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AMMAN — Over 200 Jordanian women gathered in downtown Amman on Friday to highlight the brave stance of Palestinian women in their resistance against Israeli oppression. 

Women and children gathered at Al Nakheel Square, located in the heart of the city centre, holding banners and shouting slogans supporting the Palestinian cause and condemning Israeli violations in Palestine and Al Aqsa Mosque.

Mary Nazzal-Batayneh, one of the organisers of the demonstration, said Palestinian women have always courageously participated on the front lines of the resistance. 

“Today we have come out as the women of Jordan to show solidarity with our sisters in Palestine, who are currently expressing their resistance and refusal to live under Israeli occupation and apartheid. Women are the backbone of our society and we must highlight their critical role in political movements and beyond,” she told The Jordan Times during the event.

Sahar Aloul, one of the participants, said the protesters want to show that the Palestinian cause is “our main issue”. 

“The Palestinian woman is the symbol of sacrifice and bravery. She smiles against oppression and she is the symbol of the Intifada,” Aloul added.   

For activist Emily Nafaa, the turnout at the demonstration reflected Jordanian women’s investment in the Palestinian cause.

“By attending this event, we want to encourage women to continue in their resistance and show that we are sure the people will gain victory eventually. The participation of women in Palestinian resistance efforts makes clear that all segments of society are joining and supporting the Intifada,” she said. 

Also on Friday, another demonstration was held in downtown Amman, in which participants representing several movements and parties marched from Al Husseini Mosque to Al Nakheel Square. 

Other activities were held in support of the Palestinian resistance in several cities, such as Zarqa and Tafileh, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.   

AMMAN — Jordanians have always supported Palestinians and conveyed their concerns at international events, in addition to supporting efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state, Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh said Saturday.

In a speech delivered at a ceremony to commemorate the “Dawaymeh massacre”, he said the House has worked in regional and international arenas through parliamentary unions and assemblies to expose the “frequent Israeli assaults on Palestinians”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Mohammad Manasrah, president of the Dawaymeh tribal council, said Dawaymeh is a village in Hebron and was the last village to be occupied on October 29, 1948. More than 500 people in the village were killed in the massacre by Israeli forces, Petra added.

AMMAN — Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury on Saturday met with EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana on the occasion of the official beginning of his work as the new EU ambassador to Jordan, a ministry statement said.

The two officials discussed EU aid to Jordan for the period between 2015 and 2016 and opportunities for the Kingdom to receive additional financial support. Fakhoury thanked the EU for its assistance, which helped implement a number of high priority projects and supported the budget. 

AMMAN — The Jordan Engineers Association (JEA), the Jordan Contractors Association, and the ministries of public works and municipal affairs have all agreed to cooperate in order to resolve problems facing the branches of both associations, a JEA statement released Saturday said.

The agreement was reached on Friday during a meeting attended by Public Works Minister Sami Halaseh, Municipal Affairs Minister Walid Masri, JEA President Majid Tabaa, Jordan Contractors Association President Wael Toukan, and several heads of branches and members of both associations.

Halaseh stressed his ministry’s partnership with the JEA, while Masri voiced his ministry’s readiness to cooperate with the branches of both syndicates to facilitate their work.

AMMAN — Amman Mayor Aqel Biltaji on Saturday attended the inauguration of a urology and nephrology unit at the Italian Hospital in Amman, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

At the ceremony, attended by Italian Ambassador to Jordan Giovanni Brauzzi, Nassim Samawi, the hospital’s administrative director, said this step will help hundreds of patients and reduce pressure on other hospitals.

The Italian Hospital, constructed by the Association to Succour Italian Missionaries, was the first hospital in the capital and will soon celebrate its 90th year as one of the health charities in Jordan. Also over the weekend, Biltaji attended the screening of the short film “6 Cup Chai” by British director Laila Khan at Al Hussein Cultural Centre.

