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AMMAN — The Lower House on Wednesday did not agree with a Senate decision to scrap an article in the draft amendments to the State Security Court (SSC) Law that excludes “resistance actions” against Israel from the court’s jurisdiction.

By insisting on their previous decision to add the said article, deputies chose not to follow the recommendations of the House’s Legal Committee, which called for approving the senators’ version of the bill.

The decision was taken during Wednesday’s session following an extensive debate over the issue.

MPs had decided to exclude “resistance actions” from the SSC’s jurisdiction following a proposal by Deputy Tareq Khoury (Zarqa, 1st District), but senators argued that the SSC Law is not the right legislation to include such a provision.

They called on the government to submit a draft anti-terrorism law to specify the crimes that fall under the category of terrorism.

“I am against the Senate’s decision and support the MPs’ point of view,” former House speaker Abdul Karim Dughmi (Mafraq, 1st District) said during Wednesday session.

“The Arab nation has regressed since the decision was taken to limit the conflict only between Israel and the Palestinians,” Dughmi added.

MP Rula Hroub (Stronger Jordan list) and several other deputies backed his view, with the majority of those present voting to retain the Lower House version of the law.

The draft law will now be forwarded to the Senate and if the senators insist on their version of the bill, the two Houses of Parliament will meet in a joint session to reach an agreement.

The amended SSC Law limits the jurisdiction of the court to five crimes specified in the Constitution: treason, espionage, terrorism, drugs and money counterfeiting.

His Majesty King Abdullah had directed the government to change the law governing the SSC to ensure that trials are in conformity with the Constitution.

Under Article 101 of the Constitution: “No civilian may be tried in a criminal case where all its judges are not civilian, the exception to that are the crimes of treason, espionage, terrorism, the crimes of drugs and currency forgery.”

The government’s changes to the SSC Law ensure that civilians indicted on state security charges, other than those listed in the said constitutional article, are tried before a court whose judges are all civilians and one that is affiliated with the Judicial Council rather than the SSC.

AMMAN –– The Cities and Villages Development Bank (CVDB) will pay the Social Security Corporation (SSC) JD16.5 million owed by municipalities in unpaid subscription fees for their employees.

The announcement was made Wednesday as SSC Director General Nadia Rawabdeh and CVDB Director General Haitham Nahleh signed an agreement to address the debts of financially troubled municipalities.

Rawabdeh said the bailout by the state-owned bank will enable municipalities improve their services to local communities, indicating that the agreement will bring down the overall value of unpaid subscription fees to JD99 million, with the largest share owed by private companies.

Nahleh said unpaid subscription fees are a financial burden on cash strapped municipalities, adding that the bank is working to enable municipalities exit their “bad financial conditions”.

Under the agreement, the CVDB will pay the outstanding fees of each municipality that owes the SSC more than JD20,000 in monthly instalments, while dues less than this amount will be given in one payment.

According to Nahleh, some municipalities owe millions of dinars to the SSC in unpaid subscription fees for their employees.

The SSC considers fees not paid for more than three months as debts and delayed payments are subject to interest, according to an official at the corporation.

Most municipalities across the Kingdom face difficult financial conditions, with official figures estimating that nearly 85 per cent of their budgets go to salaries.

Also on Wednesday, the Cabinet decided to disburse JD6 million to municipalities to support their development role, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The assistance, to be distributed according to municipalities' needs in cooperation with the planning and municipal affairs ministries, is provided by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development under the Gulf Cooperation Council's $5 billion grant.

AMMAN — Landowners on Tuesday offered to donate portions of their private land, located on an archaeological site dating back 5,000 years, to help preserve it from a sprawling Amman.

Threatened by a lack of funds and the expansion of the airport highway, excavation on the Tal Al Umayri site was brought to a halt in 2012, and is due to resume later this year.

“Archaeological heritage must not become a casualty of ill-planned progress,” HRH Princess Sumaya, vice chair of the Jordan Museum’s Board of Trustees, said at a meeting to discuss safeguarding the archaeological site.

