Jordan's Crackdown: A Shield for the Kingdom or an Enabler of Israeli Occupation?

In an incident that has sparked widespread controversy in Jordan, authorities revealed the foiling of "sabotage plots" and aired confessions from individuals allegedly linked to the Muslim Brotherhood in the kingdom, admitting their involvement. 

This disclosure has raised questions about the timing of the announcement and the potential ramifications.

What has further fueled the debate surrounding the government's timing of the revelation is the ongoing political and economic challenges facing Jordan, alongside the escalating tensions in the Palestinian territories, particularly the continued Israeli military actions in the West Bank.

Accusations

On April 15, 2025, Jordan's General Intelligence Directorate announced that it had foiled "plots aimed at undermining national security, inciting chaos, and carrying out acts of material sabotage within the kingdom." 

The agency confirmed the arrest of 16 individuals involved, following a meticulous surveillance operation that began in 2021.

According to the statement, the plans included "the manufacture of rockets using locally sourced materials and others imported from abroad, the possession of explosives and firearms, the concealment of a missile prepared for use, a project to develop unmanned aerial vehicles, and the recruitment and training of operatives both within the kingdom and abroad."

A video released by security forces showed confessions from the accused, with one individual revealing that he had received $20,000 from a person affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan. 

Another suspect indicated that he had received training in rocket manufacturing in Lebanon, though he did not specify the entity responsible for the training.

On the same day, Government Spokesperson and Minister of State for Media Affairs, Mohammad al-Momani, stated in a press conference that the General Intelligence Directorate had apprehended all those involved in the activities, which had been monitored by the agency since 2021. 

He confirmed the thwarting of the plots, which aimed to carry out operations within the state.

Al-Momani announced that the suspects in the previous cases had been referred to the State Security Court on charges related to violations of the Anti-Terrorism Law, following the completion of their investigations and the approval of the State Prosecutor’s decision to formally charge them, in accordance with legal procedures.

Referring to the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Momani stated that the suspects in these cases had political affiliations, noting that they were members of an unlicensed and dissolved group according to the law.

In response to another question regarding the suspects' affiliations, al-Momani emphasized that Jordan would not, and has never, accepted any justifications for the actions, as they occurred on Jordanian soil and posed a direct threat to both the national security and the sovereignty of the Jordanian state.

On April 15, Qatar's Al Jazeera channel cited unnamed Jordanian sources claiming that "the detainees are members of the Muslim Brotherhood," adding that this action could lead to strict official measures against the group and its political arm, the Islamic Action Front party.

This development came on the same day that Jordanian authorities arrested Khaled al-Juhani, the head of the parliamentary bloc for the Islamic Action Front. The arrest took place at his home, where a large security force was reportedly deployed. Al-Juhani was detained, and his personal devices were confiscated.

Denial and Response

In response, the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan issued a statement in which it said it had followed the press conference held by the government spokesperson, noting the subsequent "unjust" accusations leveled against it.

According to Al-Estiklal, the Muslim Brotherhood group reaffirmed that it "has adhered to a national path since its establishment eight decades ago, maintaining its commitment to a peaceful approach. It has never deviated from the unity of the ranks or the principles of the national stance, consistently siding with Jordan's security and stability."

"It has always been, and remains, an integral part of the national fabric, placing Jordan's supreme interests above all else. It believes that dialogue and collaboration between state institutions and society are the key to confronting challenges and overcoming crises."

Consequently, the Muslim Brotherhood asserted that everything discussed during the press conference, and the subsequent media coverage of events and actions, are "individual acts, rooted in support for resistance, of which the group had no knowledge and which are entirely unrelated to it," according to the statement.

"This stage requires sincere national awareness, responsible solidarity, and the strengthening of national unity to fortify the internal front, based on the supreme national interests of the country," the group added.

It called for a halt to "attempts at disruption, defamation, or accusations of treason, and to stop the campaigns of incitement that harm Jordan and undermine its resilience, especially amid the challenges and threats facing the country. These efforts are aimed at resolving the Palestinian issue at Jordan's expense, through displacement and the proposition of an alternative homeland."

"The Jordanians have consistently proven their ability to overcome challenges with wisdom, moderation, responsibility, and national dialogue. The Jordanian state, with its cohesion, diversity, and openness, is capable of embracing every free opinion and engaging with every sincere voice within a framework of mutual respect and genuine national partnership," The group stated.

