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AMMAN — Expansion and renovation work on two wastewater pumping stations in Zarqa Governorate is currently under way to address increasing pressure on the sewage network, according to government officials.

The rehabilitation work on the two facilities in the governorate, located 22km east of Amman, is being implemented by a local contractor at a cost of JD19 million, the officials said.

Under the project, the capacity of the West Zarqa Wastewater Pumping Station will be raised from 75,000 cubic metres to 110,000 cubic metres per day in order to address an increasing flow of wastewater in the governorate, Minister of Water and Irrigation Hazem Nasser said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

Meanwhile, the capacity of the East Zarqa Wastewater Pumping Station, located in the Hashemiyeh neighbourhood, will be raised from 20,000 cubic metres to 40,000 cubic metres per day, Nasser added.

In addition, submersible pumps with a capacity of 100 cubic metres per hour will be installed at the Hitteen Refugee Camp Wastewater Pumping Station in Ruseifa to improve the facility’s pumping capacity and the area’s environment conditions, according to a Water Ministry official.

The official, who preferred to remain unnamed, underscored that raising the capacity of the wastewater pumping stations will reduce pressure on the over-populated Zarqa Governorate’s sewage network, and create a clean and pollution-free environment for its residents.

He added that the project is funded by the Gulf grant.

In 2011, the Gulf Cooperation Council allocated $5 billion to finance development projects in Jordan during the 2012-2016 period. The grant is divided between Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, with each country paying $1.25 billion.

A list of development projects was prepared by a committee, with some $425.4 million allocated for water and sanitation projects.

AMMAN — The criminal prosecutor on Saturday charged a 20-year-old man with the premeditated murder of his teenage sister in Zarqa over the weekend.

The 17-year-old victim received multiple stab wounds, allegedly inflicted by her brother, who took her to a nearby hospital and left, a senior official source said.

“The victim was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital,” the source told The Jordan Times, adding that her brother returned to the hospital for treatment because his arm was injured.

“Police became suspicious and questioned him about his wounds and discovered that he was the perpetrator in the stabbing death of the girl who was taken to the hospital,” the source explained.

The brother claimed family honour as his motive, “since his sister was involved in an affair with a man and they were married by the governor some six months before the incident”. 

The victim’s husband was recently sent to prison and the “brother decided to murder his sister,” the source added.

Pathologists Ibrahim Obeidat and Wael Hiasat performed an autopsy on the victim and determined that she died of multiple stab wounds to the stomach and chest.

Criminal Court Prosecutor Ali Raqqad ordered the suspect detained at a correctional and rehabilitation centre pending further investigation into the incident. 

Meanwhile, two brothers were charged on Saturday with the premeditated murder of their sister in an Amman suburb over the weekend, according to an official source.

The brothers reportedly shot their 37-year-old sister at her home on Friday and fled, the source said.

The police arrested them later. The source did not provide any further details regarding the murder or a motive.

Raqqad issued orders for the two brothers’ detention at a correctional and rehabilitation centre pending further investigation.

AMMAN — Jordan ranked 155th out of 197 countries in Freedom House’s “Freedom of the Press 2014” report, falling by 10 places compared to last year.

In the report, Jordan obtained a press freedom score of 68 and was classified as a “Not Free” country when it comes to media freedom.

In the 2013 report, Jordan was ranked 145th globally and had a press freedom of 63. 

“Global press freedom fell to its lowest level in over a decade in 2013, as hopes raised by the Arab Spring were further dashed by major regression in Egypt, Libya, and Jordan, and marked setbacks also occurred in Turkey, Ukraine and a number of countries in East Africa,” the report said.

Sweden ranked first globally, followed by Norway, the Netherlands, Finland and Belgium.

Despite a historically stable media landscape, Jordan underwent its largest score change in a decade, falling from 63 to 68, the report said.

“Local journalists in 2013 endured harassment, threats, extralegal detentions, and physical attacks by security forces as well as unknown assailants,” the report claimed.

