The January 27, 2023 shooting perpetrated near a synagogue in Jerusalem's Neve Ya'akov neighborhood, in which six Israelis and one Ukrainian national were murdered by a Palestinian terrorist, Khairi Alqam, evoked many reactions in Jordan. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning "all forms of violence against civilians" and calling to respect the sanctity of houses of worship.[1] However, despite this official condemnation, demonstrations of support for the Palestinian resistance were held in several areas around the country, including in the capital Amman, at which participants celebrated the attack and praised the Palestinian terrorist organizations.[2i] Some also sharply criticized the Foreign Ministry's "disgraceful" condemnation of the shooting.[3]
Articles in the Jordanian press took a similar view, justifying the attack and praising its perpetrator. Conspicuous among them was an article by journalist 'Abd Al-Hadi Raji Al-Majali in the government daily Al-Rai, which stated that the terrorist had made a greater mark on history with this action than the U.S. with achievements like the launching of the space shuttle or Israel with its wealth of technological and military innovations. The Palestinians' greatest asset, the article added, is the Palestinian womb, "which brings forth heroes with a strong love for Palestine," heroes who " understand the meaning of the faith in Palestine as a precious homeland worthy of blood and martyrdom." [4]
The following are translated excerpts from 'Abd Al-Hadi Raji Al-Majali's article: [5]
"In order to enter the annals of history in Palestine, you don't have to be the owner of a company like Tesla; you don't have to establish a social media network and launch it to the world; you don't have to invent a chicken spice mixture that becomes [popular] worldwide and open a restaurant chain with branches in every country. You don't have to establish a compact-disk start-up company or visit various capitals to receive some worthless prize, nor do you need TV cameras to follow you and document your success story. You don't even have to tell dirty jokes on TikTok and become the talk of every teenager.
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"History in Palestine is different from our history, and Palestinian celebrities are different from our celebrities. All you need to do in order to enter the annals of history in Palestine is devote 20 minutes of your life to carrying out a resistance operation against the occupation in the name of Jerusalem or in the name the martyrs, of the land, of history, of Arabhood or of the faith. Then you must decide to die as a martyr. You will be the one to take this decision after you carry out an earth-shattering [action] and after you look up to the mountaintops and smile.
"Yesterday the eyes of the entire world turned to Jerusalem. I remembered how the eyes of the world turned to the Discovery space shuttle when the Americans launched it following a years-long hiatus in the [race] to conquer space. It was said that the time that the cost of space shuttle and of the entire project was $100bn. Conversely, when the Palestinian people launch a martyr into space, they cause the world's eyes to turn to Jerusalem for no cost at all. And know that the Palestinian [martyr] does not just ascend to the first [level of] heaven or to near-earth space, but reaches Paradise, far above the space shuttle. The Palestinians do not present [the world with] scientific studies, but rather with lessons for history and eternal ways modes of action. They present heroism, self-sacrifice and honor as facts and not just as abstract concepts.
"True, Israel manufactured the Merkava, the world's best tank, as well as Iron Dome, the world's best [air-defense system]. It upgraded the F16 jet, and manufactured the world's best spy-drone system and the significant communications and espionage Amos satellite. It made the best sniper rifle, the best phosphorous bombs, the first laser-guided weapons system and the best communication-jamming systems.
"But the Palestinians produced the womb that brings forth heroes with a strong love for Palestine. Technology and scope of industry are not the [real] issue. The issue is the Palestinian womb, it is faith, it is the milk the Palestinians drink at their mothers' breasts. The issue is willpower. Israel is no manufacturer of wombs or of faith. It does not understand the significance of the fact that a Palestinian infant hears the name of Allah after every sip he takes from his mother's breast, nor does it understand the meaning of the faith in Palestine as a precious homeland worthy of blood and martyrdom. Therefore, Israel will necessarily be defeated, because the difference [between it and the Palestinians] remains vast. It is the difference between those who enter the annals of history with the greatest pride [i.e., the Palestinian martyrs] and those who try to erase history [i.e., Israel]."
[1] Al-Rai (Jordan), January 29, 2023.
[2] At a demonstration in Amman's Al-Nazzal neighborhood, for example, participants celebrated the shooting with cries of "Allah Akbar." Moussa Al-Wahsh, a former MP for the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood who attended the demonstration, spoke against "those who condemned the operation and sided with the enemies of the [Islamic] nation, when the nation itself is glad of this heroic attack." He added that "the joy [over the shooting], which is great and is felt by all members of this nation, is a clear referendum [indicating] that the nation wants to sweep this occupation from the land of Palestine." At a similar demonstration in Irbid, Mourad Al-'Adaila, the secretary-general of the Islamic Action Front party, the political branch of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood and Jordan's largest opposition party, said that the Jerusalem shooting "attests to the victory, the greatness and the pride of Palestine." Residents of the Al-Baqa'a Palestinian refugee camp handed out sweets and called to continue the fida'i operations (Assabeel.net, albosala.com, January 28, 2023).
[3] Jordanian MP Khalil 'Atiyya, for example, said that the "disgraceful" condemnation "undermined the Jordanian position in support of the Palestinian people" and "did not represent the honorable people of Jordan" (albosala.com, January 29, 2023). The judiciary committee of the Islamic Action Front party likewise opposed the condemnation and stated that, from a legal standpoint, it meant renouncing the right to oppose occupation, which is recognized "by all the monotheistic religions and international conventions" (Albosala.com, January 28, 2023).
[4] Articles celebrating the attack were also published in the Jordanian daily Al-Dustour. Columnist Ibrahim 'Abd Al-Majid Al-Qaisi, for instance, wrote on January 29 that the terrorist had "penetrated a settlement where thieves had taken over Palestinian soil… each of whom is a legitimate target for this young Palestinian hero and for all Palestinians who seek revenge and want to attain their rights in their homeland." He added: "Yesterday I watched footage of young Jordanians handing out sweets on one of the streets of the capital Amman in celebration of the Palestinian hero's action… This sentiment is not confined to those young people who were handing out sweets. It is shared by over two billion Muslims and by many Arab Christians…" He concluded by saying, "May Allah have mercy on the martyrs, and death to every racist and murderous occupier…"
[5] Al-Rai (Jordan), January 29, 2023.
