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AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Sunday said the government would not take action for a planned motion by the Israeli lawmakers efforts to cancel Jordan’s role as custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem, as “no official decision is made yet”.

The premier told lawmakers during a House meeting that he understands the sentiments of the deputies who demanded a firm stand by the government as the Knesset members’ move is provocative.

Too many statements about issues like these would render Jordan’s stand “meaningless”, Ensour added.

In case the Knesset endorsed such a motion, he said, this would be a breach to the 1994 peace treaty between Jordan and Israel, which is an “abiding agreement”.

The issue was raised by the Palestine Committee in the Lower House, which held a press conference prior to the House meeting and issued a statement calling for cancelling the peace treaty with Israel.

The committee also called on the government to expel the Israeli ambassador in Amman and call back Jordan’s envoy in Tel Aviv as a response to Knesset members attempts to deny Jordan’s custodianship over the holy sites in East Jerusalem, as stipulated in Article 9 of the peace deal.

The premier also cited the “Washington Declaration”, signed between Jordan and Israel under US sponsorship ahead of the treaty, which also stipulates that Israel acknowledges the custodian role of Jordan in Jerusalem.

The House adopted the committee’s statement, while several MPs slammed the government for not condemning the move.

AMMAN — The Jordan Volunteers organisation, aiming to “break the walls” between east and west Amman, organised a day of activities for people with disabilities earlier this week in cooperation with Al Hajjeh Rafika Al Nahari Care Centre in Wihdat.

Over the course of five hours on Saturday, some 30 volunteers — including school students — joined the beneficiaries at the care centre as they knitted, did carpentry work, and made accessories and carpets.

“The [beneficiaries at] such events end up teaching the volunteers more than the volunteers plan to teach them; they are part of our community and we should act like it,” Jordan Volunteers Spokesperson Yasmeen Kanaan said.

Through these activities, Kanaan added, the volunteers seek to change the stereotypical images that residents of upscale west Amman neighbourhoods may have about underprivileged areas around the Kingdom.

“My experience with this event… taught me to be less materialistic and to appreciate life; these kids are… happy all the time [despite the difficulties they face]. They taught me that life is still a beautiful thing,” Omar Jamal, a 23-year-old volunteer said.

Hadeel Matouq, a member of Jordan Volunteers, said the organisation, which was founded by young Jordanians in 2009 to provide the community with volunteer programmes all year round, works to encourage youths to interact with people of various backgrounds and accept them openly.

Al Hajjeh Rafika Al Nahari Care Centre offers recreational and educational activities to people with disabilities between the ages of six and 53, its director, Youssef Ibrahim told The Jordan Times.

“We divide them into groups according to their ages, mental abilities and physical conditions,” Ibrahim added.

Kanaan said the Jordan Volunteers organisation holds these activities every weekend, adding that anyone can lend a helping hand.

“Our organisation… invites all people regardless of their age, origin, or nationality to join our weekly events and initiatives.”

AMMAN — Finding talented human resources that possess the needed skills is the biggest problem facing start-ups in Jordan and the Middle East, Fadi Ghandour, founder and vice chairman of Aramex, said Sunday.

Citing the initial results of a study by entrepreneur support platform Wamda that covered 1,000 experts and entrepreneurs in the information technology sector, Ghandour said the second most pressing challenge facing start-ups is how to take business across the border.

He announced the findings of the study, the details of which will be released soon, during the second investment matchmaking event “DealMakers’ Weekend”, which was held by the Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan (int@j) and Endeavor Jordan, attracting scores of investors and entrepreneurs.

During the event, experts in the ICT sector urged start-ups in Jordan and the region to stay focused and persevere, and never to be afraid of failure.

Start-ups need to reach markets other than where they are based, they said.

“Middle East entrepreneurs need to understand that success and failure are very normal… the life of start-ups is not very easy,” said Ali Karabey, managing director of 212 Limited.

“It is important to support small- and medium-sized projects in the region because they will have a tough time in the upcoming stage in light of the current economic conditions…for start-ups, they will not grow if they do not think globally, especially in the ICT industry,” Karabey said at the event.

Mohammad Tahboub, former chairman of int@j, said banks and governments need to do more to support small- and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups to help the ICT industry, as over the past two years some 50 companies and start-ups shut down their offices.

“IT sector revenues dropped by 55 per cent over the past four years, which makes it necessary for start-ups and companies to focus on exporting,” said Tahboub.

The “DealMakers’ Weekend” is a regional activity bringing together investors and companies operating in the ICT and ICT enabled services sectors to explore Middle East and North Africa region investment opportunities in a setting that promotes networking, capacity building and collaboration, according to int@j. 

AMMAN — Several Jordanian Twitter users on Sunday criticised what the “irresponsible behaviour” of some Tawjihi students who celebrated passing the national exam’s winter session.