“Authorities systematically prevented or impeded members of the press from reporting on controversial topics, including parliamentary elections in January and pro-reform demonstrations,” Freedom House charged. 

“In addition, an amended press law required editors of online news sites to obtain licences to operate, and a prominent independent newspaper temporarily suspended operations in July, citing financial problems,” the report added.

AMMAN — Freedom of the press in Jordan dropped by 12 percentage points to 41 per cent in 2013 compared to 2012, according to the Media Freedom Status in Jordan 2013 Report released on Saturday, which marks World Press Freedom Day.

The number of journalists who believe media freedom in the country is on the decline has been increasing over the past three years, standing at 21.3 per cent in 2013, 14 per cent in 2012, and 11.9 per cent in 2011, said the report, prepared by the Centre for Defending Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ) in cooperation with a specialised polling company. 

Those who believe that press freedom advanced significantly fell to 6.9 per cent in 2013, compared with 8.5 per cent in 2012 and 15.4 per cent in 2011. 

A third of journalists, or about 31.7 per cent, believe that media freedom remained unchanged in 2013, CDFJ President Nidal Mansour said in a press conference to announce the findings of the survey, which covered 460 journalists from the private and public sectors.

The state of media freedom in the eyes of journalists also deteriorated, with 3.9 per cent saying it is in an excellent state, while 29.7 per cent rated it as low, according to the report.

“The decline in press freedom in Jordan is expected as the government blocked more than 290 websites in 2013 when it started enforcing the controversial Press and Publications Law,” Mansour told reporters.

Some 49.5 per cent of journalists believe that blocking unlicensed websites is a restriction on media freedom, while 23.4 per cent say it enhances it and 26.9 per cent feel it has no effect, the report showed.

Journalists are increasingly convinced that the government is not serious about implementing constitutional amendments related to media freedom, a view shared by 29.9 per cent of respondents. Only 5.4 per cent believe that it is very serious about implementing these amendments, while 32.3 per cent believe that it is moderately serious and 31.5 per cent slightly serious. 

Government interference remained an obstacle to media freedom in 2013, the report indicated, a view held by 84.2 per cent of journalists compared with 59.4 per cent in 2004.

A majority (91.3 per cent) of journalists said they exercised self-censorship in 2013, compared to 85.8 per cent in 2012.

“The most logical explanation of this result is that the restrictions imposed by the Press and Publications Law on the electronic media were not limited to journalists; they went further to comments posted by citizens on the news published in news websites, which prompted journalists to exercise self-censorship on the comments, in addition to great caution in writing the news for fear of prosecution,” the report said.

Meanwhile, the army remained the organisation that journalists avoid criticising the most, followed by the judiciary, tribal sheikhs and leaders, and security agencies.

One-fifth, or 21.5 per cent, of respondents acknowledged that they were subjected to attempts of soft containment inducement, and (offers of) privileges in the course of their journalistic work, according to the report.

Meanwhile, 50.1 per cent said that they heard about colleagues who were subjected to soft-containment attempts. 

The government and its institutions plus semi-governmental organisations led in attempts to offer privileges to journalists (27.1 per cent and 4.8 per cent respectively), followed by businessmen (28.9 per cent), commercial enterprises and advertising companies (16.9 per cent), security agencies and civil society organisations (5.4 per cent) and political parties (4.2 per cent).

Forms of soft containment varied, according to the report, with financial donations and gifts remaining the most common (44.3 per cent), followed by facilitation of services and procedures by official institutions (20.7 per cent), appointment to a governmental or semi-government position (20 per cent), exemptions from customs or receiving free medical treatment or education (5 per cent) and invitations to travel abroad (4.3 per cent).

News websites were in the forefront in accusations of accepting gifts, followed by private radio and television stations (71.8 per cent), weekly newspapers (69 per cent), dailies (63.8 per cent) and the official media (60.8 per cent).

