When Solidarity Becomes Dissent: Gaza War Slogans and Regime Red Lines in Egypt and Jordan

Abstract

The war in Gaza placed Egypt and Jordan in an uneasy political position. Both governments condemned the destruction of Gaza, rejected the forced displacement of Palestinians and presented diplomacy and humanitarian relief as national responsibilities. At the same time, they preserved peace treaties and security relationships that left little room for major policy change. This article examines that how they managed this contradiction by analysing slogans documented at state-backed rallies, street protests, university campaigns, border mobilisations and demonstrations between October 2023 and June 2025. The analysis draws on 45 verbal and written formulations organised into ten analytical protest episodes between October 2023 and June 2025. It asks under what conditions Gaza solidarity slogans crossed regime red lines. The article develops licensed solidarity as the conditional authorisation of support for an external cause within political, organisational, spatial and discursive limits. It identifies political convertibility as the mechanism through which tolerated protest language becomes independently capable of organising representation, organisations, territory, or institutional demands.The findings show that slogans became more politically sensitive when they redirected responsibility from Israel and other external actors towards domestic institutions and acquired an autonomous carrier, destination, or policy addressee.