Jordan's Angry Tribes | People and Power

Jordan and its Hashemite monarchy have long been regarded as stable fixtures in a region often beset by political uncertainty.

But King Abdullah II is under growing pressure to reboot a struggling economy, institute constitutional reform, and stand firm against a controversial US-Saudi scheme, the so-called "Deal of the Century" to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

We sent filmmakers Mariam Shahin, Nada Issa and George Azar to find out why these pressures are becoming difficult for the government to ignore and what effect they are having on the kingdom's delicate demographic balance - between increasingly angry members of its indigenous tribes, known as "East Bankers", and Palestinians who have fled here in the past six decades and become citizens.

Prince Charles and Camilla Welcomed to Royal Palace in Jordan
Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall met King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan at the Royal Palace in Amman on Tuesday on the second day of their Middle East tour.

Jordan: King Abdullah II Cancels UK Trip After Protests
THE INDEPENDENT: King Abdullah II has cancelled his trip to London scheduled for next week, after thousands of Jordanians took to the streets of Amman yesterday calling for his fall on the fourth day of unrest sparked by rising fuel prices.

There had been anxiety over the visit due to the violence in Gaza, as his wife, Queen Rania, is Palestinian. Smaller groups of protesters have made rare calls against the monarch before. But the crowd in the capital of about 2,500, chanting slogans reminiscent of last year's Arab Spring uprisings, was the largest yet to seek the overthrow of the regime. » | Jalal Halaby, AMMAN | AP | Friday, November 16, 2012

Inside Story - Jordan: A Kingdom Divided?
With political strife and turmoil on Jordan's doorstep, we discuss the future of the Hashemite kingdom.Hazem Sika, speaks to Toujan al-Faisal, Ian Black and Adnan Hayajneh.

Jordanians Hold Protest Against King Abdullah
Thousands of Jordanians have taken part in one of the largest street protests yet against King Abdullah. Crowds of people, including Muslim Brotherhood supporters, were displaying their anger on Friday at the pace of political reform. This peaceful protest is the closest Jordan has come to the Arab Spring. And though the country has mostly been spared calls for revolution, protesters there are demanding change. On Thursday, the king dissolved parliament in an apparent bid to take the sting out of the protests. Al Jazeera's Jane Arraf reports from Amman.

Jordan Denies Attack on King's Motorcade
Jordanian government spokesman Taher Adwan on Monday denied reports of an attack on King Abdullah's motorcade while he was on an official tour in the southern city of Tafilah

King of Jordan Announces Elected Governments

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: King Abdullah of Jordan last night became the first Middle Eastern leader to hand over substantial power voluntarily since the start of the 'Arab Spring' as he announced the country would move to constitutional, elected government.

In a televised address, the king, who has faced repeated demonstrations this year but no uprising on the scale of those in Tunisia, Egypt or Syria, said that future governments would be "based on parliamentary majority and political party manifestos".

The king's move will be welcomed by his backers in the West, who have privately urged him to remain in step with public opinion and increase the pace of reform in the country. » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Sunday, June 12, 2011

Thousands of Jordanians Protest for Democratic Gains
YNET NEWS: Protestors in Amman chant 'people want an elected government'; opposition leader Sheikh Mansour says 'reform has become a necessity that cannot wait'

Around five thousand Jordanian protestors took to the streets of Amman on Friday demanding political liberalization, wider parliamentary representation and constitutional changes limiting the powers of the throne.

"Reform and change, this is the demand of people," angry protestors shouted among a mainly Islamists and leftist crowd joined by some tribal and liberal figures marching from the main Husseini mosque in the capital's downtown to a nearby square.

The Jordanian opposition, spearheaded by the mainstream Islamists, the country's largest political party, have been protesting for weeks for wider democratic gains as anti-government demonstrations sweep across the Arab world.

They are demanding more say, starting with a modern election law that broadens representation in parliament for inhabitants of the capital and the major cities of Zarqa and Irbid, where most of the country's seven million population live. >>> Reuters | Friday, February 25, 2011

Bedouin Tribes Accuse Jordan's Queen Rania of Corruption
THE GUARDIAN: Criticism comes at a difficult time for the monarchy, whose authority has been sapped by growing political unrest

In an unprecedented move the leaders of Jordan's main Bedouin tribes have published an open letter addressed to King Abdullah II accusing his wife, Queen Rania, of corruption. The text, released on 5 February, is signed by 36 representatives of the main Bedouin tribes. It comes at a particularly difficult time for the king, whose authority has been sapped by the growing discontent voiced by demonstrators.

On 9 February the recently appointed prime minister, Marouf Bakhit, announced a new cabinet including several leftwing figures and an Islamist. But this timid opening seems unlikely to end the unrest.

