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AMMAN — Director General of the Jordanian Department of Palestinian Affairs (DPA) Rafiq Kherfan on Monday expressed the Kingdom’s readiness to offer the UNRWA land parcels to establish educational institutions as an alternative to leased lands. Kherfan, during a ceremony held at a UNRWA-run school at Amman’s Nuzha region, highlighted the Kingdom’s efforts to facilitate and support the agency’s operations, including exempting UNRWA schools from textbook costs.

He also urged the agency to pay special attention to vocational education, highlighting efforts to hire UNRWA vocational training graduates to reduce poverty and unemployment rates among Palestinian refugees, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Talks also went over opening UNRWA schools on time, despite the funding shortfall following the announcement by the US to entirely cut the financial support provided to the agency.

Kherfan also drew attention to the DPA’s efforts to renovate more than 2,000 housing units in Jordan’s camps, adding that work is under way to add an additional 400 housing units.

AMMAN — Several experts on Monday weighed in on the issue of smuggling, its causes, impact and measures to combat the phenomenon in light of recent incidents. 

Many countries worldwide suffer from smuggling, as in 2015 alone the global financial damage from smuggling stood at around $45 billion, which could have served as revenues, economist Husam Ayesh told The Jordan Times over the phone on Monday.

"The local estimated loss incurred from smuggling is JD300 million in general, excluding cigarette smuggling, but, as Jordan's foreign trade of imports and exports is between JD20 billion and JD21 billion, and if 5 per cent of this trade involves smuggling, then we are talking about around JD1 billion worth of smuggled goods every year," he said.

The economist estimated the damage based on the percentage of smuggling; if smuggling is at 10 per cent then the loss amounts to JD2 billion, 5 per cent would make it JD1 billion and 2.5 per cent would incur a JD500 million damage.

Smuggling is one of the main factors that affect the economic process, also allowing entry of products to the market without inspection and set standards, according to Ayesh.

"Speaking about cigarette smuggling in particular, it is clear how good it is for smugglers when the taxes on cigarettes in Jordan reach 80 per cent while in other countries it can be 40 per cent or so, like in Lebanon," Ayesh said.

On borders there is usually cooperation between residents on either side, and that is tied to their livelihoods, he said.

He urged the government to consider projects that could help employ people who are engaged in smuggling and provide a livelihood for them, in addition to raising awareness about the ill effects of smuggling on society.

"A lot of the smuggled material violates safety standards.  Smuggling pushes investments away due to the unjust competition between legal products and contraband," he said.

Parallel markets comprise 20-25 per cent of the total gross domestic product (GDP), Ayesh said, adding that the market brings in JD7 to JD8 billion, thus clearly requiring the legal parts of it to be integrated into the official and legal economy, while combating the illegal types.

For his part, economist Mazen Marji said that the cause of smuggling usually lies in the fact that there is a big difference between costs of products that enter the Kingdom legally and those of contraband.

Economic reasons are the main factors behind smuggling, as people find smuggled products cheaper, especially when they are in demand, regardless of whether they are smuggled from nearby or faraway countries, Marji said.

Putting the factors together: A difference in price, demand and the intent to avoid legal commitments create a conducive environment for smuggling. 

Economist Wajdi Makhamreh said that smuggling costs $1 billion a year, according to various estimations, "and it is well known that there are well-connected people, commonly known as ‘whales of the market’, who must be dealt with and held accountable for the damage they cause to the economy".

Their actions cause a drop in revenues, increasing the deficit and thus its ability to stand on its feet, which requires an effective solution to curb the phenomenon, he noted.

AMMAN — The increase in the Kingdom’s exports is an important indicator in a war-hit region, and economic growth needs the contribution of the industrial sector, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said on Monday. 

During a meeting with boards of directors of industrial chambers, held at the Amman Chamber of Industry (ACI) in the presence of the government economic team, Razzaz said that the government had listened to the concerns of the industrial sector and would present proposals to their problems.

While at the ACI, Razzaz also inaugurated two offices for the Social Security Corporation and the Jordan Food and Drug Administration at the chamber’s headquarters. 

The premier said that the government would hold a meeting with representatives of the ACI every month to look for solutions facing the sector’s problems. 

For his part, ACI and Jordan Chamber of Industry (JCI) President Fathi Jaghbir expressed hope for 2020 to be a year of industry in line with the “state of production” motto through adopting an industrial strategy and policy.

Jaghbir called for this strategy to be based on solid scientific criteria that can enhance the share of national industries in the local market, increase the flow of national exports to international markets and attract and promote investment opportunities.

Referring to an International Trade Centre study, the president noted that the value of lost opportunities for the national exports exceeds $4.2 billion, and would have contributed to creating jobs for 180,000 employees if a set of procedural and financial decisions had been made recently. 

He stressed that the high production costs are still the biggest “nightmare” that threatens the continuity and competitiveness of the industrial sector.

