Protests in support of the current Palestinian Arab “intifada” and against Israel continue in Jordan. On Friday, immediately after weekly prayers in the mosques, a massive rally was held in the city of Zarqa, east of Amman.

The protesters, who responded to calls from the Islamic Movement, waved Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flags and expressed support for the “Palestinian struggle”.

Ayman Abu al-Rub, a leader of the Islamic Movement in Jordan, congratulated the young people involved in the intifada, and said that the intifada would continue despite the machinations and efforts to stop it, and stressed that the Jordanian people would continue to support it.

“People must continue with popular activities expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people and that’s the least we must do for the sake of the Palestinian cause,” said Abu al-Rub.

He repeated his call for the Jordanian government to stop the normalization with Israel, sever relations with it, expel the Israeli ambassador and take concrete actions to stop Israel’s “attacks” on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Islamic Movement is actually banned in several Muslim states – in part, due to links to the Muslim Brotherhood – and has been repeatedly involved in several incitement-laced activities, including violent “Nakba Day” protests, calls for an “intifada”, and rioting on the Temple Mount. 

The head of the movement in Israel, radical sheikh Raed Salah, has in the past labeled Israeli leaders “terrorists” and “enemies of Allah” in a speech to Muslims.

He was recently handed an 11-month jail sentence after the courts rejected his petition on charges of incitement from back in 2007. Before his sentencing, he called on Jordan to annul the peace treaty with Israel.