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AMMAN — Interior Minister Salameh Hammad on Tuesday attended a meeting held by the Lower House Palestine Committee to discuss the demands of Gazans living in Jordan, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Committee Chair Deputy Yihya Saud said a number of the demands have been fulfilled, while some other issues are being studied such as obtaining public vehicle driver licences, owning diesel vehicles, extending the validity date of passports to five years instead of two and decreasing passport issuing fees.

AMMAN — Criminal Investigation Department personnel have solved the robbery case of Shabab Al Hussein Club, which occurred on Sunday, the Public Security Department (PSD) announced Tuesday.

The club filed a complaint of the robbery, which included breaking doors and stealing electrical appliances, laptops and 20 trophies, according to a PSD statement.

Investigation and evidence collection led to a suspect who has 46 cases in his criminal record, the PSD said, adding that security cadres arrested him and found synthetic cannabis (locally known as “joker”) in his possession.

After searching the suspect’s residence, all the stolen items were seized and returned to the club, according to the PSD, which added that he confessed to committing the crime with an accomplice who was also arrested. 

AMMAN — The Ministry of Agriculture and relevant institutions have removed buildings established on forest land in Madaba and Ajloun governorates, the Agriculture Ministry spokesperson, Nimer Haddadin, said Tuesday.

The ministry replanted the land with trees, dug a well and obliged the violators to write a pledge at the administrative governor’s office not to repeat the assault, Haddadin was quoted by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, as saying.

He added that a specialised committee examines violations on land before relevant institutions remove them once they are proved.

AMMAN — The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Education Ministry to help it provide educational services for Jordanian and Syrian students at public schools.

Under the deal, NRC will build some 47 additional classrooms, health facilities and pitches at overcrowded schools in Irbid.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Mohammad Thneibat and NRC Jordan Country Director Petr Kostohryz signed the memo, funded by the Norwegian foreign ministry.

NRC would also present educational programmes that help students acquire basic skills in Arabic, English and mathematics, in addition to training teachers on modern teaching skills, according to an NRC statement.

AMMAN — Sharifa Zein Al Sharaf Bint Nasser, the chairperson of the board of trustees of the Hashemite Fund for Development of Jordan Badia, has toured the Southern Badia with US Ambassador to Jordan Alice G. Wells and Ministry of Environment Secretary General Ahmad Al Qatarneh.

A statement released by the fund on Tuesday said the group visited two sites, one in Al Lajjoun and one in Wadi Musa, which are reusing treated wastewater for fodder production.

The group finished its tour in Al Husseinieh, where the fund is working on sustainable rural development.

AMMAN — Jordan will remain at the forefront of efforts to fight terror and extremism wherever they are, in a holistic approach that encompasses military, security and ideology, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said Tuesday.

Speaking at a preparatory meeting for the 13th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference held by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, Judeh said the gathering comes at a time when "our countries" are facing grave threats to their security and stability, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Noting that Muslims have suffered the most at the hand of terrorism, the minister called for joint work to utilise all available resources to combat extremism within a united strategy that covers the aspects of ideology and security.

The efforts of the international coalition formed in late 2014 have paid off, limiting the capabilities of these terror groups, especially Daesh, Judeh noted.

But more work is needed to address the flow of foreign militants and enhance local parties' ability to combat Daesh domestically, he said.

Noting that the policies of exclusion and sectarianism have given rise to terrorism, the minister commended the Saudi-led Islamic alliance against terror and called for action to address the root causes of extremism.

He reiterated the need to give more attention to countries in the Balkans to prevent the spread of extremist ideologies and called for respecting diversity and enlightenment.

The minister also urged more focus on immunising young people against extremism, highlighting Jordan's efforts in this regard.

Judeh also referred to the "battle" against terrorism in cyberspace to prevent the likes of Daesh from recruiting new members around the world through social media.

The region's central cause, he reaffirmed, remains the Palestinian issue, describing it as the main reason behind instability in the Middle East.

The minister stressed Jordan's commitment to safeguarding Islamic and Christian sites in Jerusalem and taking all necessary measures to halt Israeli violations against Al Haram Al Sharif/Al Aqsa Mosque.

Also speaking at the meeting, Iyad Ameen Madani, the secretary general of the OIC, said that "addressing the phenomena of extremism, violence and terrorism, which pour into the reservoir of hate rhetoric for Muslims [Islamophobia] is a top priority".

He also referred to the Palestinian cause and the continuous suffering of the Afghani, Syrian, Somali and Yemeni refugees, as well as to the sectarian schism and economic crises, according to an OIC statement.

Over a period of two days, the meeting discusses the draft agenda and programme of the 13th Islamic summit, scheduled to be held on April 14 and 15, the statement said.

AMMAN — The Mesha Centre for Studies and Human Rights will submit a request this week to the governor of Amman asking for permission to picket the French embassy in Amman to demand the return of the Mesha Stele from France, the centre’s president, Daifallah Hdeithat, said Tuesday. 

Hdeithat said in previous remarks to The Jordan Times that the stele was taken from Theeban, the historical capital of the kingdom of Moab, in 1868 when Jordan was under Ottoman rule and moved to Jaffa by an Austrian. 

Afterwards, the Mesha Stele was moved to the Louvre Museum, and it has been there for 150 years.

