Local

AMMAN — The country will be affected on Tuesday by unstable weather conditions that are forecast to bring thunderstorms and scattered showers, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD).

The impact of the unstable weather conditions is expected to start in the afternoon and continue until late Thursday, meteorologist Laila Shahin said on Monday.

A drop in temperatures is expected on Tuesday, but mercury levels will remain above the annual average of 26°C during this time of the year, Shahin added.

“Scattered showers are expected on Tuesday night. Temperatures in the capital will range between a high of 29°C and a low of 21°C, while winds will be southwesterly to westerly brisk, raising dust,” she noted.

The JMD warned the public about possible reduced road visibility due to the brisk sand-raising winds, especially in the southern and eastern regions of the Kingdom.

On Wednesday the country will remain under the impact of the unstable weather, which is expected to cause thunderstorms and rain, according to Shahin.

Mercury levels in Amman will reach a maximum of 29°C during the day, dropping to a minimum of 21°C at night, while winds will be northwesterly moderate to brisk, raising dust, the weather forecaster said.

A drop in temperatures is expected on Thursday, when the weather will be cloudy, with chances of rain and thunder during the day, Shahin said.

Temperatures will range between 26°C and 15°C in Amman and northwesterly moderate to brisk winds will raise dust in the desert areas.

“The impact of the unstable weather conditions will start to ease off by Thursday night,” Shahin told The Jordan Times, noting that unstable weather conditions are common during spring in Jordan.

The period between March and early May brings 7 per cent of the country’s long-term annual average rainfall of 8 billion cubic metres, according to the JMD.

Following is the final communiqué issued Monday of the ëRoad to Jerusalemí Conference held in Amman last week:

 1.     Exerting efforts to achieve the unity of the Arab and Muslim Ummah and at the very least agree together on the constants, the most important of which are the protection of the Ummah’s holy sites and religious antiquities in Jerusalem; and continuing to defend the rights of the Palestinians and the justness of their cause; for under division and fragmentation, none of the Ummah’s substantive goals can be achieved. 

2.      Reminding the Ummah that financial and personal sacrifices must be made to defend the Ummah’s religious holy sites and religious antiquities, its land and its people. 

3.      Supporting Jerusalemite institutions, be they educational, medical or social, in a manner that guarantees that they continue to be sustainable and steadfast.

4.      Supporting the projects of Jerusalemites related to housing, religious endowments (awqaf) and their upkeep; and supporting committees for zakat (required alms giving) and for social, medical and economic welfare.

5.      Supporting the projects of the Hashemite Fund for the Restoration and Maintenance of the Blessed Al Aqsa Mosque and the Noble Dome of the Rock.

6.      Supporting the efforts to care for Christian holy sites and protect them from Judaisation and confiscation.

7.      Calling on the scholars of the Muslim Ummah and its khutabaa’ (preachers) and its du’aat (those who invite to the faith) to discuss the Blessed Al Aqsa Mosque in their sermons, particularly their Friday sermons, and to supplicate for its freedom away from occupation and to ask the Almighty for the gift of praying in it for Muslims. 

 8.  The conference pays tribute to the struggle of the state of Palestine and its insistence on Jerusalem being the capital of the Palestinian state; and its insistence on Palestinian sovereignty over all the occupied territories of Palestine including Al Quds Al Sharif and the holy sites. 

9.  The participants pay tribute to His Majesty King Abdullah’s speech before the UNGA in which he clarified that the Blessed Al Aqsa Mosque is a sacred Islamic waqf as important as the Blessed Kaa’ba and that  any invasion or division of the site of Al Masjid Al Aqsa would be viewed, not only as a breach of Israel’s obligations, but as profound aggression against 1.7 billion Muslims, one quarter of the world’s population.

10.  The participants pay tribute to the role of Christian churches and the heads of Christian churches in Jerusalem for preserving the Pact of Omar and their holy sites and for rejecting the occupation. The conference urges the heads of churches in Jerusalem and around the world, through their influence and representation in the international forums and media, to defend the Pact of Omar and the historic relationship between their Jerusalem churches and Al Aqsa Mosque and the Islamic Waqf.  

11.  Thwarting the Jewish narrative that aims to Judaise Jerusalem, its holy sites and all of Palestine in international arenas including academic and educational forums, international organisations, media institutions and social networking channels. As an offshoot of the Road to Jerusalem Conference, a committee shall be established that will be dedicated to monitoring the Jewish narrative on all fronts and will prepare counter-studies that will refute it.

12. The conference calls on the universities and schools in the United States of America, the European Union countries, among others, to revise the exclusivist Judaisation narrative of the history of Jerusalem and Palestine in many school and university books. 

13.  The conference absolutely and categorically rejects the support of the occupation government and its implementation of the plans of Jewish extremists for spatial or temporal division of the Blessed Al Aqsa Mosque. The conference calls upon His Majesty King Abdullah, the custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem, to defend the Blessed Al Aqsa Mosque in all Arab, Islamic and international arenas, forums and organisations. 

14.  Reiterating the religious importance of the Blessed Al Aqsa Mosque and the holy sites, particularly among the young; and repositioning the cause of occupied Palestine as a prominent topic in educational curricula in the schools and universities of the Arab and Muslim worlds.

15.  Studying the suggestion to make a percentage of the proceeds of Hajj committees and trusts in the Muslim world a religious endowment (waqf) that goes towards the financial support of the Blessed Al Aqsa Mosque and the people who are steadfast within it.

16.  Holding the United States of America responsible for the continuing arrogance that Israel has displayed; and for the aggressions committed by Jewish extremists against the Blessed Al Aqsa Mosque and Muslim and Christian holy sites and religious antiquities, actions which could lead to a religious war. The United States uses its veto power at the UN Security Council whenever it is invited to veto vote on decision that requires Israel to implement resolutions of international legitimacy.