In terms of violations, 34.1 per cent of the surveyed journalists said that they were subjected to pressure and harassment in 2013, compared with 36.2 per cent in 2012. 

AMMAN — An op-ed published in The Jordan Times which angered Israel represents the opinion of the writer, who was exercising his freedom of speech as guaranteed in the Constitution, experts and officials said on Saturday.

On April 28, the daily published a column titled “The big Zionist lie and the task ahead” by former minister of foreign affairs Kamel S. Abu Jaber. 

Accusing the writer of “anti-Semitism” for quoting Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, Israel’s ministry of foreign affairs on Thursday summoned Jordanian ambassador in Tel Aviv, Walid Obeidat, to protest it.

A day earlier, the embassy of Israel in Amman phoned Chief Editor Samir Barhoum and demanded that the paper publish an apology, a request rejected by Barhoum, who insisted the article represented the writer’s opinion and right as freedom of speech is enshrined in Jordan’s laws and Constitution.

In statements to the press later Thursday, Barhoum also rejected as baseless accusations of “anti-Semitism”, expressing shock that the Israeli government tried to drag Jordan’s authorities in a case involving material published in an independent newspaper.  

A government source told The Jordan Times that Ambassador Obeidat did not “show up” at the Israeli foreign ministry because he was spending the weekend in Amman. 

Echoing earlier statements, Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani said Saturday that “freedom of speech is guaranteed by the Kingdom’s Constitution”, criticising Tel Aviv for summoning the ambassador for a case related to this civil right.

The Israeli embassy in Jordan protested the article as Abu Jaber quoted Hitler’s book “Mein Kampf”, claiming that the op-ed also entails “anti-Semitic” views.

“The fact that the author took the liberty of constructing his arguments on Hitler’s racist and ‘anti-Semitic’ philosophy is outrageous and offensive not only for Jews, but also for any human being who believes in the basic values of humanity,” the embassy of Israel said on its F

acebook page.

Responding to this, Abu Jaber said: “I am shocked at the Israeli reaction to my article which is a call for peace and a reminder to Israel to shed the settlement mentality.”

“Summoning the Jordanian ambassador and protesting against an article by an average citizen? What’s happened to the freedom of speech that they are talking about?” Abu Jaber asked as The Jordan Times interviewed him over the phone.

According to Abu Jaber, Israeli newspapers publish “everyday” remarks and articles by Israeli extremists that are offensive to Jordan and the Palestinians.

“They sometimes call Palestinians all kinds of names, denying their humanity and they call this democracy,” the intellectual said.

He added: “I remind them [Israelis] that they are not the only people who suffered from Hitler and the Nazi movement.” 

He said the Palestinians, Jordanians and the entire Arab world are still suffering more than 65 years after the establishment of Israel in the aftermath of World War II, during which Hitler committed the Holocaust against the Jews, and other ethnic and religious groups.  

The response of the Israeli government to the article was also criticised by the Jordan Press Association (JPA) as stated by its president, Tareq Momani.

“This is freedom of speech and we are celebrating these days Press Freedom Day, which is a reminder of this right,” Momani told The Jordan Times over the phone.

Later in the day, the JPA issued a statement supporting the stance of the daily’s chief editor who refused to apologise to the Israelis as demanded by their embassy on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Samir Hiyari, editor-in-chief of Al Rai daily, said: “I was surprised by Israel’s reaction and summoning our ambassador in Tel Aviv… The Jordan Times is an independent newspaper and does not represent the government’s opinion.”

Ad Dustour daily Chief Editor Mohammad Tall also expressed solidarity with The Jordan Times, highlighting that Israel should instead focus on improving its human rights record and show respect for the Palestinian people’s rights.

AZRAQ — The government and the UN on Wednesday officially opened a new camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan that they see has the potential to become one of the world’s largest refugee camps.

The Azraq Refugee Camp, located some 100km east of Amman near the eponymous town in Zarqa Governorate, will eventually be able to accommodate up to 130,000 people, sprawling over 15 square kilometres.

