Opposition elements led by the Islamic Action Front have called for strikes to protest the prices and the government's privatization plan and are convening a workshop this month to discuss the situation.
"The [Islamists] will reap the benefits" of the crisis, said economist Kamhawi. "They will win by default."
Analysts and officials worry that the middle class will be sapped of its purchasing power and that more young Muslim men will be driven toward extremist groups.
Arab states are considering the creation of an emergency fund to help alleviate spiraling food prices, according to the Jordanian news agency, Petra.
Many Jordanians say members of the army, the pillar of the regime, are being struck hardest by the crisis, unable to make ends meet on salaries of less than $10 per day.
"When you talk to the police officers and the army they're more and more complaining about everything," said Mohammed Masri, an analyst at the Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan.
Hadid, the tribal leader, recently received reports of security forces selling weapons.
"In the days to come, Al Qaeda won't need to bring weapons and bombs from outside Jordan," Hadid said. "They'll get it from here. The circumstances will allow Al Qaeda to penetrate the security apparatus."
He paused. "There will be explosions."
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daragahi@latimes.com
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Times staff writer Jeffrey Fleishman in Cairo contributed to this report.