The wave of arrests and the authorities' announcement of "sabotage plots" followed a widespread campaign of incitement on social media against the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan. The campaign was triggered by the group's call for protests near the Israeli embassy and plans to head towards the borders with occupied Palestine.

Former Jordanian Minister of Information, Samih Almaitah, stated in a post on X on April 15 that "the Muslim Brotherhood distanced itself from the terrorist group to avoid bearing the consequences of what transpired."

"Either the group is directly involved and responsible for what happened, or its leaders have lost control over the organization, allowing allied factions to manipulate it and recruit its members for terrorism. In either case, it is a crime against the country and its people," Almaitah continued.

Sensitive Timing

Regarding the announcement of the incident and its implications within Jordan, political analyst Hazem Ayyad stated that "the security operation reveals a serious external security breach in the Jordanian arena, through which a group of individuals was able to organize dangerous missions that violate the country's sovereignty."

"The security issue raised comes at a sensitive time, both economically and legally. In Jordan, numerous laws related to women and newly introduced taxes are currently being debated, which is already disrupting the country's economic and social landscape. Now, an additional security dimension has been added," Ayyad told Al-Estiklal. 

"The political consequences of these announcements and the information circulated about the incident and the nature of the objectives the accused were seeking to achieve are still unclear, especially since the footage aired on television does not address the goals of the detained groups, but rather focuses on their organization by an external entity based in Lebanese territory."

"Some link the timing to the situation in occupied Palestine, while investigations by the Jordanian state suggest that the incident dates back more than four years, with some of the detainees having been arrested over two years ago. This raises further questions about the timing and its political and security implications on the domestic front, as well as its connection to both internal and regional instability," Ayyad added.

"The case is still unfolding, and we are awaiting its potential political repercussions. I expect these consequences will be contained, given the challenges Jordan faces in the upcoming period."

"There are many questions in the political sphere, along with a degree of ambiguity surrounding the timing, especially since some of the detainees have been in custody for two years. As a result, various interpretations and analyses have emerged, although, overall, the incident represents a security breach that has been dealt with."

In closing, Ayyad ruled out any direct connection between the arrests and the calls for protests near the Israeli embassy in Amman, stating that "there is no definitive link." However, he noted that the timing of the announcement was, overall, sensitive.

Since the launch of Operation al-Aqsa Flood and the subsequent Israeli bombardment of Gaza on October 7, 2023, Jordanian authorities have repeatedly reported thwarting attempts to smuggle weapons and explosives, as well as the arrest of armed cells. However, they have not disclosed the groups or entities behind these activities.

With each announcement from the authorities, unnamed Jordanian security sources provide statements to international agencies, at times accusing Iran of being behind the smuggling of weapons into the country, and at other times attributing the blame to the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, alleging they were sending arms to the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.

Security Pretext

The Palestinian Press Network argues that Jordan has resorted to the security scare tactic to entrench the suppression of solidarity with Gaza and prevent any attempts to support Palestinian resistance.

In a report on these developments, the network noted that the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, under the umbrella of the Islamic Action Front party, plays a significant role in organizing protests in support of Gaza.

The party made significant gains in the Jordanian parliamentary elections in September 2024, adding 24 seats to the eight it previously held, thereby increasing its share to one-fifth of the parliament. However, all key powers in the country remain firmly in the hands of King Abdullah.

According to the network, the authorities in Jordan face the challenge of maintaining a balance between the kingdom's crucial alliance with Washington and managing domestic discontent over Israeli crimes, amid its ongoing campaign of genocide.

The network added that for months, concern has loomed over the security establishment within the Jordanian regime, with confidential assessments from the General Intelligence Directorate suggesting that popular anger in the country has reached its peak and could escalate imminently in unpredictable ways that may catch decision-makers in Amman off guard.

These intelligence assessments come more than a year and a half after Israel's genocidal campaign and its unprecedented threats of full annexation of the West Bank, actions that have fueled widespread public outrage in Jordan, the network explained.

It concluded by stating, "This anger is growing amid mounting frustration with the stance of the Jordanian regime, which has upheld and continues to maintain the normalization agreement with the Israeli entity and extensive security cooperation with it. Instead of taking concrete steps to halt Israel’s crimes, the regime has turned the kingdom into a barrier protecting the occupation."