Jordan's Palestinian community is comprised of those who found themselves under Jordanian rule when part of Palestine was incorporated into Transjordan upon its foundation in 1946 and those who fled to Jordan as a result of Israel's 1948 War of Independence and the 1967 Six-Day War, in which Israel occupied the Palestinian-populated West Bank and Gaza Strip. Palestinians range from prominent individuals assimilated fully into Jordanian society to impoverished refugees (DMSICK01-03 = 2). Linguistically (CULDIFX2 = 0) and religiously (CULDIFX4 = 0), Palestinians are not distinct from Jordanians, but differ in ethnicity and historical origin (CULDIFX1 = 2; CULDIFX3 = 2). Although certain Palestinians have "made it" in Jordanian society, (i.e., the queen is Palestinian), as a whole, they suffer economic discrimination (ECDIS01-03 = 2) in areas such as appointments to positions in the Government and the military, in admittance to public universities, and in the granting of university scholarships. Politically, as well, Palestinians suffer restrictions and social exclusion (POLDIS01-03 = 3). Although they constitute about one-half of the total population, the Palestinians contributed 6 of 28 ministers. In the Parliament, 6 of 40 senators and 11 of 80 lower house members were of Palestinian background. No Palestinians held any of the governorships in Jordan. In the electoral system, greater representation is given to regions with non-Palestinian populations. Additionally, approximately 150,000 Palestinian residents – mostly refugees or children of refugees who arrived from Gaza after 1967 – do not qualify for citizenship.

While the Jordanian state is generally not repressive, (a notable exception being 1971's Black September crackdown), there are documented recent occurrences of arrests (REP0101-03 = 3). There have been other instances of repression in recent years. On October 6, 2000, police used batons and tear gas to disperse protesters in the Baqaa refugee camp; one person was killed and six others were injured during the protest. In April 2002, a Palestinian child died of head injuries sustained when he was hit by a tear gas canister fired by riot police who were breaking up an anti-Israeli demonstration in the Palestinian Bakaa refugee camp.

The main conventional political outlet for Palestinians in Jordan is the Jordan People's Democratic Party and the Islamic Action Front; the main current militant organization is Hamas, whose members can live, but not operate legally, in Jordan. There have been no instances of Palestinian rebellion recently (REB98-03 = 0), and although political protest is discouraged, it occurs sporadically within the country (PROT99-03 = 3). Thousands of Jordanians and Palestinians marched through the streets in October 1999 to protest recent Jordanian measures against the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), and in August 2000, the Islamic Action Front organized several large demonstrations in support of Palestinian sovereignty over East Jerusalem. There was heavy police presence at these demonstrations; however, security forces did not prevent the demonstrations. In August 2001, more than 1,500 Palestinians demanded the Jordanian government cut ties with Israel made under a 1994 peace treaty. During 2002, a march by some 2,500 Jordanians and Palestinians, including members of the royal family (the queen is Palestinian), called for immediate intervention to end Palestinian suffering at Israeli hands. Also that year, in June 2003, at the Al-Ruwayshid refugee camp, residents staged a sit-in to protest their living conditions.

References

Lexis/Nexis: Reuters 9/7/93 to 2003

U.S. Department of State Human Rights Reports for 1993, 1994, 2001, 2002.

Associated Press Worldstream, August 28, 2001, Palestinian Refugees Stage Mass

Protests In Syria, Jordan And Lebanon Over Israeli Killing Of Palestinian

Leader.

Agence France Presse, April 9, 2002, Jordan's Queen Rania Leads Solidarity Brunch, March For Palestinian Rights.

BBC Monitoring Middle East - Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring, June 25, 2003, Over 1,000 Palestinians Said Stranded In Camp On Jordan-Iraq Border.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur, December 26, 2003, Pro-Saddam March In Jordan, Amman.