The screening was also attended by India’s Ambassador to Jordan Anil Trigunayat, who thanked the Greater Amman Municipality for hosting the screening, Petra reported.

AMMAN — Radio Al Balad concluded on Thursday a workshop in basic journalistic skills that trained 16 Syrian refugees, according to a statement released Saturday.

The workshop conducted in Amman covered reporting and writing, as well as producing radio and TV reports. As the workshop concluded, the trainees will now be working in the radio programme “Syrians Amongst Us”.

The statement quoted Daoud Kuttab, director general of Community Media Network, as saying that the radio programme is crucial for over a million Syrians in Jordan.

“It is important for our Syrian guests to have a platform of their own to express their problems and aspirations,” Kuttab said.

Syrians Amongst Us gives refugees space to talk about local issues away from the Syrian crisis, according to Hiba Obeidat, the project’s director.

AMMAN — The Private Hospitals Association (PHA), in cooperation with the US embassy in Amman, and the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), on Saturday organised a workshop to discuss boosting cooperation between US institutions and Jordanian private hospitals in the fields of medical waste and energy.

A total of 35 participants from PHA member hospitals  took part in the workshop, attended by Heather K. Lanigan, country manager for the Middle East, North Africa and Europe region at the USTDA, and Commercial Chancellor at the US embassy Geoffrey Bogart.

PHA President Fawzi Hammouri said the workshop is important for consultation and discussing joint cooperation in medical waste disposal, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Lanigan said the USTDA is ready to consider cooperation with the Kingdom’s private hospitals.

AMMAN — Jordan and Bahrain form a “unique role model” in joint and complementary work, Interior Minister Salameh Hammad said Friday, noting that Bahrain’s security is part of Jordan’s. 

Hammad made the remarks during a meeting with his Bahraini counterpart Sheikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa held on the sidelines of the IISS Manama Dialogue Regional Security Summit, which opened in Manama on Friday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The meeting covered measures needed to facilitate cooperation and support economic and security partnership in the framework of activating Arab integration, which has become a necessity in light of developments in the region and the world, and the march of reform in the two kingdoms.

Hammad said combating terrorism and extremism is a national duty and a historic responsibility that requires more cooperation and coordination. 

He voiced Jordan’s readiness to offer its expertise and capabilities in all fields to Bahrain.

For his part, Sheikh Rashid commended the level of bilateral relations, stressing the importance of enhancing them to serve the people of both kingdoms. 

Hammad will be delivering a speech on Sunday at the IISS Manama Dialogue, which interior ministers from the region’s countries are also attending.

Various subjects such as US policy and regional security, the future of Yemen, the Middle East after nuclear negotiations and the challenges of extremism are on the agenda of the three-day summit.

AMMAN — Jordan is capable of improving its ranking in global transparency indexes as it has the political will to fight corruption, supported by the needed infrastructure, an international expert said Saturday.

Speaking at the 10th Government Leaders Forum in Amman, Transparency International Managing Director Cobus de Swardt said the Kingdom’s “relatively small” population and “good” coordination between ministries can enable it to improve transparency, despite challenges in security and population due to the refugee crisis.

During meetings with Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour and a number of officials over the past few days, De Swardt was briefed on the political reform process in the Kingdom, as well as efforts to improve the quality of health and education services, and on developing and improving the role of women in public life.

In several meetings with leaders of private and public institutions as well as civil society organisations over the past three days, De Swardt said he noticed a common “strong” willingness among all sectors to move ahead in reform and to strive for the Kingdom to become a regional leader in transparency.

However, he said the country still has aspects it can work on to achieve higher transparency rates.

While prevention is a key anti-corruption effort, providing anti-corruption entities with “better” resources is as important, especially those with investigative powers, according to the expert.

De Swardt noted that the government can enhance public trust in anti-corruption entities and their independence by assigning individuals who already possess the public’s esteem and trust to anti-corruption positions. 

