Israeli media: Israeli politicians should thank Jordan; Jordan summons Iran's ambassador to protest

Israeli media: Israeli politicians should thank Jordan; Jordan summons Iran's ambassador to protest

    Monday, April 15, 2024   No comments

Some Israeli media outlets want Jordan to be thanked for standing with Israel during Iran's retaliatory strike for the attack on its diplomatic facilities in Syria. These recent developments are forcing many regional and global actors to make tough decisions and the effects of those decisions may not be felt or known immediately, testifying to the power of these events as transformative ones. 

"While Netanyahu shows nothing but ingratitude towards Biden, the Iranian attack produced the most significant show of support in the history of Israeli-U.S. relations. It also proves the importance of a regional alliance of moderates, including the Palestinians." said the daily Haaretz.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Iranian ambassador in Amman and asked his country to stop “questioning” Jordan’s positions on the Palestinian issue after the Kingdom announced the interception of “flying objects” during the Iranian attack on Israel.

Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi said, “Today (Sunday) the ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador and sent him a clear message that these insults to Jordan must stop, and this questioning of Jordan’s positions must stop.”

He added, "Unfortunately, there were offensive statements (against Jordan) by the Iranian media, including the Iranian official news agency."

Al-Safadi explained that "Iran's problem is with Israel and not with Jordan, and neither Iran nor anyone else can outbid what Jordan is doing, what it offers, and what it has provided historically for Palestine."

He stressed that "if this danger was coming from Israel, Jordan would take the same action it did, and this is a position we confirm clearly and frankly, and we will not allow anyone to endanger the security of Jordan and the Jordanians."

Jordan confirmed on Sunday that it had intercepted "flying objects" that violated its airspace on Saturday night, coinciding with the missile and drone attack launched by Iran on Israel.

Video clips showed the interception of objects in the Kingdom's airspace during the night, at a time when the remains of at least one missile fell in the Marj Al-Hamam area in the Jordanian capital. Users of social media platforms in the Kingdom also shared video clips showing the wreckage of another missile in the Al-Hasa area in the Tafila Governorate in the south of the Kingdom.

Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel on Saturday night, in the first attack launched by Iran directly from its territory on Israel, and not through groups loyal to it. It came in response to a missile attack that targeted the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus at the beginning of this April.

Related, French President Emmanuel Macron revealed on Monday that his country used its base in Jordan to intercept Iranian air targets during the attack on Israel, at the request of the Jordanian authorities.

The French President said, in a television interview, that his country's forces stationed in Jordan intercepted Iranian drones and missiles that were heading to Israeli sites, explaining that the French planes were launched from a French base that has been on Jordanian territory for years.

Yesterday, Sunday, the Jordanian government announced that it was “dealing with some flying objects” that entered the country’s airspace, in reference to the drones and missiles that Iran launched against “Israel.”

Israeli media described the Jordanian move as “historic cooperation,” adding that “for the first time, military cooperation between the two parties is taking place publicly.”

Iranian official: Jordan opening its airspace to Israel against Iran is a strategic mistake

Mehr News Agency quoted the Deputy Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Shura Council, Shahriar Heydari, as saying, “The Jordanian government’s opening of its country’s airspace to the Zionists to confront Iranian attacks is a strategic mistake.”

Haidari added, "At least Jordan could have remained silent or even supported Iran's legitimate defense against the Zionist entity."

These statements come after the Jordanian Foreign Ministry announced - last Sunday - that it had summoned the Iranian ambassador to Amman, and asked his country to stop “questioning” Jordan’s positions on the Palestinian issue after the Kingdom announced the interception of “flying objects” during the Iranian attack on Israel.

Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi said at the time, “Unfortunately, there were offensive statements (against Jordan) by the Iranian media, including the Iranian official news agency.”

He added, "Iran's problem is with Israel, not with Jordan. Neither Iran nor anyone else can outbid what Jordan is doing, what it is offering, and what it has provided historically for Palestine."

