In early September, three senior leaders of Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood (MB) resigned from the organization’s executive bureau after it voted to dissolve the MB political department—one of the few remaining components of the organization controlled by moderates. The resignations were a protest against not only the executive bureau’s decision, but also the MB’s increasingly close affiliation with Hamas.
Today, the Jordanian MB is facing an unprecedented internal crisis, pitting the traditional moderate East Bank leadership— Jordanians who are not originally Palestinian—against the powerful pro-Hamas Palestinian-led element. Lately, these divisions have been aggravated by Hamas political bureau head Khaled Meshal’s apparent efforts to exploit the shifting balance of power within the MB to further his own organization’s agenda in Amman. Ironically, Jordanian authorities—who have long prided themselves on managing the Islamist issue—have done little to stem the tide. …
The Jordanian state can still intervene and prevent Meshal from strengthening his grip on the Jordanian MB. Given the stakes, Amman should start viewing developments within the MB as an issue of state security. Access the full article>>