Some tweeps said students of the General Secondary Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) should celebrate in a “civilised manner and should not disturb the life of others”, warning that reckless driving puts the lives of others at risk.

“Joy is expressed with eating a piece of cake and not gun shootings,” Twitter user Nadine (@NadineSharabi) tweeted Sunday.

Many tweeps said some reckless drivers who were speeding in an expression of joy caused traffic jams — and in some cases accidents — on the capital’s main streets.

“It is unbelievable what happened today…roads were slippery because of the rain and some were speeding…I saw several accidents on the roads today,” Jood (@Jo-12) tweeted.

Lana Oran (@LanaOran) expressed similar views.

“Driving in cars and waving from windows for passing Tawjihi is the stupidest thing ever!! Students should pass it anyway; no need to celebrate,” tweeted Oran.

Others were critical of people shooting in the air as a show of celebration of Tawjihi results.

“Make sure to wear your helmets & bullet proof vests today. #Tawjihi is coming to town,” tweeted Mays Xana (@mays_mays).

Majdoleen J (Majdoj) agreed.

“Respect the laws and … celebrate your #Tawjihi in a civilised way,” said Mays.

Last year, 12 injuries from gunshot wounds were reported across the Kingdom after the results of the Tawjihi summer session were announced.

Festive firing during special occasions, such as weddings and after Tawjihi results are released, is a common practice that security agencies are working to curb. 

AMMAN — A twinning project with the European Union launched on Sunday will enable the Ministry of Social Development to enhance services offered to vulnerable families, women and children, according to officials.

The 15-month “promoting the rights of vulnerable families, women and children” project, will be implemented by the ministry, benefiting from the expertise of Northern Ireland’s department of health and social services, according to stakeholders who launched of the project.

Social Development Minister Reem Abu Hassan told reporters that this “timely initiative” will provide the ministry with the opportunity to reform and modernise its services to promote and protect the rights of vulnerable groups.

She added that the project will enhance social services and provide the ministry with useful practices in addressing economic and social differences.

“We might be in different parts of the world, but there are similarities in the challenges we face,” Abu Hassan said, referring to Jordan’s partner, Northern Ireland.

These challenges, she said, include early intervention in the lives of most vulnerable children to achieve a better quality of living, preventing youths from getting into conflict with the law? and empowering persons with disabilities and children to play a more active role in society.

Speaking at the project’s launch ceremony, EU Ambassador to Jordan Joanna Wronecka said family values and care are equally important for Jordan and the societies of the EU.

“Promotion of human rights in general is at the centre of the EU’s relations with all strategic partners, including Jordan, and respect for human rights is emphasised under EU development assistance,” she said.

“This is important to highlight as the EU and Jordan entered the advanced status of cooperation in 2010,” Wronecka added.

She noted that the new twinning project is aimed at supporting the Ministry of Social Development in ensuring that vulnerable families equally benefit from Jordan’s growth and enhancing the quality of social services delivered by care centres across Jordan.

“Around 65 million Euros have been provided by the European Union since 2002 for these types of… partnerships with a variety of public institutions in Jordan,” the ambassador said.

British Ambassador to Jordan Peter Millett said the project will also link reforms to public services, which he said is a crucial move to improve services offered to the most vulnerable groups.

AMMAN/MAFRAQ — Syrian refugee Hussein Jneidi usually did not pay attention to the risks posed by mines or explosive remnants of war (ERW).

But the Homs-born changed his attitude after attending a workshop to raise the awareness of Syrians on these issues.

"Since we will go back home after the instability is over in my country — God willing — I learned how dangerous the situation might be for civilians," he told The Jordan Times during the workshop, which was recently held.

Jneidi is one of several Syrians in the north who are benefiting from a programme held by the National Committee for De-mining and Rehabilitation (NCDR) and financially supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Dubbed "Emergency Risk Education Response", the programme was designed following an agreement signed by the two parties in September last year, according to ICRC Jordan Spokesperson Hala Shamlawi.

"The ICRC provided the NCDR with $157,000 in financial support to implement the project," she told The Jordan Times in a recent interview, adding that the programme, which started in November last year, will last for six months, concluding in April.

NCDR Director Mohammad Breikat noted that the project, which includes a series of workshops for Syrians living in the Kingdom's northern region, will enable the participants to teach their compatriots how to deal with mines and ERW when they go back home, potentially saving many lives.

Jordan became one of the first countries in the Middle East to sign and ratify the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention in 1998.

In 2012, it was announced that Jordan was “free of minefields”, but the NCDR is continuing its search for landmines which have either exploded or shifted due to erosion and floods, and it is conducting a verification process to ensure that no threat remains.

Adnan Telfah, the head of the NCDR’s risk education and victim assistance departments, said that for Syrians, dealing with unexploded ordnance — such as mines, grenades, rockets and shells — is a new problem.

