Jordanians outraged after Israeli Knesset member visits country

The visit of an Israeli parliamentarian from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party to Jordan has caused widespread outrage.

Israeli Knesset member Afif Abed attended a lunch gathering last week in the Al-Dulayl district of Zarqa Governorate.

The event was reportedly attended by individuals from the occupied West Bank and Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Ibrahim Ismail Abu Muhareb, the man who hosted the gathering, issued a personal statement titled "Clarification to the Public," denying any prior knowledge that one of the guests was an Israeli MK.

"Neither I nor those present had any knowledge that one of the attendees held a position in the so-called Israeli Knesset," Abu Muhareb wrote. "When I welcomed the guests, it never crossed my mind that any of them might represent the occupying entity."

"I categorically reject any form of normalisation with the Zionist enemy – whether political or social – and continue to view this occupation as a usurping entity of sacred Arab and Islamic land. No justification or sugarcoating can change that reality."

Abu Muhareb said that the gathering was a simple family event attended by his relatives from Palestinians inside 1948 territories – referring to Israel – and that he was just as shocked as the Jordanian public by the presence of "the traitorous agent Afif Abed, the Zionist Knesset member."

"While I take full responsibility for the misunderstanding, I absolve the Beersheba tribes and all the honourable people of Al-Dulayl district from any involvement in this event. I reaffirm my unwavering support for my foremost cause: the just cause of Palestine."

Condemnation

Jordanians have widely denounced the visit as an "unacceptable act of normalisation," particularly given Abed’s close ties to Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for  war crimes in Gaza.

Critics viewed the invitation as a provocative affront to the Jordanian public.

Despite Jordan and Israel sharing ties since 1994, these relations are still widely rejected in Jordanian society.

The two-year war in Gaza severely worsened ties between the two countries, and Amman has repeatedly warned Tel Aviv against any attempts to displace the West Bank’s Palestinians into Jordan, whose population is largely made up of Palestinian refugees.

Jordan’s Masar Party firmly rejected Afif’s visit.

"Hosting or inviting this member of the Knesset to Jordan is a blatant provocation to the feelings of Jordanians and an affront to their principled, national stance rejecting normalisation with the Zionist entity, which continues to carry out the most heinous forms of aggression and racial discrimination against the Palestinian people," the party said in a statement.

A strongly worded statement was also issued by members of the Beersheba tribes in Jordan, from which the host of the event hails. They condemned the hosting of the Israeli MK, stating that the incident was "an unintentional and unplanned mistake" by the host and his clan.

"Israel’s actions are crimes against the Palestinian and Jordanian people and the Arab region as a whole. These acts deeply offend the legacy of the Beersheba people, who have offered martyrs and leaders in defence of Palestine and the dignity of the Arab region," they said in a statement.

They said that members of the Beersheba tribes in Gaza, southern Israel’s Negev, and across Palestine are "symbols of resilience and steadfastness", and reiterated their full allegiance to Jordan and the Hashemite leadership.

The statement concluded by labelling Israeli leaders as war criminals, and firmly rejected "any form of normalisation, whether official or popular, with those who support or represent the occupation’s policies."

The visit caused a storm on Jordanian social media, with many sharing photos of the lunch gathering and also lashing out at the hosts and the MK.