Jordan refrains from taking sides in Qatar crisis

Jordan has told Qatar that it does not endorse the terror list adopted by Saudi Arabia and its four Arab allies that cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and boycotted the country in early June, a Jordanian politician has said.

Atef Tarawneh, the speaker of Jordan’s House of Representatives, said that his country does not consider the Palestinian movement Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood groups as “terrorist” organisations, contrary to the stance adopted by the Riyadh-led allies in their rift with Doha.

Tarawneh added that Amman does not see itself as party to the conflict, noting that the measure taken by his country, which was downgrading diplomatic representation with Qatar, was only minimal.

Read: Jordan plunges into economic crisis following Qatar blockade

On 5 June Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, released coordinated statements accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism and announcing that they severed diplomatic relations with Doha and cut links to the small country by land, sea and air.

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Although Jordan asked the Qatari ambassador in Amman to leave the country, the Jordanian government hinted on a number of occasions that it would not take further measures against Doha.

Jordan has not taken measures against Hamas or the Muslim Brotherhood. The latter is represented in the Jordanian parliament through parliamentarians who are also members of Brotherhood. The group participated in the latest Jordanian election.