“Political and economic progress must determine that the protection of our cultural heritage is neither forgotten nor ignored… As the city of Amman spreads its territory towards the site and the highway carries its traffic in Tal Al Umayri’s proximity, we must consider the transient of what we consider progress,” the princess said.

“We share our territory with the physical remnants of human ingenuity, of creativity and of a dogged determination to survive. But these abundant material remains of lost and faded communities are also impressive reminders to us that we occupy our part of the earth, not as outright owners, but as custodians,” she stressed.

Archaeologists and authorities are calling for transforming the area, which is sandwiched between Amman and Ghamdan national parks, into an all-encompassing archaeological park. “Our ultimate goal should be the creation and protection of an archaeological park of international significance,” the princess noted.

“Such a facility would provide an opportunity for educational purposes for Jordanians and visitors who often know little about this vast cultural heritage.”

With the earliest major settlement dating back to around 2500BC, Tal Al Umayri displays the development of human settlements over millennia on a surface of around seven hectares (70 dunums) with massive defences, including a dry moat and a rampart from the Early Bronze Age, as well as a preserved two-room stone building dating back to1500BC.

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Nidal Katamine said Tal Al Umayri is part of the history of Jordan and has to be turned into a national park; however, much still needs to be done beyond land acquisition to transform the site into a local landmark.“Tal Al Umayri’s location makes it just a potential perfect park for showing the narrative of Jordan, which is my duty to protect,” Katamine said.

Stressing the importance of reaching an agreement between all parties involved to find a solution to sustain the archaeological site, Princess Sumaya said all participants in the project must be unified.

“When it comes to important archaeological sites such as the one we are discussing today, I believe that we can develop between us a range of solutions to ensure that all concerned parties are unified and satisfied that the correct procedures are being developed to protect all our interests.”

Having worked on the site for the past 30 years, Doug Clark, professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at La Sierra University California, said he set two primary goals to achieve at Tal Al Umayri.

“My first goal would be to preserve, protect and present Jordan’s considerable cultural heritage; the second to protect the considerable investment of landowners in this property. I am looking for a win-win situation for all the project’s stakeholders,” he said.

With proposals ranging from a government purchase of the privately owned land to a stalling land swap, landowners offered to donate a portion of their land to the project despite its high property value, estimated at around JD100,000 per dunum.

“I want this meeting to end with something tangible; therefore, I will donate part of my property to the project for the establishment of an archaeological park comprising Tal Al Umayri,” Raouf Abujaber said, adding that Jebril Abu Aishah will also agree on donating some of his land.

An overall surface of 10 hectares (100 dunums) would be required for the archaeological park project and its facilities.

“Tal Al Umayri is a non-renewable resource that we must guard well and an asset that can spread economic and social value but only if properly managed... we must battle to save it from damage and destruction as Amman spreads inexorably southwards,” Princess Sumaya said.

AMMAN — The government on Wednesday said it was still studying the impact of doubling the tax on mobile subscriptions, while a source in the telecom industry said the authorities are expected to reduce the tax.

The government has not taken any decision yet on whether to lower the tax on mobile subscriptions, which was increased from 12 to 24 per cent last year, ICT Minister Azzam Sleit told The Jordan Times.

“We are still studying the impact of increasing the tax on prepaid and post-paid mobile subscriptions… the study is still being discussed by the Economic Development Committee at the Cabinet,” the minister said.

Late last year, Sleit said a specialised government committee was studying the impact of increasing mobile taxes on customers and the sector.

The committee was formed to look into the impact of the decision on the public as well as the revenues of telecom operators, and to come up with solutions to reach a balance that is acceptable to all.

The government is only studying the impact of increasing taxes on mobile subscriptions and is not looking into the impact of raising taxes on mobile phones from 8 per cent to 16 per cent, Sleit added.

