(JNS) — Riot police on Sunday clashed with hundreds of Jordanians protesting near the Israeli Embassy in Amman against Jerusalem’s war against the Hamas terror group, according to media reports.
Demonstrators reportedly chanted, “No Zionist embassy on Jordanian land,” while others shouted, “We want to go to the borders and kill and kidnap Zionist soldiers. Revenge…revenge…Oh Hamas, bomb Tel Aviv.”
The protesters had initially gathered in the Kaloti mosque close to the Israeli diplomatic mission. Several were reportedly beaten and arrested as they tried to break through a police cordon around the embassy.
Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lior Haiat confirmed to JNS that the protest had taken place, but would say only that all embassy diplomats and staff were safe.
Israel’s embassy in Jordan was evacuated at the beginning of the war on the order of then-Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. Israel also told its citizens to immediately leave Jordan over concerns Jews could be attacked there due to the conflict with Hamas.
Israel denounced as “despicable” a Jordanian resolution the U.N. General Assembly approved on Oct. 27 calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza but making no mention of Hamas or the fact that the Islamist terrorist organization is holding Israeli hostages in the Strip.
Hamas praised Jordan’s nonbinding resolution and called for its immediate implementation.
An estimated 70% of Jordan’s 12 million citizens are Palestinian.
