Jordanian figures demand withdrawal of US forces and cancellation of military agreement

More than 130 Jordanian political, academic, cultural, trade union and tribal figures have called for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Jordan and the cancellation or restriction of the kingdom’s military agreement with the United States.

In a statement published last week, the signatories warned that the presence of foreign forces had exposed Jordan to security, political and economic threats and increased the risk of the country becoming involved in a regional war in which it had no direct interest.

“Based on our national responsibility and in recognition of the magnitude of the risks facing the region as a result of the accelerating military escalation, we demand the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Jordanian territory,” the statement declared.

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It added that their presence “increases the likelihood of our country becoming involved in a regional conflict to which it is not a party”.

The appeal followed repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks against facilities hosting US forces in Jordan, which caused American casualties and damage to military assets. The attacks have intensified public debate over whether Washington’s military presence has turned Jordan into a target in the escalating confrontation between the US and Iran.

The signatories urged the Jordanian government to withdraw the security and military agreement concluded with Washington and submit it to the National Assembly for proper scrutiny.

They argued that Jordanians, their elected representatives and civil society institutions had a right to examine obligations that “may affect the state’s sovereignty and national security”.

The statement called on parliament to debate whether the agreement should be cancelled or restricted and demanded greater public transparency regarding its terms.

Jordan’s defence cooperation agreement with the US was signed in 2021. It grants US troops, aircraft and vehicles broad freedom of entry and movement in Jordan and permits American forces to carry weapons and transport and store military equipment. Critics objected at the time that the government had approved the agreement without submitting it to parliament.

The Jordanian figures also demanded that the authorities prevent the use of the kingdom’s airports, ports, military bases and other strategic infrastructure in operations connected to the regional conflict.

“We stress the necessity of neutralising all Jordanian strategic facilities, especially airports, ports, military bases and other vital facilities,” the statement continued.

Read: Heavy US losses reported in Iranian attacks across Arab countries

It called for guarantees that the sites would not support “any military, security or logistical actions or operations related to the ongoing aggressive war against the peoples of the region”.

“Jordan is not a party to this war, and its people must not bear its consequences or pay the price for policies that do not serve their highest interests,” the signatories warned.

They highlighted the economic and social pressures already facing Jordanians and argued that continued regional escalation threatened the national economy, domestic stability and Jordan’s relations with neighbouring states.

The statement praised the Jordanian Armed Forces-Arab Army but insisted that its military doctrine should remain focused on defending the country, its people and its holy sites.

It said the army’s national role should remain directed towards confronting what it described as “the Zionist enemy marked by genocide, displacement and expansion”, recalling Jordanian forces’ historical role in the battles of Al-Karama, Bab Al-Wad and Latrun and in the defence of Jerusalem.

The signatories called on the authorities to adopt what they described as a policy of “true neutrality”, based on refusing to participate in military or logistical activities serving any side in the conflict.

They urged the government to take “immediate and practical steps” to protect Jordan’s sovereignty, security, stability and independent decision-making and to spare the kingdom “the dangers of alignment under the American cloak”.

The statement concluded: “Long live Jordan, free, sovereign and independent. Shame and disgrace to all the colonial forces in our region.”