The unrest has sharply reduced activity at the Aqaba port. At least one
striker was killed and 30 others injured, a development that has further
increased tension in the city.
"The port is now working at the minimum," Mataih Awad, director of the
ports authority, said.
On July 30, Jordan's paramilitary Gendarmerie Forces broke up a protest
at the Jordan Ports Corp. in the Aqaba port. Officials reported the
detention of 65 strikers, protesting what they said were government plans to
evict them from their subsidized homes.
Jordan has faced rising unrest amid the global economic crisis and the
rise of Hamas. The Islamic opposition, controlled by Hamas, plays a major
role in labor unions around the kingdom.
Officials said the government has sold the land that contains the
housing units to an unidentified Arab investor. The investor plans to
develop the port for industry and tourism.
Aqaba has long been regarded as a security risk to the Hashemite
kingdom. The port city contains a vast Palestinian majority said to be
influenced by Hamas and Al Qaida.
"Things are fine in Aqaba and life is normal," Zreikat said.
Witnesses said the Gendarmerie employed tear gas and clubs to disperse a
three-day vigil at the port. They said 34 people were injured, several of
them taken by a military air transport to Amman for treatment.
Officials said the protesters threatened their colleagues who sought to
report to work. They said the demonstrators also hurled rocks toward
security forces.
