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AMMAN — The Israeli occupation authorities and right wing cannot prevent Jordan from installing surveillance cameras in Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif compound, Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani said on Monday.

He stressed that Jordan is entitled to take this measure in light of the custodianship of His Majesty King Abdullah of the mosque according to the provisions of the Jordan-Israel peace treaty signed in 1994, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Momani said the compound extending over an area of 144 dunums is for Muslims alone, and no one has the right to intervene in its affairs. 

The goal of installing the cameras is to preserve the identity of Al Aqsa and record any violations by Israeli extremists and the Israeli occupation forces, Momani said. 

The Israeli Radio has reported that Israeli extremists have filed a petition with the Israeli Supreme Court, and the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding authorities to prevent Jordan from installing the cameras, claiming that the measure violates the “unified Jerusalem law” and implies acknowledgement of Jordan’s sovereignty on Al Haram Al Sharif. 

On Friday, in remarks to Jordan Television, Momani, who is also minister of state for media affairs and communications, said no cameras will be installed in the prayer areas in the mosque because the goal is to record Israeli violations.

The Jerusalem Awqaf Department, which is affiliated with the Awqaf Ministry, will be in charge of the cameras through a control room, he noted, stressing the legal, moral and religious importance of this step, aimed at safeguarding holy sites against Israeli acts of aggression.

By installing the cameras, Jordan seeks to document these violations and enable 1.7 billion Muslims to follow what is happening in the courtyards of Al Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest shrine, on the Internet, Momani said.

He stressed that Al Haram Al Sharif is a purely Islamic waqf [an inalienable religious endowment in Islamic law], and Israel is the occupying force, noting that Tel Aviv will never be safe if it continues to provoke 1.7 billion Muslims by violating the sanctity of these shrines.

AMMAN – State budget deficit for the fiscal year of 2015 reached JD929 million, or 3.4 per cent of the projected size of the Kingdom's economy, according to numbers released on Monday by the Finance Ministry. 

The deficit was higher by JD346 million than the JD583.5 million registered in 2014, mainly due to around JD350 million drop in foreign grants from JD1.236 billion in 2014 to around JD886.2 million received last year, the ministry's figures indicated.  

In its report, the Finance Ministry said that deficit ratio to the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2014 was 2.3 per cent. 

The deficit before foreign grants would have been JD1.815 billion, 6.7 per cent of the projected GDP in 2015, while in 2014 it would have been JD1.820 billion, or 7.2 per cent of the GDP. 

Public revenues in 2015, including domestic and foreign grants, stood at around JD6.8 billion, compared to JD7.2 billion the year before, a drop of around JD471 million. 

Domestic revenues in 2015 dropped by JD122 million in 2015 to around JD5.909 billion from JD6.031 billion, the figures showed. 

Government spending in 2015 stood at JD7.724 billion, down by JD126.5 million from the year before when expenditure reached JD7.851 billion, the ministry report said. 

AMMAN — EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini is scheduled to arrive in Jordan on Tuesday to discuss how the EU can help the Kingdom in managing the number of Syrian refugees flowing in due to the Syrian crisis. 

"We are together in managing one of the worst if not the worst humanitarian crisis," Mogherini said during her visit to Lebanon, Agence France-Presse reported on Monday.

The EU representative was in Lebanon on Monday and met with Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil in Beirut. 

Mogherini's visit to the Middle East comes as Europe grapples with its worst migrant crisis since World War II. 

But while over one million migrants reached Europe's shores in 2015 alone, Syria's neighbours have shouldered the bulk of the refugee crisis triggered by the five-year war, AFP said. 

Her visit also comes as a landmark since the EU-Turkish deal took effect, with Brussels seeking to curb the influx to Europe. 

His Majesty King Abdullah was in Brussels last week and met with EU leaders to discuss negotiations on the Jordanian-EU partnership programme and a deal to expand NATO's military support to Jordan through a capacity-building programme. 

During the visit, King Abdullah expressed appreciation for the European Parliament’s support to Jordan and its development process within the context of the Kingdom’s advanced status as an EU partner. 

