Day: May 10, 2021

Interior Minister Mazen Faraya, on the occasion of Eid AL-Fitr, instructed the concerned authorities to release 439 administrative detainees.

Faraya said that the decision was made after considering their files and ensuring that their release does not pose any threat to their lives or the security and public order of the country.

The minister added that the decision also aims at giving them an opportunity to reengage in society.

Source: Jordan News Agency

More than 175 Palestinians were injured Monday after Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and attacked Muslim worshippers in the holy compound, according to Palestinian medics.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said many of those wounded sustained serious facial and eye injuries while scores others suffered from suffocation as Israeli forces fired tear gas on the worshippers.

It added that Israeli forces blocked Palestinian paramedics from entering the mosque to treat those injured, indicating that many of the cases have yet to be evacuated to hospitals.

According to PRCS, the Israeli forces sealed off all gates and entry points to the mosque before mounting its assault using live ammunition and rubber-coated bullets, tear gas and stun grenades.

Furthermore, the society indicated that Israeli forces deployed snipers in and around the mosque and are trying to empty the holy compound from Muslim worshippers.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Senate’s Freedoms and Citizens Rights Committee Monday welcomed an Interior Ministry decision to release 439 administrative detainees.

Earlier in the day, Interior Minister Mazen Faraya ordered the release of the inmates as a gesture to mark Eid Al-Fitr holiday and to give them the opportunity to reengage with society, saying their pardon would not affect public order or threaten the peace in society.

In a statement, the Senate committee said that it had demanded the release of administrative detainees during earlier meetings with the interior minister “in a manner that does not affect the security and safety of their communities, and according to the laws and regulations.”

It noted that the releases would ease overcrowding in correctional and rehabilitation centres, return the detainees to their families to sustain them, especially in light of the difficult conditions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and help curb the spread of the virus.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Tuesday marks the 70th birthday of HRH Princess Basma bint Talal, who has dedicated her work over decades to empowering women and local communities, while addressing the needs of children and promoting the role of young people.

Princess Basma’s efforts in these areas have been embodied in her role as the chairperson of the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD), the pioneering non-governmental organisation that she established in 1977, which was one of the first in the country to address development challenges at the national level. JOHUD’s unique and expansive outreach includes a network of 51 community development centres throughout Jordan’s cities, rural areas and villages, involving thousands of community members and volunteers.

This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the National Goodwill Campaign, (GWC) launched by Princess Basma in 1991. Culminating every year during the Holy Month of Ramadan, and rooted in Islamic values of solidarity and support, the GWC’s programmes aim to improve living standards for people living in poverty, through small businesses, improved housing, scholarships, and medical assistance, as well as direct assistance and in kind donations. The GWC’s Family Relief Fund was created to identify and support some of those hardest hit by the Coronavirus pandemic and its repercussions across the country, and has been actively reaching out to thousands of families in need.

Women’s advancement has always been a key area of concern for the princess. As a longstanding and passionate advocate for women’s rights around the world, she has chaired the Jordanian National Commission for Women, since its establishment in1992. JNCW is the highest official entity responsible for addressing women and gender related issues, with a focus on legislative and policy reform.

Speaking last month on the occasion of Jordan’s centenary, Princess Basma highlighted the role women have played in the development of Jordan:

“What Jordanian women achieve today builds on the efforts of grandmothers, mothers, and young women, who are too rarely remembered by history. Their efforts to open doors that were closed, and to take small, simple, but steady steps forward have brought us as Jordanian women to where we are today. Whether it was the teacher who went to study in a village and lived far from her family, the nurse who broke the stereotype of “women’s work”, the young woman trained to give injections to help on the front lines, the illiterate mother who insisted that her daughters go to school, or the farm worker who wanted her daughter to own land herself. We owe the progress we have today to the accumulated effects of their efforts, and stand humbled by their accomplishments.”

In recognition of her commitment and advocacy work, Princess Basma was appointed as Honorary Human Development Ambassador for the UNDP and Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women and the UNFPA.

Princess Basma is married to Walid Kurdi and has four children; Farah (JOHUD’s Executive Director), Ghazi, Saad and Zein Al Sharaf and seven grandchildren; Fatima Al Zahra, Zein Al Sharaf, Abdulaziz, Aysha, Iman, Basma and Haya.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Israeli army Monday ordered the closure of Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing on the northern border with the Gaza Strip as a response to the firing of rockets and incendiary balloons from the blockaded territory.

Israel Public Radio reported that the border post will be closed to travelers, except for “emergencies and humanitarian cases.”

Source: Jordan News Agency

About 215 Palestinians were injured Sunday night and Monday, some seriously hit in the face and eyes, in addition to large numbers who suffered breathing problems when Israeli army and police fired live rounds, rubber-coated metal bullets, stun grenades and tear gas against worshipers and guards inside Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.

It said in a statement that four protesters were critically injured and 13 were directly struck in the eye, while the rest suffered fair-to-light injuries, adding that 153 injured people were taken from Lion’s Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem to the city’s hospitals.

It said that Israeli forces were deliberately delaying the evacuation of the wounded to hospital.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon Monday condemned Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque and called for an end to evictions from an Arab neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem.

“Attacking a place of worship at any time is reprehensible, but attacking a mosque during Ramadan is utterly indefensible. It is also a violation of international law,” Sturgeon said in a tweet on her Twitter account.

She added that Israel should heed calls to halt the violence immediately and to also end the illegal evictions of Palestinian residents from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem.

Source: Jordan News Agency