He stressed that "if this danger was coming from Israel, Jordan would take the same action it did, and this is a position we confirm clearly and frankly, and we will not allow anyone to endanger the security of Jordan and the Jordanians."

 The decision by the rulers of Jordan to be involved in this conflict may further increase division among Jordanians, many of whom either sympathize with Palestinians or are Palestinians themselves, as the kingdom is home to one of the largest displaced Palestinian communities in the world.

Queen Rania: Dropping aid is not an alternative to opening the crossings, and what is happening is systematic action targeting children

Queen Rania: Dropping aid is not an alternative to opening the crossings, and what is happening is systematic action targeting children

    Tuesday, March 12, 2024   No comments

Queen Rania said in an interview with CNN  that “as much as October 7 was shocking to Israel, it does not have the right to commit one atrocity after another against the Palestinians.” 

It should be noted that, just yesterday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that he was "appalled" by conflict continuing in Gaza despite the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The Queen added that Israel witnessed one of the 7th of October, just as the Palestinians witnessed 156 of the seventh of October.

“They go through it every day,” she said, “and before that they lived through 50 years of occupation, restrictions on movement, control over every aspect of their lives, and humiliation.”

Queen Rania Al Abdullah continued in her statements: “If I were to address the Israeli public, I would say that if you want peace and security, you must address this great injustice on your doorstep... There are no shortcuts.”

She also pointed out that it is not a coincidence that we are witnessing one of the most violent episodes of conflict under one of the most rigid and racist regimes in the history of Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu said that his policy is based on the principle of "divide and rule."

She continued: “Even before October 7, a record number of settlement expansions had been recorded... Israel is also allowed to violate international law; as long as its allies do not demand that it bear responsibility, its sense of immunity will increase. For years, Israel has been talking about Peace, but it sentenced him to death through the settlements.”

Queen Rania: Israel commits atrocities under the guise of self-defense

Queen Rania: Israel commits atrocities under the guise of self-defense

    Wednesday, October 25, 2023   No comments

Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan expressed the Arab world's shock and disappointment at the world's "blatant double standards" and "deafening silence" in the face of the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

She confirmed, in a live interview with journalist Christiane Amanpour on CNN yesterday evening, Tuesday, that despite the prevailing narrative in Western media, “this conflict did not begin on the seventh of October.”

Most networks cover the story under the headline “Israel is at war,” she said, but for the Palestinians on the other side of the separation wall and the other side of the barbed wire, the war has never left. This is a 75-year-old story, a story of death and displacement of the Palestinian people.

She added - during the interview - that the novel neglected to highlight that nuclear-armed regional superpower that occupies, persecutes and commits documented daily crimes against the Palestinians.

She pointed out that Palestinian mothers were forced to write their children's names on their hands because of the high probability of them being bombed to death and their bodies turning into corpses and body parts.

She stressed that the rules of engagement must apply to everyone, noting that Israel commits brutal acts under the guise of self-defense.

She said, "6 thousand civilians have been martyred so far, 2,400 children. How can this be considered self-defense? We see massacres on a large scale using high-precision weapons. So over the past two weeks, we have seen indiscriminate bombing of Gaza. Entire families have been exterminated, and residential neighborhoods have been leveled." On the ground, targeting hospitals, schools, churches, mosques, medical workers, journalists, and United Nations aid workers. How is this considered self-defense?!”

Complicit West

Queen Rania pointed out that for many in the region, the Western world is complicit in this war through the support and cover it gives to Israel.

She said, "This is the first time in modern history that we are witnessing such human suffering, and the world is not calling for a ceasefire."

Speaking about what the Palestinian people are suffering from, she said, “There are more than 500 checkpoints spread throughout the West Bank,” stressing that Israel is violating at least 30 UN resolutions demanding that it alone work to withdraw from the territories occupied in 1967, and stop settlement and the separation wall. and human rights violations.

She noted that Israel has been classified as an “apartheid regime” by Israeli and international human rights organizations.

She considered that Israel's allies were doing it no favors by providing blind support to it. “Accelerating and expanding the scope of providing lethal weapons to Israel will only lead to the expansion of this conflict. It will only prolong and deepen the suffering.”

