All deals executed under peace pact with Israel constitutional — PM

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Tuesday said that the executive agreements pursuant to the 1994 peace treaty with Israel have been implemented in line with the relevant constitutional procedures.

Mulki's remarks came during Tuesday's Lower House oversight session, in response to a question by MP Saleh Armouti who asked whether Jordan has signed any further agreements with Israel since 1994 and, if so, inquired about their nature. 

The premier explained that all agreements signed with Israel were complementary to the 1994 Wadi Araba Peace Treaty under which, he said, both parties agreed that all deals included in the peace pact should be executed within a nine-month deadline from the date of exchanging the ratification documents.

Of the 15 questions discussed Tuesday, five MPs took a more probing approach turning their questions into inquiries.

Some of the questions focused on the appointment mechanism at the Jordan Tourism Board and the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission while others touched on capital spending and development projects.

At the beginning of the session, House Speaker Atef Tarawneh said that the issue of the citizen whom he asked not to intervene and was then seen escorted by police outside the Chamber during Sunday’s session “was misunderstood”.

A video showing Tarawneh addressing a citizen at Parliament, asking him not to interrupt the meeting went viral on social media, sparking widespread criticism.

The video, which became a social media fodder on Facebook and Twitter, showed the security escorting the citizen out of the Lower House.

The citizen, who was attending Sunday’s session presenting the 2018 state budget, protested the referral of the budget to the House’s Financial Committee. In response, Tarawneh addressed him saying: “This is none of your business, citizen.”

“This House is for all Jordanians and, along with our keenness on enforcing the bylaws to ensure smooth deliberations and no disruption especially from attendees on the gallery, we are also keen on listening to citizens’ demands and keeping all doors open for them,” Tarawneh said on Tuesday.