This move would go hand-in-hand with reaching out to civil society organisations as partners, rather than threats — a matter His Majesty King Abdullah’s fifth Royal Discussion Paper emphasised, the Transparency International director said.

De Swardt encouraged the government to further open channels with the public. 

“It is secrecy that enables corruption,” he said, suggesting that openness can be achieved by encouraging asset declarations of public sector employees at the beginning and the end of their service, as well as throughout their term.

Another point would be to build an environment of integrity through closing legal and administrative loopholes, especially those concerning public funds where most transparency speculations occur.     

Furthermore, developing an advanced system of classification for official documents regarding secrecy could enhance openness, especially in areas of procurements, according to the expert, who described openness as a “major game changer in public trust”.

De Swardt concluded by citing corruption as a global issue that is affected by international systems. “However, Jordan should push its own indigenous solutions for such an issue.”

Minister of Public Sector Development Khleef Al Khawaldeh said the forum, held in cooperation with the Jordanian Integrity and Transparency Coalition “Rasheed”, aims at exchanging knowledge and experiences among public sector leaders and keeping them updated with recent developments in the field of public administration.

“This meeting is part of the government’s efforts to enhance Jordan’s rank in international indicators, especially those related to transparency, openness and anti-corruption,” he told an audience of senior officials.

The minister said international indicators are “very important to policy and decision making” as they evaluate the current situation in various fields and illustrate the impact of adopted policies and decisions.

“They are also considered a main reference point for donors to determine which countries should be a target for investments, donations, grants, loans, and international relations and cooperation,” he added.

Khawaldeh indicated that the ministry will release a report analysing the main international rankings of governments and Jordan’s performance in these indices in the first quarter of 2016, with the goal of enabling public departments to benefit from and follow up on content relevant to their work.

AMMAN — The success of the 2015 national population census depends on the public’s awareness of its significance and cooperation with researchers, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said Saturday.

The census, which will take place between November 30 and December 10, seeks to collect data that helps in evaluating the past and planning for the future; therefore, it is of “great importance” to provide accurate information, Ensour said at the 10th Government Leaders Forum.

The premier explained that the census is the main tool to measure the Kingdom’s development needs, such as the number of schools to be built and the required funding, by calculating expected population figures over the next 10 or 15 years, based on its findings.

“Without the public’s help we will make mistakes,” Ensour said, adding that providing accurate information will enable preparing more accurate future plans.

“It is a purely social and economic census, without any political goals,” he stressed, noting that the information gathered for this “collective national work” will be treated with secrecy.

The collaboration of public agencies as well as their support in spreading awareness will contribute to enhancing the efficiency of the census, the premier noted.

For his part, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury said the upcoming census is the sixth to take place in the Kingdom, with the law stipulating that a census be conducted every 10 years for purposes of international comparisons and national planning.

“The census will provide a demographic and socio-economic database at all levels… and be accessible to policy makers in the private and public sectors as well as civil society organisations and researchers,” he said. 

Collected data, according to the minister, will contribute to developing sustainable comprehensive development policies in the 2025 vision.

He said the census will not violate the privacy of individuals or families, as the results will only be in numbers and figures, not in names. 

There are no questions on income or financial assets and participation in the census will not have any financial or legal consequences, Fakhoury explained.

“The census covers all those residing in Jordan, including Arab and foreign residents, refugees, tourists and those transiting through the Kingdom’s roads, seas or skies during the 10-day exercise,” he noted.    

Meanwhile, Department of Statistics (DoS) Director Qasem Zu’bi said the 2015 census will be a “milestone” achievement as it is entirely electronic, which will produce “instant and updated” results. 

The official noted that some 20,000 census takers will be involved in the process of data collection, under the supervision of 4,000 supervisors, and that there will be 85 DoS supervision centres across the country.

The census has three stages: preparation, population counting and analysis, after which the results will be published, according to Zu’bi, who said more researchers are needed, in addition to a means of transportation for them.