Duality of standards

In criticizing the role of the media in covering the current conflict, Queen Rania pointed to the double standards of interlocutors in the West who ask those representing the Palestinian side to issue immediate condemnations.

She also spoke about the suppression of expressions of solidarity with the Palestinians in Western democracies, noting that, "When people gather in support of Israel, they are exercising their right to assemble. But when they gather for the sake of Palestine, they are considered sympathizers with terrorists or anti-Semites."

"Freedom of expression is a universal value, except when Palestine is mentioned," she said.

Amman Consultative Meeting Statement: For the exit of illegal foreign forces from Syria

Amman Consultative Meeting Statement: For the exit of illegal foreign forces from Syria

    Monday, May 01, 2023   No comments

Summary:

- Cooperation between Damascus, the concerned countries, and the United Nations in developing a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism in all its forms and organizations.

- The need for illegal foreign forces to leave Syrian soil.

- The need to deliver humanitarian and medical aid to the Syrian people.

- Working on ending the presence of armed and terrorist groups on Syrian soil.

- Cooperation of #Syria, #Jordan and #Iraq to locate and identify the sources of drug production and smuggling methods.

- Provide appropriate conditions in #Syria for the voluntary and safe return of refugees.

________________

Review of the meeting:

The final statement of the consultative meeting of the foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, with the Syrian Foreign Minister, Faisal Al-Miqdad, held in the Jordanian capital, Amman, affirmed the priority of ending the Syrian crisis and all the suffering it caused to the Syrian people.

The statement stressed the need to end the negative repercussions of the crisis, regionally and internationally, through "a political solution that preserves Syria's unity, cohesion and sovereignty, meets the aspirations of its people, rids it of terrorism, and contributes to strengthening the appropriate conditions for the voluntary and safe return of refugees."

The statement called for a political solution to the crisis to lead to "the exit of all illegal foreign forces from it, to achieve national reconciliation, and to restore Syria's security, stability, health and role."

The statement called for the delivery of humanitarian and medical aid that contributes to meeting the life needs of all those who need it among the Syrian people, in all their places of residence, stressing that it is a necessity that all efforts must be combined to meet, in cooperation and coordination between the Syrian government and the relevant United Nations bodies, and in accordance with the decisions relevant United Nations.

The ministers participating in the consultative meeting welcomed the Syrian government's decision to open the Bab al-Salama and al-Rai crossings for the United Nations to deliver humanitarian and medical aid, after the earthquake that struck Syria on February 6.

The priority of the return of the displaced Syrians

The statement touched on the voluntary and safe return of Syrian refugees to their country, stressing that it is a top priority and the necessary steps must be taken to start implementing it immediately.

He also called for strengthening cooperation between the Syrian government and countries hosting refugees, and coordination with the relevant United Nations bodies, to organize voluntary and safe returns for refugees and end their suffering, according to specific procedures and a clear time frame, provided that the Syrian government begins by identifying the necessary needs to improve public services provided in areas of refugee return.

The statement called for intensified work with the international community and the United Nations to accelerate the implementation of early recovery projects for Syria, in a way that contributes to stabilization, and that steps be taken, as appropriate, to resolve the issue of the internally displaced, including the issue of the Rukban camp.

The statement referred to cooperation between the Syrian government and the Jordanian government, in coordination with the relevant United Nations bodies, in organizing a voluntary return of about a thousand Syrian refugees in Jordan.

The need to end the existence of various terrorist organizations

The meeting statement stressed the need for cooperation between the Syrian government, the concerned countries and the United Nations, in developing a comprehensive strategy to enhance security and combat terrorism in all its forms and organizations, and to end the presence of terrorist organizations in the Syrian territories, and neutralize their ability to threaten regional and international security.

In addition to affirming work to support Syria and its institutions in any legitimate efforts to achieve "extending its control over its lands, imposing the rule of law, and ending the presence of armed and terrorist groups on its lands," calling for stopping external interference in Syrian internal affairs, and for establishing effective coordination mechanisms between the military and security agencies. Syria and its counterparts in neighboring countries.

