A new restaurant in Jordan named “October 7” in apparent celebration of Hamas’ massacre of innocent civilians in Israel sparked outrage this week – with one Israeli politician slamming the business for “incitement and hatred.”
The shawarma restaurant debuted in the Southern Mazar district of Kerak, on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea, the Times of Israel reported, citing a video posted on X.
Former Jordanian member of Parliament Dima Tahboub posted a video Wednesday that showed potential diners gathered underneath an awning that read “October 7” in orange and white lettering.
The cameraman – who has not been identified – then entered the eatery and was greeted by staff wearing red shirts with “7 October” emblazoned on the back.
Around 1,200 people were killed on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists stormed into southern Israel and unleashed several hours of horror on the communities there.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapin immediately reacted against the restaurant on X.
“The disgraceful glorification of October 7th has to stop. The incitement and hatred against Israel breeds the terrorism and extremism which led to the brutal massacre of October 7th,” Lapid wrote Thursday.
“We expect the Jordanian government to condemn this publicly and unequivocaly [sic],” he added.
Within a few hours, however, the restaurant’s owner claimed to have to changed the name to simply “October,” Ynet News said.
The original name was unrelated to the Hamas attack, the unnamed owner told the outlet.
“My daughter graduated from medical school on October 7 in Algeria. Now we changed it because it was understood politically. The new name is only October. Without 7. We have nothing to do with politics,” he explained.
Posts on Facebook, however, reportedly indicate that the restaurant existed under a different name and that the owner asked followers for ideas for a new one, YNet said.
One commenter suggested “October 7,” the outlet explained.
The controversial restaurant name comes amid ongoing tensions between Israel and Jordan – whose population is believed to be about 50 percent Palestinian – while the war against Hamas rages in Gaza.
In November, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi recalled the country’s ambassador to Israel as an expression of “rejection and condemnation” of Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza, the Times of Israel noted.
The Jordanian government also asked Israel’s Foreign Ministry to instruct Ambassador Rogel Rachman – who was back in Israel briefly due to security threats – not to return to Amman, the outlet explained.