Arab Spring Finally Reaching Jordan?

[jimmy olsen]

With the carnage in Syria and the escalating situation between Israel and Hamas, this could send the whole region into chaos if it escalates to open fighting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/world/middleeast/jordan-protests-turn-deadly-on-second-day.html?_r=0

Protests Over Gas Prices in Jordan Turn Deadly

AMMAN, Jordan — A young man was killed and a dozen police officers were injured Wednesday night in the northern city of Irbid as demonstrations over increased gas prices stretched into a second day and opposition leaders scrambled to harness a spontaneous eruption of anger that spread throughout the kingdom, taking officials and opposition leaders by surprise.

The demonstrations were the most aggressive in this politically fragile and strategically critical ally of the United States in the past two years, particularly outside the capital, where many protesters shouted slogans against King Abdullah II that previously would only have been whispered. Teachers went on strike, and other unions announced a two-hour work stoppage for Sunday. The crowds included first-time protesters and tribal members who have been the king's political base.

"This is the beginning of the Jordanian Spring, Nov. 13," declared Hassan Barari, a political science professor at the University of Jordan, where students blocked a main road near campus. "Because this is no longer a political thing; this is the lives of the people. If you go around to the tribes, this is the backbone of the king, they can't afford anything. It can't be worse."

Analysts and activists said the outpouring since the reduction of gas subsidies on Tuesday was an important shift in the criticism of the leadership in recent months because many of the protesters were not affiliated with political parties, unions or the secular opposition movement.

"It's popular and spontaneous; it was not called by activists and Islamists," said Kamal Khoury, an activist and blogger. "It was regular people going crazy about what's going on."

Violence was most severe in Irbid, where the authorities said a police station was attacked by armed demonstrators, leading to the fatal shooting of Qasi Omari, 22, and injuries to a dozen police officers and four protesters. A police corporal was also injured when someone fired an automatic pistol from a moving car, the police said in a statement.

In Madaba, an ancient city that draws tourists to its holy sites, protesters tore down the king's picture and burned it, according to an activist who was there, then smashed windows of several banks, pulling the furniture from one and setting it aflame. Witnesses reported the looting of a discount store for government employees in Salt, and the riot police in Tafileh firing bullets into the air. In Karak, a southern city known for its staunch support of the monarchy, protesters burned the house of the governor. "He's representing the king, and our problem is with the king today," explained Basel Beshapsheh, a longtime leader of antigovernment activities.

In Amman, dozens of officers in helmets and body armor blocked access to Dakhliyeh Circle, a popular sit-in site, so hundreds crowded in front of their line, chanting things like "The people know who is the corrupt guy." The demonstration began peacefully, but after a few hours protesters threw rocks and burned tires, and officers responded with tear gas.

Sana Ghaith, an artist who said she earned about $211 per month, was a first-time protester who joined the Dakhliyeh gathering. "I can't afford the living conditions," she said to explain why she showed up. "I don't want anything to happen in the country, but I want them to fix the prices. I'm divided. I'm angry, and I'm scared for the country."

The catalyst for the outburst was the announcement on Tuesday that, facing a deficit of more than $3 billion, the government would reduce fuel subsidies, effectively increasing the price of gasoline for cars to $1.13 per liter from 99 cents, and of gas for cooking to $14.10 from $9.17.

Jaafar Hassan, Jordan's planning minister, said in an interview on Wednesday night that the change was necessary because fuel costs had quintupled in the past two years, consuming 18 percent of the nation's gross domestic product. He pointed out that unlike a price increase announced in September and withdrawn after a day of demonstrations, this one was coupled with a compensation package that would provide three-quarters of Jordanian households with $100 per person per year — something apparently lost on the protesters.

"We have to do the utmost to live up to the expectations," Mr. Hassan said, "and don't forget the expectations are very high here in the region. How do you meet the increasing expectations with the rising costs and the economic situation? That's the challenge that we are facing."

The foreign minister, Nasser Judeh, said the government had tried to respond to the opposition over the past year with the establishment of an independent elections commission before balloting set for January and the formation of a constitutional court, among other changes. "The political reform process, the social reform process, is on track, and the economic reform process has to be on track," he said.

Protesters blame corruption for the economic problems, not the reduction in financial aid from Persian Gulf states or the shortage of cheap gas from Egypt. Leaders of the opposition movement said Wednesday night that they had to intervene to stop the first-time protesters from violence, after spending much of the day in strategy sessions on how to leverage the new energy in their movement.

"Our role has become to calm people down," said Mr. Beshapsheh, the activist in Karak.

Mohammed Hussein, 29, a teacher at the Amman protest, said he was worried by the "new faces" because "these are the ones who will be a danger to the public property."

In Tafileh, Saed Oran, the head of the local teachers' union, said the protests on Wednesday drew many he had never seen before.

"The danger point is that these people, they don't understand what demonstrations are about and how to behave in a demonstration," Mr. Oran said. "They now are a turning point in the movement and the demonstrations, and they are a critical turning point. You cannot control them because they don't have anyone responsible for them or anyone driving them."