17.  Forming a “Palestine Committee” in every Arab and Muslim parliament to monitor violations against holy sites and religious antiquities and finding ways to resist them.

18.  The conference praises the following fatwa issued by the scholars from all over the Muslim world who participated in the Road to Jerusalem Conference:

First: The scholars participating in the Road to Jerusalem Conference see that there is no difficulty in religion (la haraj) for the following segments to visit the Blessed Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem:

1.      Palestinians wherever they may be, in or out of Palestine and regardless of their nationalities.

2.      Muslims with passports from countries outside the Muslim world.

Second: In all cases, the following conditions must be observed:

1.      That it does not lead to normalisation with the occupation which may cause harm to the Palestinian cause.

2.      That the visit supports and assists Palestinians and not the occupiers; and here we affirm that any transactions including buying, selling, dealings, accommodations and transportation undertaken must benefit the Palestinians and the Jerusalemites and none other than them. 

3.      That visitors enter with Palestinian or Jordanian tourist groups and stay clear of programmes run by the occupier.

4.      It is preferred that trips to Al Aqsa be within the routes of umra and Hajj trips as much as possible and in an effective and collective manner that achieves the significant religious benefit of this; and in a manner that supports the Palestinian economy and particularly, the economy of Jerusalem; and politically with the aim of protecting Al Aqsa and the religious antiquities. 

Amman, 29th Jumada Al Akhira, 1435 AH / 29th April, 2014 AD

AMMAN –– Several ministers and World Bank experts on Monday stressed the need to finalise the unified procurement bylaw, which is currently being debated at the Opinion and Legislative Bureau, according to a statement emailed to The Jordan Times by the Public Sector Development Ministry.

The finance, public sector development, health, and public works ministers met with a team from the World Bank to discuss ways to improve public procurement measures in Jordan.

Senior Specialist for Procurement at the World Bank Yolanda Taylor briefed the ministers on the outcome of a study prepared by the bank in cooperation with concerned local government agencies, which highlighted the importance of establishing a central regulatory body and to unify public procurement measures. 

RAMALLAH – Palestinian Minister of Awqaf and Religious Affairs Mahmoud Al-Habash on Monday highlighted the dangers threatening Islamic sites as a result of Israeli plans seeking to change the geography and demography of the holy city of Jerusalem.

During the meeting, Awqaf Hayel Dawood stressed the importance of coordinating positions in facing these threats, which he said are closely monitored by the Jordanian leadership.

Habash stressed the importance of consensus reached by Muslim scholars during the “Road to Jerusalem “conference on a fatwa (religious edict) to end a ban of Muslim visits to Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem while under Israeli occupation.

He invited Jordanian researchers and scholars to participate in a conference on Islamic finance which will be held in Ramallah on May 26.

AMMAN – Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh will hold a press conference at 3pm on Tuesday, during which he will speak about the chamber's achievements during the ordinary session and highlight the importance its oversight role and function as a legislative body.

The ordinary session of parliament concluded on May 3 under a Royal Decree issued by His Majesty King Abdullah.

AMMAN – Environment Minister Taher Shakhshir and Korean Ambassador to Jordan Choi Hong-ghi on Monday discussed ways to boost joint cooperation in environmental areas.

At a two-way meeting, the minister acquainted the Korean ambassador with the country’s experience in environmental projects and looked into prospects of cooperation with international entities to learn about new related-developments.

The Korean ambassador extended an invitation to the minister to participate in the “Conference of the Parties” that will be held in October. 

The Conference of the Parties is the governing body of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and advances the implementation of the Convention through the decisions it takes at its periodic meetings.

Moreover, the minister extended his condolences to the Korean ambassador over the victims of the ferry that sank with 467 people on board late last month.

AMMAN - HRH Princess Basma, president of the National Goodwill Campaign’s higher committee, on Sunday visited the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) and stressed the need for further efforts to foster the partnership between the trade sector and the campaign so as to assist more people. 

Meeting with ACC first deputy president Ghassan Khirfan and other board members, Princess Basma stressed the important contributions of the commercial sector to social and humanitarian assistance and development efforts, since the beginning of the campaign activities 22 years ago.

At the meeting, which was attended by Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Hatem Halawni, Abdul Salam Abbadi, deputy president of the campaign's higher committee, highlighted the mission of the National Goodwill Campaign. 

AMMAN – A grace period granted for illegal guest workers to obtain legal residency permits will end on Wednesday, Labour Ministry Secretary General Hamadah Abu Nejmeh said on Monday.

After that, the ministry’s inspection teams will start intensive campaigns to regulate the Labour market, he said, adding that strict legal measures will be enforced against illegal guest workers and employers if they are proved to be violating the Labour Law.

AMMAN – The National Committee for the Prevention of Epidemics on Monday formed an on call “treatment” committee that will be entrusted with following up on coronavirus (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) cases.

The committee comprises representatives of the Health Ministry, the Royal Medical Services, university hospitals and the private sector.

During a meeting on Monday, Health Ministry Secretary General Daifallah Lozi stressed the importance of combining efforts to confront the disease.

Since the first case in Jordan was recorded in 2012, the total number registered cases has reached eight, according to Mohammad Abdullat, director of the Health Ministry’s communicable diseases directorate.

AMMAN — HRH Princess Sarvath, honorary president of the Young Muslim Women’s Association (YMWA), on Monday inaugurated an exhibition showcasing works made by students of the YMWA vocational training centre.

The three-day exhibition showcases agricultural produce as well as ceramic, wooden and mosaic works.

Princess Sarvath, accompanied by Their Royal Highnesses Princesses Majida Raad and Rahmah, toured the exhibition.