From the hours of 9:00 pm until 10:00 pm local time last night, activists and others turned off the lights in their homes throughout Jordan in the hope of sending a message to the Jordanian government. Their gripe? They say the government has largely ignored the widespread rejection by Jordanian citizens of a decision to import gas from Israel. Many Jordanians, a majority of which are of Palestinian descent, wholly reject the deal, citing concerns that the deal is unfair and will send tax money from citizens to support the Israeli government.
Using the hashtag #اطفي_الضو (Turn off the lights) many social media users in Jordan shared videos and pictures of the Amman skyline looking noticeably darker than usual.
عمان الان #طفي_الضو pic.twitter.com/pgvNSjfxOe
— Mohammad Huzayen (@MHuzayen) October 2, 2016
“Amman right now”
مقطع عرضي لشارع في جبل الحسين أثناء مشاركة محلات بحملة #طفي_الضو لإنو #غاز_العدو_احتلال (الفيديو من الصديق محمد الناظر) pic.twitter.com/SrmVgpE8RA
— Naser K (@Naser_k) October 2, 2016
“An intersection in Jabal Hussein as business participate in campaign to black out Amman, because the #Gas_of_the_enemy_is_occupation. (Video from Muhammad al-Nadher)”
Thanks to u #طفي_الضو pic.twitter.com/ZdNPbdbafl
— Sara Daboosh (@Sdabash) October 2, 2016
بعض المحلات في وسط العاصمة عمّان اطفأت الإنارة تضامناً مع حملة #طفي_الضو #غاز_العدو_احتلال #الاردن
— دعاء المصري (@DoaaMasri) October 2, 2016
شكرا بحجم الكون pic.twitter.com/n1bjIJn3Qe
I refuse to be forced by my government to normalize and import our energy from #Israel! #غاز_العدو_احتلال #طفي_الضو pic.twitter.com/6YO32CsbkF
— Rawan Da'as (@RawanDaas) October 2, 2016
The deal between Israel and Jordan was announced on September 26th. Valued at $10 billion, it will see the export of 300 cubic feet of natural gas to Jordan daily on a 15-year contract. The government says it will provide them with a surplus of $600 million annually, and meet the Kingdom’s growing energy needs.
Yesterday’s protest was led by The Jordanian National Campaign Against the Gas Deal with the Zionist Enemy, a multi-party coalition that has organized numerous protests in opposition to the deal, including last Friday’s demonstration in downtown Amman. The group has planned more actions for the near future, including several more hour-long blackouts and another protest on October 8th.