In this regard, Jaghbir said that despite the government’s efforts to resolve obstacles facing the flow of Jordanian products to neighbouring countries, the sector wants the government to make a prompt decision to lower the energy costs that amount to more than 40 per cent of production costs.

The president cited a study on electricity costs, which referred to a positive impact of lowering this cost by 10 per cent on the industrial sector, resulting in a 2 per cent hike in the industrial production, contributing some 0.4 per cent to the gross domestic product and creating around 10,000 jobs.  

AMMAN — Transport Minister Anmar Khasawneh and Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker on Monday cut the ribbon to officially open the new offices of Qatar's national carrier in Amman. 

The ceremony was attended by Tourism Minister Majd Shweikeh, Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Muthana Gharaibeh, Jordan's Ambassador to Qatar Zaid Lozi, Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission Chief Haitham Mesto and Mohammed Khalifa Abdullah Al Sada, chargé d'affaires of the embassy of Qatar to the Kingdom.

Transport Minister Khasawneh welcomed the opening of the new office in Amman, voicing hope that this will be one step of many for Qatar to boost its investments in Jordan, commending the bilateral relations and highlighting the importance of removing any hindrances facing cooperation in the transport sector. 

"The Jordanian market is important for Qatar Airways, we have three daily flights to Amman on our large aircrafts, including Airbus 350A," Al Baker said in a press conference held at Four Seasons Hotel in Amman.

"Opening our new offices in Amman is a response to the increasing demand on our flights, and we look forward to boosting our offers and services in Jordan, and we are sure the new building will help us to achieve that," he said, noting that Jordan is among the only three countries in which Qatar Airways has built an office besides Oman and the UK.

Al Baker highlighted the services that Qatar Airways provides as well as its strong partnership with Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJ), noting that the new building might help employ more Jordanians in different fields at Qatar Airways. 

The first flights of Qatar Airways to Amman were carried out in 1994, only one year after the establishment of the company in 1993. Currently the carrier sends 21 flights weekly from Doha to Amman and employs 400 Jordanians. 

In 2015, Qatar Airways and RJ signed a codeshare agreement to allow passengers of both carriers to reach more destinations around the world, recently covering east Asian countries through the Qatar Airway operations centre at Hamad International Airport.

Qatar Airways has over 250 planes in its fleet, serving more than 160 global destinations, while launching new flights to Izmir in Turkey, Rabat in Morocco, Malta, Davao in the Philippines, Lisbon in Portugal and Madagascar, according to Al Baker, who said there will also be flights to Gaborone in Botswana by this October. 

AMMAN — On Sunday, 120,000 Palestine refugee students started the new scholastic year at the 169 schools operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) across Jordan, according to a UNRWA report e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

“During the last week, UNRWA opened its schools in Gaza and the West Bank and [on Sunday] it opened schools in Jordan while the coming few days will see UNRWA opening its schools also in Syria and Lebanon,” UNRWA acting field public information officer Amjad Obaid told The Jordan Times on Sunday. 

More than 2.3 million Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA live in Jordan, 120,000 of whom are boys and girls who attend the agency’s schools from first grade to tenth, at which point they move onto government schools or one of the agency’s technical and vocational institutes. 

“The fact that children go back to school every year may seem like a very normal thing to many,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl was quoted as saying in a press release published by the agency. 

“But for Palestine refugee children, this is possibly the most important day of the year and a sign that dignity is preserved in their lives.”

In the report, Krähenbühl stressed how such education has the potential to solve the difficulties Palestine refugees face. 

“Prioritising education not only contributes to human development in this region, but also to its stability pending a just and lasting solution to the plight of Palestine refugees,” Krähenbühl was quoted as saying.

As the number of registered refugees grows in conjunction with their greater vulnerability and increasing poverty, and as funding has been withdrawn by some donors due to concerns over an internal ethics report, the agency has been confronted with an increased demand for services and a programme budget shortfall of $150 million as of August 25.

“Students from UNRWA schools said [on Sunday] that their schools are like their second homes and they spoke passionately about their concerns over UNRWA’s future and the news circulated during the summer holiday if their schools will open on time or not due to financial challenges,” Obaid said.

Despite the shortfall, large-scale maintenance work was undertaken for schools in all UNRWA fields as a result of funding from Saudi Arabia, according to Obaid. 

“Students were also excited following the extensive maintenance to their schools and some actions taken by the agency to ensure protection such as fixing doors and windows, moving latrines inside the schools, and other improvements to the schools' buildings to enhance the learning environment,” Obaid added. 

AMMAN — The Azraq region appears to have been a magnet for human settlement in the Epipalaeolithic period, which dates back 20,000 to 10,000 years.

The Azraq oasis and its hinterland, located 100 kilometres east of Amman, are phenomenally rich in sites. “We still do not fully understand why,” noted Tobias Richter, a professor from University of Copenhagen.