Until now the monarchy had managed to play on the opposition's instinctive loyalty. "It is not the king who is to blame," Hamza Mansour, the secretary-general of the Islamic Action Front (the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood), recently told Le Monde, "but the clique surrounding him." The outlook seems even more uncertain now that the tribes have added their voice to the tide of criticism. >>> Laurent Zecchini | Tuesday, February 15, 2011

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Jordan Tribes Criticise Queen Rania's 'Political Role'
BBC: A group of Jordanian tribal leaders has taken the unusual step of urging King Abdullah to curtail what they see as his wife's involvement in politics.

The 36 tribal leaders attacked Queen Rania's Palestinian origins and said she was "building power centres for her own interests".

Following uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, the king has been under pressure to make political and economic reforms.

Last week, King Abdullah sacked his cabinet and appointed a new PM.

"She is building power centres for her interest that go against what Jordanians and Hashemites have agreed on in governing and is a danger to the nation and the structure the state... and the institution of the throne," the statement from the Bedouin chiefs said.

The tribes, from Jordan's East Bank, are usually supportive of the Hashemite monarchy, with members holding important positions in the military and government. >>> | Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Jordan's King Abdullah Appoints New Prime Minister as Egypt Unrest Spreads
THE GUARDIAN: New Jordanian prime minister Marouf Bakhit to preside over 'real political reform', says royal palace

Jordan's prime minister has been replaced as the political shockwaves from Egypt continue to reverberate across the Arab world. King Abdullah asked Marouf Bakhit to form a new government following the resignation of Samir al-Rifai after weeks of protests by Jordanians calling on him to step down.

Bakhit was asked to take "practical, swift and tangible steps to launch a real political reform process, in line with the king's vision of comprehensive reform, modernisation and development", said a statement from the royal palace.

But the opposition Islamic Action Front quickly attacked the appointment as "inappropriate", blaming Bakhit for presiding over corruption, electoral fraud and mismanagement during what spokesman Zaki Bani Rashid described as the "bitter experience" of Bakhit's first term in an interview with the Ammanet website.

Abdullah has dismissed prime ministers in the past but the background of protests at home and the intense focus on Egypt gives added significance to this move, which was immediately seen as an extension of spreading regional unrest. >>> Ian Black, Middle East editor | Tuesday, February 01, 2011

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Too little, too late to save his kingdom? >>>

Jordan's King Sacks Cabinet Amid Street Protests
THE JERUSALEM POST: King Adullah nominates ex-army general Marouf al-Bakhit as prime minister after thousands of Jordanians take to the streets and call for the current PM to resign, due to rise in food, fuel prices.

Jordan's Royal Palace said the king has sacked his government in the wake of street protests and has asked an ex-army general to form a new Cabinet.

King Abdullah's move comes after thousands of Jordanians took to the streets — inspired by the regime ouster in Tunisia and the turmoil in Egypt — and called for the resignation of Prime Minister Samir Rifai who is blamed for a rise in fuel and food prices and slowed political reforms.

The Royal Palace says Rifai's Cabinet resigned on Tuesday.

Abdullah also nominated Marouf al-Bakhit as his prime minister-designate. No other details were immediately available. >>> Associated Press | Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Tunisian Ripple Effect in Jordan

”Sark-Opera”: 'Unseemly Sarko' Seen as Vulgar, and His Behaviour Seen as “Not in Keeping” with a Head of State as He Rushes into Marriage with “Man-Eater” Carla Bruni “on the Rebound”
TIMESONLINE: President Sarkozy is planning to marry Carla Bruni, his singer girlfriend, in early February, just over two months after meeting her and three since his wife divorced him, according to French and Italian reports today.

As the Elysée Palace made no attempt to deny an imminent wedding, pollsters said that the President's exhibition of the former Italian supermodel and his haste in replacing Cecilia, his wife, explained part of a seven-point slump in his approval rating over the past month.

"Speedy Sarko", 52, today gave the traditionalists more reason to view his conduct as unseemly when he posed for photographers holding hands with Ms Bruni, 40, on a trip to Jordan as guests of King Adullah II. Nicolas Sarkozy ‘to wed Carla Bruni next month’ >>> By Charles Bremner

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Israel Urged to ’Withdraw from Arab Land’ by King Abdullah II of Jordan
Photo of King Abdullah II of Jordan courtesy of The Jerusalem Post
THE JERUSALEM POST: Jordan's King Abdullah II inaugurated a new parliament Sunday with a call on Israel to relinquish war-won Arab lands, saying that would help peace and security to prevail in the volatile Mideast.

The king also urged unity among feuding Palestinian factions, saying the time has come for statehood.

"We emphatically tell Israel that ending the occupation of Arab and Palestinian lands, withdrawing from there and implementing legitimate international resolutions are the only way to realize just, permanent and comprehensive peace," said the staunch US ally who maintains cordial relations with Israel under a 1994 peace treaty.

Abdullah said a peaceful Arab-Israeli settlement would "guarantee a safe future for the region's peoples and its coming generations."

"We also say to the Palestinians that strength is in unity and weakness in disunity; so, unite your ranks and seize the available opportunity to realize peace and establish your independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip," he said. Jordan's king urges Israel to 'withdraw from Arab land' >>>

Mark Alexander