Since the war in Syria, Jordan has offered shelter to over 630,000 refugees, Lebanon has the world’s highest refugee population per capita, and Turkey hosts 2.7 million Syrians, according to AFP. 

AMMAN — On the occasion of Mother’s Day on Monday, Her Majesty Queen Rania visited children currently residing at Dar Al Aman, the Jordan River Foundation’s (JRF) child safety centre.

The centre was established in 2000 to temporarily provide protection for child victims of abuse. 

The Queen met with a number of the centre’s caregivers and in-house teachers, accompanied by JRF Director Enaam Al Barrishi, and Child Safety Programme Manager at the Queen Rania Family and Child Centre Muntaha Harasis, according to a statement from Her Majesty's office.

The centre’s staff updated Queen Rania on how it gets the children up to speed with their education, especially if their difficult circumstances have forced them to skip school. 

Depending on each child’s evaluation, the centre assesses whether a child can be placed in a public school, or be schooled at the centre. 

School-aged children are usually enrolled in public schools near the centre, and those under the age of six benefit from specialised early childhood development programmes at the centre. 

The Queen thanked the teachers and caregivers for their dedication to helping vulnerable children and easing their suffering.

She also met with two girls at the centre who have both excelled in school, despite their abusive backgrounds that have forced them to seek protection at Dar Al Aman. 

One of their teachers said the girls’ progress is testimony to the success of the centre’s educational and psychosocial support programmes, according to the statement. 

Queen Rania also visited the centre’s residence units, where each caregiver looks after up to eight children in one unit. 

Her Majesty also spent time with children while they were making Mother’s Day gifts, including paintings, beaded accessories, crafts and greeting cards. 

The children gifted Her Majesty a hand-made beaded necklace, as well as Mother’s Day greeting cards from each child.

Dar Al Aman’s other services include medical and psychological care, as well as reintegrating beneficiaries back into their homes, or finding them safe permanent placements elsewhere. 

The centre accommodates up to 40 child victims of violence of all ages.

AMMAN — The best thing anyone can do to support the Palestinians in their struggle against "the Israeli apartheid" is to visit them by any means, said Maxim Sansour, co-founder of the Open Bethlehem anti-apartheid organisation.

Sansour urged those seeking to support the Palestinians against several Israeli segregation measures, the most prominent of which is the separation wall, to disregard all other considerations that may hinder their visit, such as obtaining an Israeli visa.

Many of those hoping to visit Palestine refuse to obtain an Israeli visa, seeing it as a subliminal acknowledgment of the state of Israel, an act of normalisation.

Sansour made these remarks on Sunday on the sidelines of the screening of "Open Bethlehem", a 90-minute documentary written, directed and produced by his sister, Leila, the co-founder of the Open Bethlehem campaign.

The campaign seeks to break the isolation of the city where Jesus was born according to Christian beliefs by encouraging visitors from all over the world to become ambassadors of Bethlehem.

The film, screened as part of the Israeli Apartheid Week, showcases personal stories of several residents in the city of Bethlehem and their plight amidst the segregation imposed by the separation wall, settlements and the random demolishing of homes. 

Leila, who left the city as a teenager and returned to live there for a year to make the film as a tribute to her late father, saw in the campaign a chance to "save the city" and was able to advocate for it in several countries, along with partners and supporters.

Bethlehem ambassadors are individuals from all walks of life, including dignitaries, ordinary citizens, Christians, Jews and Muslims, who are united by their passion for Bethlehem and preparedness to champion it, working towards the realisation of the vision of the campaign, according to its website.

Maxim said "Open Bethlehem" will be screened for the public in cooperation with the Royal Film Commission on April 3 at the Rainbow Theatre at 7pm.

The Israeli Apartheid Week, which started March 19 and continues through March 28, is an international activity taking place in over 150 cities and universities across the world to raise awareness about Israel’s ongoing "colonial project and apartheid policies" against the Palestinians.

Upcoming events marking the week at Al Balad Theatre include an album signing event for Lebanese singer and oud player Marcel Khalife this Thursday at 7pm, and a concert of traditional Palestinian songs by Palestinian singer Sanaa Moussa on Friday at 8pm.

