Alwaght- Jordanians have taken to the streets to protest against the mistreatment of Jordanian inmates in Israeli prisons, as well as a controversial death penalty bill endorsed by the Israeli parliament, known as the Knesset.
The protesters gathered in front of the Israeli embassy in the capital, Amman, on Friday, as they held banners calling on the prisoners to stay strong, while condemning the draft bill which asks for death penalty for those carrying out operations against Israel.
"If the repressive measures do not stop, the prisoners will declare a general hunger strike at the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan," the brother of a Jordanian prisoner sentenced to five life terms in Israel warned.
The Jordanian prisoners' committee issued a statement, declaring that they plan to protest the mistreatment happening in Israeli jails towards Jordanian prisoners as well as the Knesset-endorsed draft bill for the death penalty.
At the beginning of March, the Knesset gave preliminary approval to the death penalty bill, which would apply to those involved in retaliatory operations and attacks against Israeli military forces and settlers.
If the Israeli regime approves the bill, it will be submitted to the Knesset for consideration in the first reading.
Concerns have mounted in Jordan as there are many Jordanian inmates held in Israeli prisons who serve long sentences, and are charged with carrying out operations against the regime.
The latest development comes as several demonstrations have rocked the kingdom and calls have risen to cut ties with Tel Aviv.
Jordan signed a so-called peace deal with Israel in 1994, but Jordanians are at odds with their government and oppose any form of normalization of ties with Tel Aviv.
The vast majority of people in Arab countries oppose normalization and support the Palestinian cause.
According to a new survey by the Doha-based Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies' 'Arab Opinion Index 2022' which was carried out last month, 94 per cent of Jordanian are against any recognition of and ties with Israel.
