Hundreds of protesters in the Jordanian capital, Amman, gathered for a third consecutive night to demand an end to Israel's war in Gaza. Clashes between the demonstrators and riot police ensued, with tear gas being deployed to disperse the crowds. The protests continued on Wednesday night, with chants calling for the opening of borders.

While protests have been a regular occurrence in Amman during the nearly six-month-long conflict, the recent scenes have been marked by a spontaneous outpouring of anger, larger crowds, and heightened tensions. This has sent shock waves through the country's powerful security establishment, testing its ability to maintain control.

The Kingdom of Jordan occupies a unique position in the Middle East, with close ties to the United States and a 1994 peace treaty signed with neighboring Israel. However, the displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, known as the "nakba," has significantly impacted the country's demographics. Jordan is home to over 2 million Palestinian refugees, and analysts estimate that half of its population has Palestinian descent, making the conflict in Gaza feel intensely close to many Jordanians.

Despite the government's usual intolerance for public demonstrations, it has sanctioned weekly protests after Friday prayers as a means to allow people to relieve tension. However, it has also tried to contain the unrest by prohibiting crowding near the border zone with Israel. Previous attempts by protesters to reach the border with the West Bank were stopped by riot police in October.

The government's public advocacy for Gaza has helped contain public anger, with the Jordanian Foreign Minister calling Israel's war a "legal definition of genocide." In November, Jordan canceled a controversial economic pact with Israel, emphasizing its focus on ending what it described as Israel's "retaliatory barbarism" in Gaza.

Nevertheless, the government has its limits, as its political and economic vision is closely tied to relations with the United States and Israel. Jordan's security establishment is growing increasingly jittery as public discontent rises, exacerbated by high unemployment rates and fears of the Muslim Brotherhood's involvement in the protests.

With shuttle diplomacy failing to produce even a temporary cease-fire, the security situation in Jordan becomes increasingly precarious. Dispatching riot police regularly strains the country's struggling economy and burdens the emotional well-being of the police force, many of whom have Palestinian backgrounds themselves.

As the war in Gaza drags on, protesters are becoming more bold, demanding the annulment of Jordan's peace treaty with Israel. The threat of an Israeli invasion in Rafah, which houses 1.4 million displaced Palestinians, only serves to intensify the pressure on the Jordanian government to take action.

Experts predict that Jordan's position would likely be characterized by sharp condemnation of Israel, strained diplomatic relations, but ultimately little change in policy or ties with Israel. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to make a quick visit to Israel as tensions escalate between the United States and Israel over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to invade Rafah.

In the broader Middle East conflict, tensions continue to escalate as Israeli troops seek to gain control of the Gaza-Egypt border crossing, causing concerns in Cairo about the stability of the 1979 peace treaty. Additionally, efforts are being made to avert a full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon.

The United States has also taken action, launching airstrikes in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for an attack in Jordan that resulted in the deaths of three U.S. service members.