The statement called for work to resume the work of the Constitutional Committee, as soon as possible, in the context of political steps aimed at achieving comprehensive national reconciliation.

The meeting discussed the humanitarian aspect, and the steps required to achieve progress in efforts to address it, in a way that will directly affect the Syrian people, in addition to a number of security and political issues.

The foreign ministers also agreed with their Syrian counterpart on the agenda of the talks, which will continue according to a timetable to be agreed upon, according to the statement, and on the formation of a technical team at the level of experts, which will follow up on the outcomes of this meeting and determine the next steps.

The Jordanian Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi, and his Syrian counterpart discussed efforts to launch an Arab leadership role to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis and bilateral relations prior to the Amman Consultative Meeting.

Jordan: “elite” calls for a “quick review” and sending an “ambassador to Iran.”

Jordan: “elite” calls for a “quick review” and sending an “ambassador to Iran.”

    Sunday, March 12, 2023   No comments

A prominent journalist writer in Jordan called for stopping the case of courtesy of parties in favor of other parties and giving priority to the language of interests, which has become the basis for alliances, friendships and relations between countries among them today, indicating that the resumption of normal relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia shuffled all the cards in the region and may be mixed in the world.

Writer Muhammad Hassan al-Tal spoke in a bold article about the need to stop the policy of Jordanian diplomacy within the framework of courtesies at the expense of private and national interests.

In the article he published on his website and the Ammon newspaper, he said that Oman had earlier withdrawn its ambassador from Tehran to appease Riyadh after a well-known incident. Muhammad al-Tal considered this in his article a form of courtesy in favor of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

He said that political positioning today assumes that Jordanian diplomacy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will review the policies of appeasement and courtesy in international relations, hinting that Jordanian diplomacy in the past had great weight in bringing points of view closer together.

It seemed clear that the sudden announcement of the resumption of relations in the bosom of a major country in the world such as China between Tehran and Riyadh was a shock to many Jordanian political and media elites, especially in light of the conviction that Jordan continued to compliment Saudi Arabia at the expense of its own interest when it came to withdrawing its ambassador seven years ago in protest against The burning of the Saudi consulate in southern Iran.

In any case, Al-Tal's article was not the only one. It talked about a necessary review that has now become the performance of Jordanian diplomacy, the former Minister of Culture and Youth, who is also a prominent writer and researcher, Dr. Muhammad Abu Rumman.

By most estimates, calls are issued in the Jordanian Parliament soon after the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to reconsider the diplomatic formula that Jordan or the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs usually follows in formulating relations and alliances.

It is most likely that the Iranian-Saudi agreement, which the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not know anything specific about, rather the Jordanian government was surprised by it. The formula and equation on which relations between Jordan and the rest of the countries are established.

  A lot of sharp critical considerations have recently appeared in the Jordanian media for the performance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Minister Ayman Safadi, especially after the so-called security summit in Aqaba.

Which failed on the one hand, and senior writers very close to the authorities appeared within the framework of this call for review and criticism. A prominent article by the well-known writer and political historian Ahmed Salama had talked exclusively about what he called Ayman Safadi's adventure at the Aqaba summit.

In any case, the acceleration of events today in the region constitutes a violent pressure on Jordanian diplomacy, especially since the boycott with Iran was practically neither justified nor understood. For more than seven years, Minister Safadi was insisting behind the scenes not to name a new ambassador after the previous minister was Dr. Abdullah Abu Rumman. The last appointed ambassador of Jordan to the Iranian Republic, but he was later appointed to an Asian country and did not leave to take up his duties in Tehran.

Surprising Saudi Arabia, its pace has become very fast. Rather, it surprises Jordanian institutions from time to time. What shows the lack of coordination or exchange of information is that the political relations between Jordan and Saudi Arabia are practically in an incomprehensible cold state for more than two years, as there are no high connections, no investment support, and no coordination in files. raised and basic.

