AMMAN, 8 October 2006 — The Islamic Action Front, Jordan’s largest political party, yesterday denied local press reports which suggested a “split” was snowballing inside the Executive Bureau, one of the IAF’s top decision-making bodies. “What is going on is merely an evaluation process for the party’s performance in dealing with the recent crises, particularly the relationship with the government,” the IAF Deputy Secretary-General Rahil Gharaibeh said in a statement.
“Naturally, there are differences in viewpoints regarding this review process which does not indicate there is a split in the party’s ranks,” he added. Gharaibeh was responding to reports by local newspapers about the existence of “sharp feuds and power struggle” inside the IAF Executive Bureau that prevented it from meeting over the past couple of months.
The reports said that several bureau members were critical of the party’s Secretary-General Zaki Bani Ershaid and the way he dealt with the crisis that erupted with the government over extending condolences to the family of the slain Al-Qaeda leader in Iraq Abu Musab Zarqawi by four IAF deputies in June. The reports suggested that the standoff could only be solved by the resignation of either Bani Ershaid or his opponents at the bureau.