Around 400 refugees began arriving in Jordan’s third Syrian camp on Monday, which, to date, has shelters for 25,000 and infrastructure for 50,000.

“What you see is probably one of the best planned refugee camps in the world,” UNHCR Representative to Jordan Andrew Harper told a press conference in Azraq on Wednesday.

“It will also probably be one of the biggest refugee camps in the world, and what this represents is the continuing commitment of Jordan to uphold its very proud tradition of generosity to protect those who are fleeing conflict and violence,” he added.

On the site of a former transit camp for displaced Iraqis and Kuwaitis during the first Gulf War, housing units are grouped in communities and have private cooking and cleaning areas.

Based on the experience from the Zaatari Refugee Camp, Azraq follows a bottom-up planning approach, beginning with the smallest social units, and preserving traditional social arrangements and structures of Syrian communities as much as possible.

Four distinct areas will be able to accommodate 10,000 to 15,000 people with its own community centre, primary health post, community police post, women- and child-friendly spaces, sports grounds and access to schools for children.

“We learnt a lot from our mistakes. We had to build Zaatari in record time; Azraq has gone instead through careful planning and attention,” Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh told reporters in Azraq.

“Two years ago we stood in a similar situation at the opening of Zaatari, saying we would celebrate the closing of the camp not its opening, but the closing did not happen and we are opening a new camp today as the humanitarian emergency is continuing, leading Azraq to become the third largest refugee camp in the world once filled.”

Last month, around 300 Syrians crossed into Jordan on a daily basis, according to the UNHCR, decreasing slightly from previous months where figures hovered around 600 to 800 refugees.

The Kingdom has given sanctuary to some 600,000 of the 2.5 million Syrians who have fled their country since the onset of the conflict in March 2011, UN figures show, but unofficial figures suggest they could amount to one million.

Interior Minister Hussein Majali told reporters in Azraq that the new camp is a temporary place to provide security and services.

“We use the word temporary, but temporary could last from one day to five years or more; I hope it is a short period, as people who sought refuge in Jordan deserve to go back to their countries and live their lives the way they dreamt,” Majali said.

Neither the camp nor refugees’ living areas have been electrified. Solar street lights will be scattered across the entire camp, and refugees have been given solar lanterns allowing them to charge their electronic devices.

Khalid Hilal Thyab from Homs is among the first refugees who arrived in the camp.

“I fled because of clashes between the government and opposition fighters. It took me 10 days to arrive in Jordan with my five children, wife and mother,” Thyab told The Jordan Times.

“The camp is very safe and we haven’t faced any issue since our arrival. However... there is no electricity and we have a long distance to travel to get to places like the supermarket... Our priorities are water and electricity,” he added.

Harper told The Jordan Times that agencies were looking into more sustainable ways to provide electricity, as prices in Zaatari, which currently houses over 100,000 refugees, have been hovering over JD500,000 and JD700,000 on a monthly basis, also putting pressure on Jordan’s scarce resources.

Among the first refugees in Azraq was a family reunited in the camp after having been separated for more than two years as its members were displaced inside the country, Norwegian Refugee Council Country Director Robert Beer told The Jordan Times.

“We don’t know when Azraq will be full, as we are completely dependent on the situation in Syria. The number of refugees is going to increase as there is no expectation that the situation inside Syria will improve,” Harper told The Jordan Times.

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Wednesday endorsed a draft political parties law that eases restrictions on the formation of parties entailed in the existing legislation.  

A key component of the political reform process, the new version of the law reduces the required number of founding members from 500 people to 150, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

It also drops the condition that founders have to be at least from seven governorates and cancels quotas for the youth and women, while the age requirement for joining political parties is 18, instead of 21 in the law in effect.

The draft law also allows parties to accept donations and grants from Jordanians that do not exceed JD50,000, provided that transparency is ensured.  

The draft law places political parties’ affairs under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Political and Parliamentary Affairs. Currently, the file is handled by the Justice Ministry, which replaced the Interior Ministry, which had historically been charged with the task. 