Excavations in Ayn Qasiyyah, a site in the Azraq Wetlands Reserve, exposed thick deposits, he continued, adding that the faunal remains can provide some detailed information about the past environment, hunting practices and at what point during the year people inhabited the site. 

“Ayn Qasiyyah was probably a seasonally occupied locality. Various lines of evidence, such as the animal bones from the excavation, suggest that the site was probably occupied during the winter and spring seasons,” Richter said, adding that besides many bird bones the excavations exposed sediments that are associated with marshy conditions.

Furthermore, Azraq springs were active at that time and supplied the area with abundant fresh water.

The remains of what appears to have been an older adult (more than 30 years of age) were excavated in 2007 in Ayn Qasiyyah, one of the oldest human burials that has yet been found in Jordan, Richter highlighted.

“This person was buried in the soft marshy deposits of the oasis. It is one of only a handful of complete burials from this period,” the professor noted.

Regarding faunal remains, the team found gazelle as well as many migratory and bird species. 

“We can see that people had access to a wide range of animals that lived in the oasis,” Richter said.

Ancient inhabitants of the area around Azraq hunted gazelle, birds and other animals, such as tortoise, wild donkey and hare, he continued, adding that they most probably also gathered edible plants from the surrounding environment. 

“We have found, for example, the remains of almonds in the archaeobotanical assemblage. Other plants would have probably been wetland species, such as club rush, but these do not preserve so well, unfortunately,” the researcher said.

The excavation at the site was finished in 2007, but the work is far from over, he added.

“Various lines of analysis of the materials we have excavated still continue. We are still learning things about the site, especially when we compare our data with that of colleagues working in the same region,” Richter said.

AMMAN — Last Thursday, Aseel Dib took to Facebook to rally against a gym in Amman that allegedly terminated the membership of her older brother, Bassel, who has Down Syndrome, reportedly for the reason that the management did not want people with disabilities working out at the gym, a claim refuted by the institution.

“I was not only furious, but shocked,” she wrote in a Facebook post, adding that her brother “touches everyone’s heart with his smile and bubbly personality”.

Dib published the story only after hearing about another alleged incident in the same gym.

Ahmed Hwa took to Facebook on August 24 after his sister’s membership at the gym was reportedly discontinued.

“She doesn't know how to talk and instead utters sounds that only I and the rest of my family understand,” he wrote, adding that apparently the gym had received complaints from some members and hence decided to terminate her membership.

However, Hwa criticised the gym for its alleged decision, saying “my sister did not break any gym policies and all she did was try to communicate publicly with my mother through her unique sounds”.

Hwa later also said that the gym management had allegedly threatened not to return his refund due to his Facebook post and did not apologise to him or his family.

Jordanian social media users have called for boycotting the gym as a result. 

“I’m sorry that there are such people living among us with bitter souls and dark hearts. There is no difference between us, we are all human beings,” one Facebook user wrote.

Responding to allegations, the gym issued a statement on its Facebook page “strongly denouncing the spread of rumours”.

“We proudly host all members of society, including people with disabilities, as part of our belief that they are an important part of society, having equal rights,” read the post.

The gym management refuted the allegations and vowed to take legal action.

The Jordan Times tried to contact the gym in question, but the gym management refused to comment on the issue.

Jordan has laws against discrimination towards people with disabilities. 

The Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was established 2007 and is a public institution headed by HH Prince Mired that is working towards a “society in which people with disabilities have a decent and sustainable life that will grant them effective participation based on equity and equality”, according to its website.

AMMAN — HH Prince Mired, president of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and CEO of the Abdali Investment & Development (AID) PSC Bater Kardan on Monday discussed cooperation between the council and AID to implement Abdali’s “model zone” and incorporate the necessary facilities for the access of people with disabilities.

The meeting sought to advance cooperation and boost the exchange of expertise between stakeholders in establishing the project and creating a feasible plan, under which initiatives and projects can be carried out to facilitate access to tourist sites for people with disabilities. During the meeting, Prince Mired highlighted the need to empower people with disabilities and eliminate the challenges they face through legislation. 

AMMAN — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti on Monday received Chief of Staff of Qatar’s Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Ghanem Bin Shaheen Al Ghanem and an accompanying delegation at the Marka Military Airport.

Ghanem is scheduled to participate in a symposium to be held on the sidelines of the “Eager Lion” military drill and the Qatari armed forces’ participation in the exercise, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

AMMAN — Head of the International Organisation for Migration’s (IOM) mission to Jordan, Tajma Kurt on Monday lauded Jordan’s commitment to combatting human trafficking, highlighting the “great strides” made during the past 10 years despite challenges.

During a roundtable on national efforts to combat human trafficking, organised by the IOM, Kurt pointed to continued cooperation between the organisation, the Justice Ministry and international institutions in supporting efforts to counter the phenomenon.

Justice Minister Bassam Talhouni underlined Jordan’s adherence to international developments on the protection of human rights and its signing of various international agreements against human trafficking.