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Should not remain alone in the arena

Jun 28,2016 - Last updated at Jun 28,2016

Since the start of the holy month of Ramadan, Jordan has had to cope with two cowardly terrorist attacks at its security posts. In the first incident, which occurred just over two weeks ago at dawn on the first day of fasting, a General Intelligence Department post in Ain Al Basha responsible for the Baqaa area north of Amman was attacked by a lone gunman that shot and killed five of our young heroes, who were part of a system dedicated to the noble mission of keeping every one of us safe and secure.

Then again, last week, a speeding car loaded with explosives drove through the Rakban remote crossing point on the northeastern border with Syria and Iraq, detonating right in between soldiers, security and civil defence personnel who were there on a purely humanitarian mission to lend support to scores of Syrian refugees escaping the ravages of war.

It is most likely that the terrorists chose these soft targets precisely because both of them were not of military nature. They were not frontlines. Although the Baqaa post dealt with security related issues, it was also open to the public to address citizens’ relevant needs.

The Rakban post, on the other hand, where seven security personnel were martyred and almost twice as many injured by the car bomb attack last week has mostly been engaged in dealing with providing humanitarian aid to the Syrian refugees in that area, such as food, clothing, medical help and shelter. 

Along the extended Jordanian border with Syria, there are many other similar posts that have been tirelessly designated to such humanitarian duties for the last five years and at a very high cost.

The complex result is that this country, with its very strained economy, its limited resources, and at the same time, its huge responsibilities and challenges, is left alone to cope with over a million Syrian refugees putting mounting pressure on our limited means.

It has always been the tradition of Jordan and the Jordanian people to welcome Arab brethren from all neighbouring countries escaping conflict and an insecure life at home. 

Wave after wave of refugees, from Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria have been flooding the country for almost seven decades. Never once did the Jordanian authorities, or the Jordanian people for that matter, ever refrain from opening their doors to Arab and non-Arab guests who knocked at it seeking assistance. 

During the first Iraq war in 1991, in addition to Iraqis, hundreds of thousands of Asians and other nationals crossed into Jordan from Iraq on their way to their countries. The Jordanian authorities at the time saved no effort to provide them with all their needs while awaiting travel arrangements.

But the Syrian situation has been the most difficult and complex to date. It is not the direct economic impact on the Kingdom’s means alone that has been most burdensome; the security requirements along an exposed common Jordanian border with Syria that extends into more than 400km has enormously compounded the already existing challenges resulting from regional instability and perpetual crises.

The Jordanian national debt has been steadily rising partly because one third of the nearly 10 million people currently residing in the Kingdom according to the recent census are not Jordanians. 

Most of them are Syrians, and they are provided with all the services they need, including healthcare and education. International organisations and friendly governments have indeed been helpful, but their much appreciated contributions have hardly been adequate. They only cover a small portion of the mounting expenses. 

The main burden remains on the Jordanian government. No one expected the Syrian crisis when it first emerged five years ago to last this long. It is still hard to predict a conclusion any time soon. If any undertakings, whether Jordanian or otherwise, were based on the belief that the Syrian predicament would be brief, hence short term, it is time to realise that long term strategies towards the developing events in Syria and indeed the rest of the region are now due.

Jordan has always, and since many decades, been at the forefront of the war against terror; not only to protect Jordanian interests but specifically as a voluntary, responsible and principled international obligation. 

Along that open-ended and highly dangerous course, the Jordanian sacrifices have been enormous. The latest losses of some of our best sons add to a glorious, though very excruciating record. 

Unique and widely recognised Jordanian political stability has also been crucial for the stability of the entire Middle East. It still is, particularly at this time when chaos and destructive conflicts are spreading across most of the region.

We are aware that the many attempts by terrorists against Jordanian targets were intended to shake the belief of the people in the commitment of their leadership to defending regional law and order by confronting all extremist gangs and the vicious terrorist organisations. 

Their effort to intimidate Jordan out of the war against violent chaos by driving a wedge between the people and their leadership has only been counterproductive. Every time the outlaws try, they unite all Jordanians behind the dutiful cause and bring them closer to their Hashemite leadership, their Arab Army and their security forces more than ever before. 

As led by their president Faisal Fayez, members of the Senate, including this writer, visited the families of all the martyrs of both Ain Al Basha and Rakban attacks to extend their condolences and to lend their support to the bereaved families. 

We also visited the injured soldiers at the King Hussein Medical City. We were stunned by the steadfastness, the high spirits and the pride of every member of the families we visited, expressing their willingness to offer any amount of sacrifice for their country and their leadership. 

We witnessed the same tone in every place. Yes, they were sad. Yes, the tragic loss of their loved ones is obviously painful, but they were empowered by a true sense of national dignity and unshakable patriotic commitment. We were also deeply touched and indeed saddened while meeting young children with their young mothers who had just lost their fathers.

Although Daesh and the other terrorist gangs did not tread on Jordanian territory, Jordanian resolve, the firm resolve of all Jordanian components, was clearly affirmed that the war to defeat them nevertheless was “our war”. 

It still is our war. But we must make it very clear that it is not our war alone. If the threat is global, it should be confronted globally too. Apparently, not many are sharing the burden with us, neither the economic nor the military one. 

We could have saved ourselves much trouble by closing our borders in the face of refugees, or could have asked the UN to take full responsibility of any refugees who ended up on Jordanian territory. 

 

For pure, responsible and principled humanitarian and ethical considerations, we did not do that, and may not do that. But that does not mean we should remain alone in the arena. The heavy burdens of both serving the refugees and maintaining security should be shared.

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