Under the proposed law, a ministerial committee would be formed, headed by the ministry’s secretary general, to look into applications filed by Jordanians to set up new parties.

AMMAN — Muslim scholars and intellectuals from various Islamic countries and schools of jurisprudence have reached a consensus on a fatwa (religious edict) to end a ban of Muslim visits to Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem while under Israeli occupation.

The fatwa was announced during the three-day “Road to Jerusalem” conference which concluded in Amman Wednesday, according to a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times. 

The proposed modifications to the ban specifically apply to Palestinians, regardless of current nationality or location and    Muslims with passports from countries outside the Muslim world.

The agreement has left the door open for the “ijtihad” (conjectural interpretations of divine law) of Islamic scholars regarding the right of Muslims around the world to visit Al Aqsa, the third holiest site for Muslims.

The mosque risks falling prey to the Judaisation of Jerusalem, participants in the event said.

“There are currently plans by the Israeli government to divide Al Aqsa or to demolish it and an influx of Muslim pilgrims lends support to the concerns of Jerusalemite Palestinians,” the scholars stated.

Following is the full text of the edict:

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Glory be to Him Who carried His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Aqsa Mosque; the environs of which We have blessed, that We might show him some of Our signs. Indeed He is the Hearing, the Seeing. (Al-Isra’, 17:1)

Thanks be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and prayers be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers.

The Sahihs of Bukhari and Muslim affirm that Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet PBUH said: “Do not set out on a pilgrimage except for three mosques: Al Masjid Al Haram, the Mosque of God’s Apostle and the Mosque of Al Aqsa.” Scholars agree that this affirms the importance of visiting the Blessed Aqsa Mosque and the presumption of its continuity.

 Regarding visiting the Blessed Aqsa Mosque under occupation:

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 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 — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday congratulated Jordanian workers on the occasion of Labour Day, during a visit to the Jordan-Korea Technology Institute in the Hashemiyeh area in Zarqa Governorate, some 22km east of Amman. 

He also met workers and trainees at the institute, holding a dinner in their honour. 

Earlier in the day, His Majesty posted tweets expressing his pride in Jordanian workers and their efforts in building the country.

His Majesty tweeted: “Proud of Jordanians who roll up their sleeves & work hard to build our country, #Jordan’s strength lies in its people, Happy Labour Day #ABH.”

The King also said on Twitter: “Our youth and workers always deserve the best, & the gov’t must build on its recent efforts to provide them with more job opportunities #ABH.”

During the ceremony, Labour Minister Nidal Katamine said he considered this day as one that honours the work and achievement of all workers, regardless of their locations. 

Katamine said that His Majesty’s unlimited support for workers in all fields is their main motivation, praising the ongoing Royal directives to secure job opportunities that ensure Jordanians a decent living. 

He said that the National Strategy for Employment, which was a result of a Royal initiative in mid-2012, is aimed at dealing with employment issues and policies on a national scale. 

The initiative included three main focal points. 

The first was securing jobs for the unemployed and enhancing the balance between skills and growth in micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises.

The second was increasing productivity; and the third was restructuring economic human capital. The initiative will be implemented through short-, medium- and long-term phases.

He added that the Labour Ministry seeks to achieve the strategy’s vision by improving the living standards of Jordanians through enhancing operations and increasing wages and productivity.

The minister noted that the national recruitment campaign was aimed at organising the labour market.

The programmes and projects implemented as part of the campaign have, since the beginning of 2013, seen jobs created for 30,157 people in the private sector, 14,700 job opportunities provided through self-financed projects and 1,404 people obtain training. 

In line with the King’s directives to follow up on the status of employed people through the campaign, the ministry asked a specialised company to conduct an “objective” study, he said.  

The results showed that the percentage of those who are still working is 64 per cent (20,000 workers out of 30,157), with the remaining 36 per cent quitting their jobs due to long working hours and low wages, the minister added. 

