AMMAN: A cross-border attack in October by two young Jordanians against Zionist entity soldiers is a sign of deep anger at the war in Gaza in a country with strong ties to the Palestinians.

“Jordanians are boiling with anger, this is undeniable,” said Oraib Rantawi, head of the Amman-based Al Quds Center for Political Studies. The attackers, who were killed in a firefight south of the Dead Sea last week that lightly wounded two Zionist entity soldiers, were members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, although the Islamist group said they acted independently.

It came just weeks after another attack by a Jordanian gunman at a border crossing with the occupied West Bank which killed three Zionist entity guards. The two assailants in the most recent attack, Hussam Abu Ghazaleh and Amer Qawoos, had “always participated in events in solidarity with Gaza and in support of the resistance”, a Muslim Brotherhood spokesman recently told AFP.

While there have been protests, Rantawi said, many Jordanians want concrete action against Zionist entity, such as suspending trade or cutting diplomatic ties. “Some young people, particularly those from Islamist, nationalist and leftist movements, feel that protests alone are not enough,” he said.

Jordan, where about half of the population is of Palestinian origin, has yet to officially condemn the attack. But, Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said after the latest attack: “We will not be a place for strife or accept the risking of the future of this country, and we will not allow any party to replicate their models of chaos and destruction in our homeland.”

In 1994 Jordan became the second Arab country, after Egypt, to recognize Zionist entity and establish diplomatic ties. Their shared border has remained largely calm since then. The attack came just hours after Zionist entity confirmed its forces in Gaza had killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. — AFP