Day: July 3, 2023

The Senate Monday condemned the “brutal aggression” by Israeli occupation forces against the city of Jenin and the nearby Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, which left at least five people dead and injured dozens more, some critically. In a statement, Senate President Faisal Fayez deplored “the silence of the international community and human rights organizations over the war crimes perpetrated by the far-right Israeli government, its army and (Jewish) settlers against the Palestinian people.” “This silence on state terrorism carried out by Israel is a disgrace for humanity and human rights advocates of various civil society organizations in the world,” he said. Fayez urged “all forces that stand for the right to life and freedom to pressure their countries to push the United Nations and the UN Security Council to take firm and prompt action to stop the brutal Israeli attacks, hold Israel accountable for the war crimes committed against the Palestinian people and stop the racist actions of the occupation army in Jenin and the whole of the occupied Palestinian territories.” The head of the Senate also expressed full support of His Majesty King Abdullah’s efforts in defending the Palestinian cause and the right of its people to freedom and independence, and urged Arab support of the King in this endeavor.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Lower House Monday called for urgent Arab and international action to stop Israel’s aggression against the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, and protect the Palestinian people, who are facing the Israeli war machine and destruction. “The crimes of the occupiers will not deter the Palestinian people from its struggle to regain its legitimate rights and establish an independent state on its national soil with Holy Jerusalem as its capital”, the House said in a statement, referring to an Israeli dawn raid against Jenin and the nearby Jenin refugee camp, in which at least five people were killed and dozens injured. “This aggression is a continuation of the occupation authority’s crimes and designs that were thwarted by the Palestinian people’s steadfastness and struggle”, added the statement. The terrorism perpetrated by the occupying power needs deterrence by the international community, it said, warning that the barbarism against the Palestinian people undermines all peace efforts, and proves to the entire world that Israel is an entity that upholds extremism, and practices all forms of punishment against unarmed Palestinians. The House said the international community’s silence on the crimes of the occupiers puts the world and humanity before a test, and requires all international forces to take urgent action to stop “this brutal aggression against the steadfast people of Jenin.”

Source: Jordan News Agency

Secretary-General of the Higher Population Council (HPC), Issa Masarwa, revealed on Monday that the population density in north-western Jordan is exerting a detrimental impact on the environment, agricultural resources, rural economy, and food security. He stated that a staggering 92 percent of the Kingdom’s population resides in this region, while a mere 8 percent inhabits the southern governorates, which constitute over half of the country’s landmass. Masarwa pointed out in a meeting with the Parliamentary Education and Youth Committee that this concentration in the northwest raises the costs of urban management, and is exacerbated by city and village planning systems that allow urban encroachment on fertile lands. He called for the introduction of legislation delineating land usage, inhibiting alterations, expediting the establishment of new cities in the Badia region, and enhancing investment incentives in the south of the Kingdom. The Secretary-General expressed concerns that current city and village organization bylaws are undermining sustainable development and exacerbating population distribution imbalance. The bylaws are also detrimental to rural economies, rural women’s projects, and food security. During the meeting, the committee’s chairman, Representative Talib Saraireh, emphasized the Kingdom’s ongoing demographic shift due to Jordan accepting waves of refugees, expressing apprehension about the impact of these rapid changes on food security. Masarwa disclosed that the current population of Jordan stands at 11.4 million, with six million people added in the past twenty years alone. He also revealed that non-Jordanians, including Syrian refugees and foreign workers of different nationalities, constitute over 33 percent of the total population. Children under fifteen years account for 34 percent of the Jordanian population, a figure that rises to 45 percent among Syrians. Further, children under 18 years make up 40 percent of the populace, totaling 4.6 million children. This indicates a future surge in the number of girls of childbearing age, new families, homes, loss of cultivated lands, entrants to the labor market, unemployment rates, vehicles, and intensified traffic congestion, he said. In his presentation, Masarwa noted a consistent annual increase in birth numbers, with around 2.7 million births recorded by the Civil Status Department from 2010 to 2022. The Secretary-General underscored the need to support the 29 percent of Jordanian families who wish to regulate their childbearing but lack access to effective means. He advocated for extending information and services to these families to empower them to fulfill their reproductive desires in alignment with their resources and circumstances.

Source: Jordan News Agency

ABU DHABI, 3rd July, 2023 (WAM) — The UAE strongly condemned the attacks by the Israeli occupation forces on the Palestinian city of Jenin and its camp through air strikes and shootings, which resulted in deaths and injuries. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) called for the immediate halt of repeated and escalating campaigns against the Palestinian people, and urged Israeli authorities to reduce escalation and avoid steps that exacerbate tension and violence in the occupied Palestinian territories and lead to a deterioration of the situation and perpetuation of the cycle of violence. The Ministry also called for abiding by the provisions of international law and Security Council resolutions. The Ministry stressed the need to recommit to international efforts to achieve a ceasefire and revive the Middle East Peace Process, stressing the UAE’s support for all regional and international efforts in this regard, as well as end illegal practices that threaten the two-state solution and establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. Amjad Saleh/ Hazem Hussein

Source: Emirates News Agency (WAM)