"Dealing with internal conflict is different from organised wars," Telfah told The Jordan Time during one of the training sessions held in Mafraq.

He noted that the workshops target Syrians who reside in the city of Mafraq, some 80km northeast of Amman, and the neighbouring villages, adding that participants receive a general overview about these two issues.

"We also train them on how to help injured people and tell them about the organisations that work in this field," he said, adding that the workshops include practical sessions.

The NCDR has previously organised workshops and training programmes for Jordanians on ERW and the dangers of mines, according to Telfah.

"Our awareness campaigns have covered around 800,000 Jordanians so far. The aim behind these campaigns is not only to raise people's awareness, but also to change their behaviour," Breikat said.

In addition to the current project's three workshops, which target around 45 Syrians, the organisers are implementing an awareness programme that will involves Syrians in their residential areas, according to Telfah.

"The training programme is expected to cover 20,000 Syrians," he added.

Ibtisam Khalaf, who left Damascus two months ago and sought refuge in Jordan, said the training she has received will help her keep her children safe.

"I learned that I should not let my children go out anywhere when I go back home unless I make sure that the area is free of mines and unexploded ordnance," she said, adding that she will use what she learned to teach other Syrian mothers once she returns to her country.

Jneidi said teaching other Syrian after going back home is one of the most important outcomes of the workshop.

"Many Syrians back home, especially children, will be curious and want to inspect any strange objects they find on the street, so it is really important to teach them that it is dangerous to play with anything they find lying outside their house."

AMMAN — General Secondary Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) students in Jordan will be able to apply online to all the Kingdom’s public universities starting Wednesday morning and until Saturday midnight, a Ministry of Higher Education official said on Sunday.

Ghaleb Hourani, director of the Unified Admissions Committee, said students who scored 65 per cent and above in the Tawjihi winter session can apply to universities using the unified admission website www.admhec.gov.jo.

Hourani said the committee will be working 12 hours a day after receiving the applications so that the unified admission list can be announced as soon as possible.

He told The Jordan Times that the winter semester in all of the Kingdom’s public universities has already started, and “we do not want students who will be accepted this semester to miss many classes.”

Last week, the Higher Education Council decided to accept 13,902 of the students who pass the Tawjihi winter session in the Kingdom’s public universities.

Tawjihi results were announced Sunday, but Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat did not elaborate on the number of students who passed the exams with rates above than 65 per cent to qualify them to enrol at public universities.

Students’ Tawjihi grades decide their future in higher education. It is the main criterion to determine the specialty in which they can major, the public university they can enrol at and whether they are qualified to go to university.

AMMAN — A rise in temperatures is expected on Monday as the impact of a depression and a cold front tapers off, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD).

The depression and the cold front, which started affecting the country on Friday evening, brought intermittent rain to different parts of the country, according to the JMD, which predicated above-average temperatures during this week.

Monday’s temperatures are expected to rise back to their annual average of 13°C during this time of the year, according to a meteorologist at the JMD, who noted that daytime temperatures will be 14°C, dropping to 5°C at nighttime in Amman.

The weather will be relatively cold, while winds will be northwesterly moderate, according to the weather forecaster, who said the temperatures will continue rising during this week.

On Tuesday, relatively cold weather is expected with lots of sunshine, he said, adding that temperatures will range between a high of 17°C and a low of 6°C in the capital, and winds will be northwesterly moderate.

A further rise in temperatures is forecast for Wednesday, when temperatures will be seven degrees above their annual average during this time of the year, the weather forecaster said, noting that mercury levels will be 20°C during the day, dropping to 7°C at nighttime in Amman.

The weather will be fair across the country and relatively warm in the Jordan Valley, and winds will be southeasterly moderate.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Agriculture Spokesperson Nimer Haddadin said the rain on Saturday and Sunday reduced farmers’ fears of an expected drought this year.

“Rain over the past two days has renewed the hopes of farmers for a good agricultural season and is timely for those growing wheat and barley crops,” Haddadin said.

In addition, the recent rain will also benefit livestock breeders, as better pastures are expected following the rain.

Officials at the agriculture and water ministries said recently that the Kingdom is facing a drought threat which will have a negative impact on water storage and crops if it persists, noting that the current dry conditions and prolonged unseasonable high temperatures are raising concerns.

The dams currently have 140 million cubic metres (mcm), or 43 per cent of their total capacity of 325mcm, which is 14 per cent less than the amount stored at the dams during this time last year of 186mcm, according to official figures.

AMMAN — The House-based Mubadara (initiative) is expected to evolve into a national platform after it overcame its first shock last week, when its leader MP Mustafa Hamarneh engaged in a confrontation with another lawmaker deemed a tribal icon last week.

