The Jordanian authorities have decided to close down the “Yarmouk” channel, affiliated with the Islamic Action Front party, also known as the Muslim Brotherhood, due to its lack of official licenses. Bashir Al-Momani, the Director-General of the Jordanian Media Commission, stated that the Commission filed a complaint with the Attorney General of Amman against the Yarmouk channel for violating the Audiovisual Media Law by broadcasting without a license. The Attorney General decided to seize the equipment used “in the crime of broadcasting without a license as part of the evidence in the lawsuit.” Al-Momani added that the Commission had previously filed several complaints on this matter, including one related to a general amnesty, while the latest decision came from the highest judicial authority in Jordan (the Court of Cassation) through a written order, considering the channel’s actions as „a crime of broadcasting without a license“. He clarified that the decision was made in accordance with the law, aligned with the definition of broadcasting in the Audiovisual Media Law and in accordance with a specific decree issued by the Special Council for Interpreting Laws, prompting the Commission to file a new complaint with the Attorney General of Amman, and legal proceedings were carried out accordingly. Al-Momani stated that the Media Commission would enforce the law without hesitation against violators, emphasizing that the judiciary is the ultimate authority in issuing judgments.
This comes shortly after accusations were leveled against the Muslim Brotherhood for inciting unrest in the Jordanian streets following the events of October 7 last year. The Jordanian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, categorized by the government as “unlicensed,” stated that its communications with Hamas are part of confronting what it described as „Zionist ambitions that extend beyond the borders of Palestine and reach towards Jordan“, according to „the principle of maintaining the privacy of each party and acting in the highest national interests that serve the Palestinian cause and defend it.“ It added that „the Palestinian issue is a national matter for Jordanians.“
The group, through its spokesperson Muath Al-Khawaldeh, told CNN Arabic that „the security and stability of Jordan are among the constants and interests of the Islamic movement, prioritized over any other interest.“ Al-Khawaldeh, responding to inquiries from our website, clarified the group’s stance regarding calls made by some Hamas leaders to the Jordanian public to protest against Israeli military operations in Gaza, and the accusations of „leading a noisy protest“ near the Israeli embassy in Amman. Al-Khawaldeh denied the validity of reports claiming contacts with Hamas and Iran regarding this matter.
The Jordanian government, through its spokesperson Mahend Mubeidin, considered that leaders within Hamas are seeking to manipulate the latter to sway public opinion in Jordan and arouse its sentiments regarding the war on Gaza. This was amidst calls to besiege the Israeli embassy in Amman, leading to direct clashes with Jordanian security forces and casting doubt on Jordan’s support for Gaza and calls for „rousing Arab squares“, raising Jordanian concerns about „instigating internal chaos“. Recent reports also indicated the role played by Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan in attempting to „destabilize internal stability“ in Jordan. However, the Jordanian government, as stated by Mubeidin, emphasized that Jordan does not support any factional efforts in the Palestinian cause but supports the Palestinian national authority and the resilience of Palestinians, particularly in the West Bank, alleviating the suffering of Gazans without compromising national security, while continuing to hold accountable those who break the law during protests.
The Jordanian government did not express „surprise“ at the communication between „the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan and Hamas“, according to Minister Mubeidin, who stated in remarks to CNN Arabic that there is an „ideological and intellectual connection“, with Hamas acting as the mother organization for the group.
A sit-in that occurred at the end of last March in the Jordanian capital, Amman, organized by the Muslim Brotherhood in the kingdom, shed light on a new spark that the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan was preparing for, as it eventually managed to disband this act, which openly supported Gaza and rejected the Israeli attack. However, secretly, it was a new attempt by the Muslim Brotherhood to prove its presence in the Jordanian street and stir unrest against the ruling family in the Hashemite Kingdom. The demands of this sit-in, which took place last Ramadan, included canceling the Wadi Araba agreement, the gas agreement, cutting the land bridge that transports goods from Gulf countries through Jordanian territories to Israel, and stopping the export of vegetables from Jordan to Israel. The Jordanian authorities eventually succeeded in ending this illegal gathering.
This sit-in showed that the Muslim Brotherhood leaders aim to harm Jordan by creating clashes between citizens and the government, taking advantage of the opportunity to exploit the political situation in the region, especially the Israeli war in Gaza, to incite discord in the Jordanian street.
The US has closely monitored the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan and its political orientations towards various internal and regional issues as well. In a confidential cable issued by the US Embassy in Amman years ago, then acting Ambassador Daniel Rubinstein stated: „In general, the Islamic movement in Jordan is referred to as the Brotherhood in the kingdom and its political party, the Islamic Action Front, and each party has a separate leadership structure, but both are subject to the Shura Council.“ He added: „The Shura Council consists of 50 members, 33-35 of whom are elected by local branches of the Muslim Brotherhood, 12 are elected by the Jordanian Brotherhood outside the kingdom, and five others are appointed as observers by the members of the 45, and all members vote to determine the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood.“
The cable pointed out that the relationship between the group and the Jordanian government „has become more tense in recent years, reaching its peak after Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007.“ The cable indicated that the Muslim Brotherhood exploited sensitive issues for Jordanians, such as Israeli attacks on Gaza, to gain the support of Jordanians. It stated that „the Islamic movement used the situation in Gaza as a pretext to repeat its traditional calls for canceling the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel signed in 1994,“ noting that „the escalation in rhetoric resonates with the Jordanian public, which is generally angry about the violence in the sector.“
The then US Ambassador in Amman, David Hale, wrote in a confidential cable, saying: „The King (Jordan’s ruler) and his top aides are concerned about a group drawing activity from Hamas’ victory nearby, and they are angry at the condolences of (Abu Musab) al-Zarqawi.“ At that time, acting US Ambassador to Jordan Daniel Rubinstein pointed out that four deputies from the Islamic Action Front praised the terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a leader of al-Qaeda, despite 59 percent of Jordanians considering him a terrorist. Another former US Ambassador to Jordan, Edward Gnehm pointed out that „the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1945 as an extension of the Egyptian Brotherhood.“ In his cable dated August 2003, he said: „The King allowed the Brotherhood to classify itself as an Islamic institution during a period of party ban in Jordan. Thus, the Brotherhood was able to develop its organizational structure and influence, while other political movements had to work underground, and over the past 40 years, the group has promoted its political beliefs through its control of professional associations and through its social activities and relatively modest relief efforts and media efforts.“ He added that „elements of the Jordanian government responsible for monitoring are concerned about the ultimate goals of religious extremists, which are more radical than the organization’s stated policy, and that there may be links between Muslim Brotherhood members and more extremist organizations.“
Reports also revealed that sources in the Jordanian government have officially filed complaints with the Iraqi government regarding the communication between armed Iraqi factions and Jordanian dissidents, specifically Islamic dissidents from the Muslim Brotherhood, and that these factions also fund and arm Jordanian groups. Kata’ib Hezbollah also announced that it had prepared weapons to arm thousands of fighters in Jordan under the pretext of supporting Palestinians. This announcement comes as Jordanian circles warn of Iranian and Muslim Brotherhood schemes to undermine Jordan’s security.
These dangerous developments underscore the inevitability of banning the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, as they have recently sought any means to deteriorate the security situation in Jordan, destabilize the Hashemite Kingdom, and stir unrest in the streets of Jordan, especially as the organization faces increasing pressure in many countries in the region, especially Egypt and Tunisia, and its desire to have a strong presence in a country in the region, which is involved in regional crises, and to achieve Iran’s desire to destabilize Jordan through the organization.
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