“We will provide the governor with an official request so that our move would be legal, and we want to be protected during the event as well,” Hdeithat told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

In October 2014, the French embassy in Amman informed the centre it sent the Louvre Museum the request to retrieve the Mesha Stele artefact. 

Since then, no updates have emerged on the request, according to Hdeithat. 

In July 2015, the French ambassador to Jordan at the time said Jordan and France are two sovereign countries that are bound by international agreements, and this issue cannot be resolved except within the framework of these agreements.

“The Mesha Stele is a symbol of power, and the greatness of the country and its people, and this belongs to Jordan,” Hdeithat added. 

The inscription on the stele of King Mesha “constitutes one of the most important direct accounts of the history of the world that is related in the Bible”, according to the Louvre.

“The inscription pays tribute to the sovereign, celebrating his great construction work and victories over the kingdom of Israel during the reign of Ahab, son of Omri,” the museum says on its website.

It also includes the mention of “Israel” in its earliest known written occurrence.

The arched shape of the stele and the basalt used are “characteristic of the votive steles erected in the Levant since the Bronze Age, from Ugarit on the Syrian coast to Hazor in Galilee”, according to the Louvre. 

“The complete absence of figurative representation on this particular stele is exceptional, however, as is the predominant place given to the text,” the museum says. 

The identification of present-day Theeban “as the biblical site of Dibon has been confirmed by the text of the stele and American excavations over the years that have shed new light on the capital of the kingdom of Moab”, according to the museum.

AMMAN — The Civil Status and Passports Department (CSPD) is expected to start issuing new smart identification cards as of mid-May, a CSPD official said on Tuesday.

The source said the new cards will replace the old civil identification cards, and they will contain more information about citizens; however, certain details will only be stored on the card's electronic chip.

The smart card will include 18 fields of data, such as the name in Arabic and English, gender, place of birth, area of residence, and blood type.

The electronic chip will contain other data, such as health insurance type, driving licence, religion, social security number, fingerprint, the citizen’s electronic signature and other information “to be identified later”, the source told The Jordan Times on condition of anonymity.

Social media users had different views on the issue.

Deema Kharabsheh (@deemakharabsheh) posted on Twitter: “Removing the religion entry from the new ID card is an important step… I am a citizen regardless of my religion. You are only concerned with my responsibilities and rights.”

For Facebook user Mothanna Gharaibeh, religion is one of the primary characteristics of citizens and it is “an important element of the mindset of Jordanians”. 

“As soon as [the religion field] is removed, it will be the first question to be asked,” he continued.

Many other users said the step is “not efficient”, since Jordan is a small country and “as soon as they know your name, they classify you based on your [family] and religion”. 

Enam Al Wer said in a comment on Facebook that the decision “is in the direction we want and have been fighting for”, describing it as “a step towards social equality”.

In remarks late last year, ICT Minister Majd Shweikeh said the smart ID can be used to replace the driving licence, health insurance and social security cards.

Shweikeh added at the time that 5 million smart ID cards will be issued in 2016.

The first national ID cards will use fingerprint recognition technology and — later — iris scans, the minister said, describing the new cards as highly secure and impossible to forge.

AMMAN — The maritime and shipping industry in Jordan and the region is likely to witnesses negative consequences if a bridge is built to connect Egypt to Saudi Arabia, the Arab Bridge Maritime Company said.

Meanwhile, the Jordan Chamber of Commerce said the projected bridge, announced by Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz during a recent visit to Egypt, will be a big boost to the national economy.

The plan to build the bridge over the Red Sea linking Egypt to Saudi Arabia will have some negative consequences on the shipping and maritime industry in general, Arab Bridge Maritime Company Director General Hussein Saoub told The Jordan Times on Monday.

"Although in the long-term the project may have a good economic impact, it will certainly harm the maritime industry and affect its growth," Saoub said.

Shipping between Aqaba Port and Egypt's port of Nuweibeh is also expected to be affected.

Prior to the so-called Arab Spring in 2011, the company used to transport some 1.3 million passengers between the two ports, mostly those going from Egypt to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj or umra (the greater and lesser Muslim pilgrimages to Mecca), Saoub said.

Currently, the company transports 60,000 trucks and some 300,000 passengers per year between the two ports.

"If the bridge is built, those passengers and trucks that used to go to Saudi Arabia via Jordan will be going directly via the bridge, which will be less costly and requires less time," Saoub added, noting that the industry was affected by regional conditions and the closure of some ports in the area.

Jordan Chamber of Commerce President Nael Kabariti disagreed, saying the Egypt-Saudi Arabia bridge will be a big boost to Jordan's economy and enhance its expansion to African markets.

"This is a strategic project. Jordan will be one of its beneficiaries," said Kabariti.

"The bridge will help facilitate smoother and faster flow of goods between Saudi Arabia, the Levant and the African markets, including Egypt. It will lead to less costs on merchants," he told The Jordan Times.

"Jordan is planning to reach out to new African markets, and having such a bridge will help Jordan fulfil its objectives in this regard," said Kabariti.

AMMAN — Border Guards on Monday foiled an infiltration attempt by an individual  who sought to cross from Jordan into a neighbouring country, an official source at the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army said Tuesday.

Border Guards executed rules of engagement followed in such cases, arrested the man and referred him to the concerned authorities, the source added.

Also on Tuesday, he army said 301 Syrian refugees crossed into Jordan in the previous 24 hours, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.