As the general feeling seemed to consider the absence of relations with Iran and the negative relations with Saudi Arabia as among the main elements that reveal Jordan's back and confirm the error of its diplomatic calculations.

Rather, it weakens it, as stated in the decisions and recommendations of a closed symposium held recently in the Dead Sea in front of the Israeli right-wing government and the dangers of adapting to it, although relations between Jordan and the region seem balanced, but they are confused with Iraq, hesitant with the Syrian regime, and bad with Saudi Arabia.

And it raises controversy by virtue of its alliance with a country like the Emirates, which has many problems with Qatar, and the challenges here in front of Jordanian diplomacy have become great, and the spotlight is exclusively on Minister Ayman Safadi, and the search situation has intensified for a new approach in Jordanian diplomacy after the Iranian-Saudi relations.

Emir of Kuwait: The agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran is an important step towards achieving regional and international security and stability, and it will be in the interest of the peoples of the region

The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, confirmed today, Sunday, that the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran is an important step to achieve regional and international security and stability.

This came in two congratulatory telegrams sent by the Emir of Kuwait to both Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, in which he expressed his sincere congratulations on the tripartite joint statement issued by Saudi Arabia, Iran and China regarding Riyadh and Tehran reaching an agreement that includes agreeing to resume diplomatic relations between the two countries. and reopen their embassies.

Al-Sabah praised the keenness of the two countries and their joint endeavor, which was embodied through this constructive and important agreement, which is an important step towards achieving regional and international security, stability and prosperity, and advancing cooperation between the two countries in the interest of all the peoples and countries of the region.

The Jordanian Parliament decided to dismiss Representative Muhammad Al-Fayez, following a letter he addressed to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Muhammad bin Salman

The Jordanian Parliament decided to dismiss Representative Muhammad Al-Fayez, following a letter he addressed to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Muhammad bin Salman

    Wednesday, January 18, 2023   No comments

The Jordanian Parliament decided to dismiss Representative Muhammad Al-Fayez, following a letter he addressed to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Muhammad bin Salman, in which he appealed to him not to send aid to Jordan, so that it would not reach “pockets of corruption and the corrupt,” after he had submitted his resignation from Parliament last month. Past.

And the official Jordanian News Agency, Petra, stated that the House of Representatives decided to dismiss Al-Fayez, noting that “92 out of 110 deputies who attended the session voted on the Legal Committee’s decision related to the dismissal of Representative Al-Fayez.”

The reasons for the decision stated that the representative violated “parliamentary and diplomatic norms, with regard to the manner of addressing and insulting issued by him in a letter addressed to a sister Arab country, and discrediting the Kingdom through it.”

Al-Fayez had sent, in mid-December, a message to Ibn Salman through the ambassador of Riyadh to Jordan, in which he said: “We do not want aid and we do not want donations.

He added, “All your goods reach the pockets of corruption and the corrupt, and the notion that your donations go to pay the bills of all Jordanians, including innocent people, is a lie.” He added, “We hear about aid to the state, but it only goes to a corrupt class that gets richer at the expense of the dignity of the proud Jordanian.”

Al-Fayez, who belongs to the Bani Sakher tribe, one of the largest tribes in Jordan, and many of its members hold leadership positions in the state, submitted his resignation from the House of Representatives on December 22, justifying that by "the parliament's inability to achieve anything."

This comes at a time when Jordan is suffering from difficult economic conditions, which were exacerbated by the “Covid” pandemic. Unemployment rates rose in 2021 to about 25%, according to official figures, while it rose among the youth category to 50%.

The poverty rate rose to 24%, and the public debt exceeded $47 billion, or more than 106% of the GDP.

The Kingdom's economy, which suffers from a scarcity of natural resources, relies heavily on aid, especially from the United States, the European Union and the Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia.

According to the Jordanian constitution, the parliament has the power to decide whether to accept or reject a request for the resignation of deputies. If it rejects it, the deputy’s membership continues to complete the legal term of the parliament, which is set at four years, even if he does not attend any of the parliament’s sessions. But if it is accepted by the majority of its members, the seat is filled.