The heated verbal exchanges between Hamarneh (Madaba, 1st District) and Deputy Abdul Karim Dughmi (Mafraq) and his supporters came on the backdrop of comments made by the former over tribalism. In recent remarks, the renowned scholar who advocates bold moves towards a civil state called for a political framework that engages all Jordanians; otherwise, tribes might evolve into “unarmed militias”.

His comments were taken as an attack on tribes, an interpretation that he dismissed, explaining that when he spoke on the issue, he was not attacking, nor defending, tribes, but speaking on the need to move towards establishing a civil state that involves all citizens.

Last week’s showdown was seen by observers as a shift in the status quo, pitting modernists against the old guard with established interests.

Mubadara will likely go through a “calmer” phase in the next weeks, analyst and Al Ghad daily columnist Fahed Kheitan told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

Mubadara needs to expand further by joining forces with other initiatives and active political groups, he said.

Kheitan cited the National Initiative for Building, better known as “Zamzam”, led by prominent Islamists and members of the Muslim Brotherhood movement as a potential ally of Mubadara, along with youth movements “who must be willing to support Mubadara’s tenets”.

Columnist at Ad Dustour Maher Abu Teir expected a similar scenario, noting that there are certain powers who do not want to cause any “internal disturbances” at this stage. Hence, he added, Mubadara will have space to develop further and mature.

The initiative has engaged with the government in efforts to find solutions to deep-rooted problems, including human rights and education.

The group, which has attracted over 20 members in the 150-strong House, has agreed with the government to grant husbands and children of Jordanian women married to non-Jordanians full civil rights. The move triggered criticism among tribal figures and other critics, who charged that it constitutes a prelude to settling Palestinian refugees permanently in Jordan.

Most recently, former Lower House speaker and veteran MP Saad Hayel Srour joined the group. He is expected to give Mubadara more weight on the political scene in the country.

Leading analysts agreed that with the emergence of Mubadara and its critics, the political scene is witnessing a transformation within the tribes in Jordan, as a new generation of tribesmen is trying to find its way up and replace the “old guard” who have been benefiting from their leading status in the tribes for decades.

Kheitan said tribal elites’ move against Mubadara is not because their concern is the tribal system or their fear that their tribes would lose ground to a new system. “They only want to protect their own interests.”

Mohammed Abu Rumman, a political analyst at the University of Jordan’s Centre for Strategic Studies, said the tribes have changed a lot and a new breed of leaders is evolving.

“There are now young tribesmen who are educated and have the potential to lead; therefore, they will inevitably compete with the old leaders,” said Abu Rumman, who also contributes a daily column to Al Ghad.

This new generation is open to Hamarneh’s ideas and has no problems with issues like civil rights, he added.

They also reject the “stereotype” about their roles as tribesmen, who are perceived by some as bandits manipulated by certain powers to prevent the state from taking steps to change the demographic map of the country.

This concern expressed by conservatives and others has come on the backdrop of ongoing efforts by US Secretary of State John Kerry to work out a framework peace deal between the Palestinians and the Israelis and impose it on all stakeholders.

Abu Rumman said Kerry’s leaked suggestions to resolve the issue of refugees “is a nightmare for East Bank Jordanians as well as Jordanians of Palestinian origin”. 

AMMAN –– Bakeries in the Kingdom’s northern region are seeing shortages of subsidised flour due to the “huge” demand on bread caused by Syrian refugees, according to Abdul Ilah Hamawi, president of the Bakery Owners Association.

Hamawi told The Jordan Times that several bakeries in the north, particularly in the city of Mafraq, cannot meet the sharp increase in demand for bread as the region hosts thousands of Syrian refugees, for whom bread is the staple food.

He noted that the association has contacted the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply to increase subsidised flour allocation to these bakeries in order to meet the rising demand, adding that the ministry has “promised” to form a committee to look into the issue.

But the ministry’s spokesperson, Yanal Barmawi, said that the ministry has increased flour allocations to several bakeries in local communities that host large numbers of Syrian refugees, adding that authorities are always willing to reconsider flour allocations to such bakeries.

Hamawi noted that there are some bakeries that stopped making bread due to shortage of flour.

“Residents in some parts of Mafraq city –– around 70 kilometres northeast of Amman –– cannot find bread,” Hamawi claimed, warning that this issue could ignite social unrest in the area.

He noted that bakeries in Irbid also suffer from inadequate supplies of subsidised flour as the northern governorate hosts thousands of Syrians as well.

Bakeries across the Kingdom receive subsidised flour from the government at JD35 per tonne, while the real cost of the flour on the Treasury is estimated at JD350 per tonne, according to official figures.

Authorities also indicate that over 600,000 Syrians have sought refuge in Jordan since the onset of the conflict in their country in March 2011, the majority of whom live in the Zaatari Refugee Camp.

Nearly 50 per cent of the refugees live in the northern part of the Kingdom, according to officials.