His Majesty directed the government to study the reasons behind the youths’ decision to quit work, and to find ways to tackle these reasons through the development of training, rehabilitation and social security programmes for workers.  

Katamine said that the ministry has worked on developing vocational employment and guidance programmes that cover all governorates. 

The minister highlighted ongoing efforts to update relevant legislation, saying the envisioned versions of these laws and regulations “will guarantee increased economic participation, integration of women into the workforce, and will limit guest workers in targeted sectors by organising the status of these workers and offering them a grace period to rectify their status”.  

He clarified that the figures for the unemployment rate at a national level vary between and within provinces, governorates, the countryside and villages. 

This poses a challenge when it comes to the distribution of development gains, Katamine stated, pointing out that the most important solutions developed by the government to meet this challenge have been to direct investment towards outlying provinces and to distribute them within governorates. 

As part of the quest to provide more job opportunities, especially for girls in remote areas, the official stressed that his ministry has continued to develop its nine offices around the Kingdom, which have managed to recruit 2,200 women. He also stated that there is work currently being done to expand existing branches which will lead to the employment of another 2,255 females in the coming six months.

He also said that the government has been able to reduce unemployment, with the figures of the first quarter reaching 11.8 per cent compared to the same period in 2013. This change follows a two-point decrease in the last quarter of 2013 in comparison to the same period in 2012, according to reports by the Department of Statistics.

After His Majesty was briefed on the National Strategy for Employment, he commended the government’s efforts in this area, and urged them to do more to help employ the youth of Jordan.

During his visit to the Jordan-Korea Technology Institute, he toured the sections of the facility and listened to trainees explaining the kind of education they receive there.

He was also briefed by officials on the importance of training offered by the institute, which utilises the latest hardware and advanced systems to develop the student’s practical, technical and creative skills, preparing them to effectively enter the labour force.

The institute, established in 2007 and functioning under the Vocational Training Corporation (VTC), offers training in seven specialities, including software technologies, automatic control, communications, medical devices, auto repair, air conditioning, welding and blacksmithing. 

Graduates who have a Tawjihi (general secondary examination) earn a technical diploma in cooperation with the Balqa Applied University, while those who have not finished high school obtain certificates for the training courses they attend.

In remarks to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, VTC Director General Majed Habashneh said the King’s visit to the institute signals the importance he attaches to technical training and encourages more efforts to be made to prepare and recruit the local labour force.

He said the institute and other similar vocational training faculties have been established as part of a Royal vision, mostly after the King paid visits to advanced countries in this field and was acquainted with their experiences. The institute, for example, is the fruit of Jordan-Korea partnership, Habashneh said, announcing that a similar facility offering training in renewable energy will soon be inaugurated in Maan, and another in Salt, specialised in the pharmaceutical industry.

According to the director of the Jordan-Korea institute, Mahmoud Abu Zeit, 420 students have graduated from the centre, while 290 others are now receiving training, constituting 90 per cent of its capacity.  

Car repair student Rabie Khamis told Petra that his training will pave the way for him to join the labour market “and prove highly proficient”. 

Jordan’s labour movement started in Jordan relatively early, when the trade union was established in 1954.

The ceremony was attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh and King’s Office Director Imad Fakhoury and a host of senior officials. 

AMMAN — UNFPA has launched a reproductive health campaign in the Zaatari Refugee Camp, focusing on family planning methods, breastfeeding and danger signs during pregnancy, the UN agency said in a statement released Wednesday.

This campaign, which will continue until June, is implemented in partnership with the Health Ministry, the Jordan Health Aid Society, Medecin du Monde, the Moroccan Field Hospital and the Saudi Clinics.

The campaign will include various activities at the camp, such as “tent-to-tent” individual awareness-raising and group sessions at the UNFPA’s centre for women.

In cooperation with the ministry, the UN agency has also prepared health three “edutainment” health leaflets in Arabic on the campaign’s focus areas.