Activities also include a play depicting the life of Palestinian poet Mohammad Taha on Saturday at 8pm and a lecture by Palestinian photographer Tareq Bakri on Monday at 7pm, where he will be speaking about the documentation of Palestinian life against Israeli claims.

AMMAN — The Social Security Corporation (SSC) said on Monday it will work to increase the ratio of economic participation for Jordanian women to reach 27 per cent by 2025, in accordance with the 2025 vision.

Speaking at a celebration held by the Microfund for Women in Zarqa marking Mother's Day, spokesperson Musa Sbeihi said women's participation in the economy currently stands at 13.2 per cent.

The percentage of female subscribers to the SSC is still small, he added, amounting to 314,000 and comprising no more than 27 per cent of the total 1.155 million subscribers. 

An SSC statement quoted Sbeihi as saying that the corporation has succeeded in raising the percentage from 25 to 27 per cent during the past two years. 

Female retirees, he added, stood at 27,609, comprising 15 per cent of the total 181,000. 

Sbeihi said unemployment among women stands at 22.5 per cent, compared to 10 per cent among men, noting that there would be no real development without actual effective participation by women in the economy. 

Sbeihi added that the SSC "is proud" to have more than 26,000 Jordanian housewives covered by insurance through optional subscription. 

AMMAN — Jordanians took to social media on Monday to mark Mother’s Day and the anniversary of the Karamah Battle, with some linking the two occasions to express their pride in both their mothers and the nation.

“The mother is a homeland and the homeland is Karamah [dignity in English],” tweeted Saleem alomari (‏@abo_sanad1) with two posters resembling the battlefield and a mother kissing a child.

sultan_alqwiaan HKJ ‏(@Sultangouaan1) wrote: “It was a coincidence that the Karamah Day came on Mother’s Day, and they both were at the beginning of the spring season to prove that this glorified day was a special occasion.”

On March 21, 1968, Jordanian soldiers repelled an Israeli attack on the small town of Karamah in the Jordan Valley, whose name means “dignity”. Several Jordanian soldiers lost their lives in the battle, while the Israeli raid was repelled with heavy losses as the Jordanian army launched an artillery barrage against Israeli tanks.

Hundreds of Facebook and Twitter users posted family photos with their mothers, while others dug into old files and archives to post photos and videos of His Majesty the late King Hussein declaring victory in the battlefield as well as photos of King Hussein with Jordanian soldiers.

On his official Instagram account, HRH Crown Prince Hussein posted a photo of Her Majesty Queen Rania and wrote: "Happy Mother's Day to my mother and every Jordanian mother. You are a blessing!" 

Dina Radwan posted a selfie on Facebook with her mother and wrote: “Life doesn't come with a manual but it comes with a mother...To teach you how to love, live and be strong…To be your guardian angel; happy mother's day mommy.”

Mother's Day is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the months of March or May.  

The celebration of Mother's Day began in the United States in the early 20th century, according to web sources.

In the Arab world, according to the Live Rich, Live Well website, one of the main agitators for Mother’s Day was writer and journalist Mustafa Amin who heard a story of a widow who raised her son. 

The woman had made many sacrifices  so that her son could become a doctor. When he achieved success and got married, he left her on her own, showing no gratitude. 

Amin found this appalling, according to the website, and campaigned to have a Mother’s Day held in Egypt. The first official Mother’s Day in Egypt was marked in 1956, and other Arab countries soon adopted the celebration of the holiday.

AMMAN — The Kingdom's visitors are required to abide by regulations governing wildlife and hunting activities, Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) Director General Yehya Khaled said Monday.

Although few Jordanians take up hunting with rifles as a hobby, this culture is more widespread in other countries in the region, mainly Gulf Arab countries, and involves other techniques, such as hunting using eagles, he said.

Khaled explained in a phone interview with The Jordan Times that in Saudi Arabia alone there are some 10,000 individuals who keep eagles and use them to hunt various types of birds, a costly practice for many Jordanians.

Commenting on the seizing of 14 eagles found with Arab nationals during the past two weeks and the recent shooting down of a dozen Rhim gazelles, he said both guests and Jordanians are required to abide by regulations, especially during the hunting season in spring and autumn. 

