Thousands of Jordanians participated in a massive rally on Friday against the fist import of Israeli gas in the country, on January 2.
The rally commenced in front of the Grand Husseini Mosque, in Amman, reaching the Nakheel Square, amid a heavy security presence.
VIDEO: ?? Hundreds protest after Friday prayers in the centre of Jordan's capital #Amman against the first import of Israeli gas to the country, after Israel's offshore Leviathan field started pumping gas this week pic.twitter.com/qJWH63HpsV
— Usman Sharif (@Hyper_Usman) January 3, 2020
Participants in the march, called for by the Islamic movement, alongside various youth, partisan and union parties, raised slogans condemning the agreement and criticizing the Jordanian government.
The official Jordanian National Electricity Company (NEPCO) announced on Wednesday that the first shipments of Israeli natural gas have been pumped to the country, thus implementing the agreement signed between the two sides in 2016.
‘Black Day’ for the Country: Israeli #Gas Arrives in #Jordan https://t.co/jMQk6PnyP3 via @PalestineChron #Israel #Leviathan #normalization pic.twitter.com/abXNYlMiIh
— Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 2, 2020
The announcement was made despite intense internal pressures by Jordanian political parties and civil society organizations, which have called on the government to block the deal and to prevent further economic integration with Israel.
In March 2019, the Jordanian parliament took a unanimous decision to reject the gas agreement, but the Constitutional Court issued a decision at the time, stating that the agreement “does not require the approval of the National Assembly,” because it is signed between two companies and not between two governments.
(The Palestine Chronicle, MEMO, Social Media)