A source in the telecom industry, who preferred anonymity, said they held “fruitful discussions” with the government, which was expected to slightly reduce the tax on mobile subscriptions.

Several telecom experts, as well as the country’s three operators — Zain Jordan, Orange Jordan and Umniah — have repeatedly called on the government to rescind the decision, saying it negatively affected their revenues.

The telecom sector’s revenues have dropped by 9 per cent since the government increased taxes on cellular phones and mobile subscriptions last July, according to Umniah CEO Ihab Hinnawi.

In remarks on Sunday, Hinnawi said a study conducted by the three mobile operators showed that profits also declined by between 30 per cent and 40 per cent.

In Jordan, mobile penetration reached 155 per cent by the end of September last year, with 10.227 million subscriptions, according to official figures.

AMMAN — In celebration of His Majesty King Abdullah’s birthday on January 30, Her Majesty Queen Rania joined young volunteers accompanying a group of children with disabilities to spend a fun-filled day at the Children’s Museum-Jordan (CMJ).

The Queen joined the children as they toured the museum and enjoyed interacting with various exhibits, including the human body section, the imagination playground, and the construction areas, according to a statement from Her Majesty’s office.

Organised by the Voluntary Initiatives Network (VIN), the fun day at the museum is part of a series of programmes the network is arranging to celebrate His Majesty’s birthday by bringing joy to the vulnerable and giving back to society.

CMJ Director Sawsan Dalaq noted that the museum improved its facilities over the past year to become more accessible and “friendly” for individuals with disabilities.

Also in 2013, and in collaboration with the Higher Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities, the museum had the opportunity to train its staff on how to assist visitors with disabilities, the statement said.

Lana Al Ramahi, who heads VIN, said the network’s programmes include launching the second phase of the “Darna Darhom” project, which is implemented at Al Asirra Al Baydaa Society’s homecare centre for the elderly.

Through this project, VIN volunteers aim to work to beautify and improve the centre to make the elderly feel more at home.

Other projects run by VIN include the “Educate an Orphan” initiative, while activities are also held with Al Amal Centre for Special Needs and a group of children with hearing disabilities.

Launched last year, the network is a coalition of voluntary initiatives from across the Kingdom whose main goal is to spread and enrich the culture of volunteerism and encourage positive change within society, according to the statement.

The Children’s Museum-Jordan is one of the Queen’s nonprofit educational organisations that aims to nurture curious children who love to learn.

Launched by Their Majesties in 2007, the museum features more than 110 indoor and outdoor permanent exhibits and educational facilities, such as a library and an art studio.

The museum offers year-round educational programmes and events for children and has welcomed over 900,000 visitors since it opened.

AMMAN — Around 50 activists gathered on Wednesday outside the US embassy in Amman to protest against US Secretary of State John Kerry’s expected proposed “framework” for a final peace deal between Palestine and Israel.

Kerry is expected to return to the region in the coming weeks with the framework, according to The Associated Press.

Local commentators have expressed fear that the proposal will push for a peace settlement that disregards Jordan’s interests and paves the way for turning the Kingdom into an alternative homeland for the Palestinians.

The demonstrators, who held banners and waved the Palestinian flag, included Taj Al Dein Shaaban, who said he took part in the protest to send a message.

“We will never give Palestine up and we will give our blood to protect it,” he told The Jordan Times outside the US embassy.

Shaaban said he is against the negotiations between Kerry and Arab and Palestinian leaders to “sell Palestine”.

Ahmad Shamahneh said he took part in the protest because he wanted to stress the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland.

“These negotiations will contribute to impose Israel’s agenda to Judaise Palestine,” he charged.

Protester Anas Tamimi said Palestine is not for sale and it is owned by the Palestinians, who have the right to go back home.

He charged that anyone who agrees to these US-brokered negotiations will betray Palestine.

Earlier this month, Kerry was in Jordan to provide his vision for a potential solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Senior officials have repeatedly said that Jordan will not accept any solution to the conflict that would compromise its strategic interests.

