1 - 7 February 2001
Issue No.519
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 1 - 7 February 2001 Issue No.519 |
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Bashing the boycott
The Jordanian government appears to have stirred up a hornet's nest this week with the arrest of seven prominent members of an activist group of professional syndicates which has been leading a call to boycott those with business ties to Israel.
Shortly after the Al-Aqsa uprising broke out in late September, several professional syndicates formed the "Anti-Normalisation Committee," sharply attacking the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty signed in 1994 as well as Jordanian businessmen involved in deals with counterparts in Israel.
The arrests, which took place on Saturday, came a week after the professional associations released their second "blacklist of normalisers," which included names of Jordanian individuals and companies whom the activists accused of interacting with Israel. Security officials said the activists would be tried for "affiliation with an illegal group", a reference to the Anti-Normalisation Committee.
Those arrested included Ali Abu Sukar, the president of the Anti-Normalisation Committee, and six members of the group. An arrest warrant was also issued for an eighth member, Ali Hattar, who is visiting Baghdad.
On Sunday hundreds of lawyers, including Islamists and leftists, staged a protest in Amman. A team led by Bar Association President Saleh Armuti met Lower House of Parliament Speaker Abdul-Hadi Majali to demand the immediate release of the activists. Majali said the legislature wanted the executive authority "to deal with this case on a purely legal base."
Meanwhile, the powerful Muslim Brotherhood issued a statement demanding the immediate release of the seven and describing the arrest as "arbitrary and made to insult and terrorise the members and their families."
The Anti-Normalisation Committee's second list names 68 new "normalisers." They include 32 companies, two private schools, a hotel, a daily newspaper, senior journalists, businessmen, deputies and high-ranking officials. When an earlier list of 20 names appeared in November, the government warned against such releases.
"We were surprised by these arrests and condemn the way the homes of association members were stormed," Azam Hneidi, president of the Professional Associations Council, told reporters. "What the Anti-Normalisation Committee did (publishing the blacklist) does not constitute a crime that warrants legal measures."
The arrests are likely to fuel already tense ties between the government and the Islamist-led opposition. In demonstrations held against the arrests, protesters also raised banners asking the government to allow the return of four leading members of the Palestinian militant group, Hamas. The four, who hold Jordanian passports, were deported to Qatar last year.
Government officials insist that the anti-normalisation lists are harmful and likely to incite hatred or public reaction against those named. "These lists are a clear incitement. They are offering excuses for groups or individuals to attack other members of society for visiting Israel or dealing with it," the English language daily Jordan Times quoted a senior government official as saying. At least two people reportedly named on the lists have been attacked or threatened. One escaped gunfire, while the other found a bullet on the doorstep of his office, according to press reports. Prime Minister Ali Abul Ragheb has also warned against anti-normalisation campaigns, saying such activities harm the kingdom's economy and national unity.
The 13 professional associations, with a total of 130,000 members, are opposed to the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty and have warned members that they stand to lose their membership if they make contacts among Israelis. Under the law, membership in the related professional association is obligatory for those practising the profession in the country.
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