The conservationist added that officials at the RSCN and the ministries of interior and agriculture have recently agreed to intensify security checks at border points at Mudawara and Omari crossings, as well as the airports to ban the entry of eagles.

The RSCN and the Rangers also cooperate to apprehend violators and receive relevant complaints.

AMMAN — A variety of initiatives seeking to effect desired change in local communities across Jordan will be implemented as part of the Mosaic Leadership Programme: Jordan.

The year-long programme, which is implemented by Mosaic, a UK-based mentoring charity founded by Charles the Prince of Wales in cooperation with the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD), will help around 50 young Jordanians implement initiatives tailored to address the pressing needs of their local communities.

“I am highly confident that our innovative and inspiring young people are capable of optimally utilising the knowledge and skills they have gained to effectively contribute to the future of our country,” KAFD Chairman Imad Fakhoury said Monday.

Fakhoury, who is also minister of planning and international cooperation, made his remarks at the graduation ceremony, concluding a five-day training session for participants in the programme. 

During the training course, mentors helped the 50 Jordanian delegates come up with action plans on how to implement their initiatives. The completion of the training is a prelude to the start of the programme.

“We were keen to partner with Mosaic, whose distinguished leadership programme will provide the participants with tools for development to drive productivity, foster collaborative work that we direly need in today’s world and strengthen the skills of our distinguished trailblazing youth in areas of communication, decision-making, commitment, respect and trust,” Fakhoury said.

He announced that the KAFD will extend JD50,000 in financial support to help in the implementation of initiatives by participants in the Mosaic programme in Jordan, which is supported by telecom company Zain Jordan and the UK’s Department for International Development.

Stressing the UK’s support to the participants, UK Ambassador to Jordan Edward Oakden said participants in the programme have the capability, opportunity and responsibility to change the lives of thousands in their local communities.

“You all have our support to take this exciting programme forward,” the ambassador added.

Zain Jordan CEO Ahmad Al Hanandeh said Zain Innovation Campus hosted Mosaic’s activities for the second year in a row, which he said is in line with Zain Jordan’s continued efforts to support and empower entrepreneurs.

Under the year-long programme, the participants are required to stay in touch with their mentors and Mosaic and are expected to have completed their action plan.

Every three months, participants will submit a progress update to Mosaic, and at the end of the 12 months, they will submit a short report on what they have achieved.

AMMAN — The government is seeking to secure funds to rehabilitate the Mudawara-Maan Highway that links the southern part of Jordan with Saudi Arabia, an official said Monday. 

Anmar Khasawneh, secretary general of the Ministry of  Public Works and Housing, told The Jordan Times that the cost of rehabilitating the 120-kilometre highway is estimated at over JD120 million, while this year’s budget of the ministry is only JD80 million. 

On Tuesday, Maan Mayor Majed Sharari called on the government to revamp the highway in the southern governorate, where five days ago a deadly traffic accident took place, leaving 16 Palestinian pilgrims dead and 34 others injured after their bus overturned.

The Palestinian passengers were heading to Hijaz in Saudi Arabia to perform umra (the lesser Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca). 

Sharari told The Jordan Times that thousands of visitors and pilgrims take the Mudawara-Maan Highway from and to Saudi Arabia, adding that the road needs urgent rehabilitation and strict traffic rules to put an end to accidents, which he said have killed hundreds of passengers over the past years. 

Khasawneh agreed that the road needs to be repaired, but said it needs tens of millions of dinars that the ministry cannot afford, and the ministry is currently working to secure funds from a donor country.  

“It is among the ministry’s priorities, and hopefully we will be able to bring finances to fix it,” the official said.

Khasawneh pointed out another highway –– the desert road –– that needs to be rehabilitated due to its current “bad shape”.

He added that after funding for the 220-kilometre highway from the Saudi Fund for Development, the rehabilitation project is expected to start soon. 

The project’s total cost is $170 million, divided into a $65 million grant signed last November and a $105 million soft loan.

The desert road extends from Amman to Aqaba and passes through Karak, Tafileh and Maan.