AMMAN — Jordan celebrates His Majesty King Abdullah’s 52nd birthday on Thursday.

Born in Amman on January 30, 1962, King Abdullah is the eldest son of His Majesty the late King Hussein and HRH Princess Muna.

A Royal Decree was issued on January 24, 1999 naming him Crown Prince.

The King began his primary education at the Islamic Educational College in Amman, and later attended St. Edmund’s School in Surrey, England.

For his secondary education, he attended Eaglebrook School and Deerfield Academy in the US.

King Abdullah joined the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst in the United Kingdom in 1980 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1981.

He joined the Jordan Armed Forces in 1982 as a first lieutenant, moving up the ranks in the military. He also served with the Royal Jordanian Air Force Anti-Tank Wing where he received his wings as well as his qualification as a Cobra attack pilot.

In 1987, the King joined the foreign service faculty of Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and completed an advanced research and study programme in international affairs along with a master’s programme in foreign service affairs.

The King rejoined the military in 1989 and continued to be promoted, becoming commander of the Royal Jordanian Special Forces and Special Operations in 1994 with the rank of brigadier general.

In 1996, the King reorganised the Special Forces to comprise selected units, and was promoted to the rank of major general in 1998.

King Abdullah married Her Majesty Queen Rania on June 10, 1993 and they have four children: Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Hussein, Princess Iman, Princess Salma and Prince Hashem.

Since his accession to the Throne in February 1999, King Abdullah has focused on enhancing the capabilities of Jordanians, entrenching the concept of respect and the dignity of citizens, ensuring the sovereignty of the law, realising equality, justice and equal opportunities for all, in addition to focusing on pushing the development process forward and highlighting the effective role of Jordan in the international arena.

The Kingdom, under His Majesty’s rule, took the initiative to implement political and economic reforms, including constitutional amendments and a new Elections Law, under which the latest parliamentary elections were held on January 23, 2013, triggering the parliamentary government experience that is expected to mature over the coming parliamentary cycles.

The September 2011 constitutional amendments necessitated the enactment of several new laws, including those that mandated the establishment of the Independent Elections Commission and the Constitutional Court.

To trigger public debate over the political future of the country, King Abdullah authored and published four discussion papers on Jordan’s reforms and democratic progress: “Our Journey to Forge our Path Towards Democracy”, “Making Our Democratic System Work for all Jordanians”, “Each Playing our Path in New Democracy”, and “Towards Democratic Empowerment and Active Citizenship”.

In his first discussion paper, which was published around a month prior to last year’s parliamentary elections, the Monarch called for full citizen engagement, not only in discussions with parliamentary candidates, but among themselves and on every issue of public and national interest.

Made public a week before the parliamentary polls, the King’s second paper addressed the mechanisms of forming the government.

King Abdullah’s third discussion paper called on political parties to assist in the development and future sustainability of an all-encompassing national perspective in Jordan’s political life.

In the fourth discussion paper, which was released in June last year and coincided with the launch of “Demoqrati”, the Democracy Empowerment Programme, the King laid out his vision for the future of the country, and tackled how to stimulate political participation and active citizenship.

The Kingdom has had to face new challenges with the influx of Syrian refugees and the disruption of Egyptian gas supplies, which represented a vital source of energy.

The country also had to deal with the global economic crisis, which impacted the national economy, accompanied by public calls for expediting the reform drive.

In an interview last year with China’s Xinhua News Agency, the King said “Jordan’s reform approach is based on the principle of continuous evolution.”

“The ultimate goal is clear — to reach an advanced parliamentary government system, where platform-based political parties, that enjoy the majority, form the government, while the parliamentary minority serves as shadow government,” he said

“As for the evolution of the role of the monarchy, I have already made it clear that it will evolve in parallel with the political changes that we seek — and seek sincerely and diligently — whereby the role of the monarchy is enrooted as guarantor of pluralism and democracy, protector of the separation of powers and facilitator to overcome standoffs between parliaments and governments.”