AMMAN (Dispatches) – The Persian Gulf state of Qatar has extended a $500 mln aid package to Jordan that includes investments, project finance and job opportunities for Jordanians, an official source said on Wednesday.
The aid package comes two days after Persian Gulf neighbors Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates pledged $2.5 billion of aid to Jordan to help the country’s cash-strapped economy hit by a wave of protests over IMF-driven austerity measures.
The rescue package comprises the bailout in the form of a deposit in the Jordanian Central Bank, World Bank guarantees, and budgetary support over five years.
Jordan's King Abdullah offered his gratitude to the three countries, adding the package will "contribute to overcoming the crisis," according to the SPA.
The European Union has also announced 20 million euros ($23.5 million) in aid for Jordan.
Protests engulfed the cash-strapped country earlier this month after the government announced a fuel prices rise of up to 5.5 percent and a 19 percent hike in electricity prices.
The price of fuel has risen on five occasions since the beginning of the year. An unpopular income tax law was also incensing the public until the government withdrew it in the face of the protests.
The spikes are required by the International Monetary Fund, from which the country secured a $723-million loan in 2016.
The people have been calling for the "fall of the government,” and riots have spread throughout the country.

Jordanian demonstrators wave the national flags during a protest near the prime minister's office in the capital Amman, June 6, 2018.