Day: December 4, 2022

RAMALLAH, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates called today on the international community to deal with the Israeli colonial system as an “apartheid” regime.

In a press statement, the Foreign Ministry said the occupying state is not only perpetuating the occupation, but is also aspiring to annex more areas of the occupied West Bank through a long series of expansionist colonial measures and statements by far-right leaders.

It said the remarks made this morning by Israeli MK Bezalel Smotrich “confirm that the occupying state is continuing to deepen the apartheid regime in occupied Palestine by stripping the Palestinians of their land, and gradually expanding the jurisdiction of Israeli law to the settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.”

The Foreign Ministry pointed out that the situation on the ground “is likely to worsen further in light of the control of the right and the extreme Israeli right over the corridors of government in the occupying state, especially after the recent Israeli elections.”

The Ministry held Israel fully and directly responsible for its violations and crimes, and for blocking any political horizon since 2009 to resolve the conflict and rather replacing it with military solutions.

Source: Palestine News & Info Agency

RAMALLAH, President Mahmoud Abbas said today he was confident that truth, justice and peace will prevail in the end, saying the Palestinian people will not surrender and will remain steadfast in the face of the occupation.

The President’s remark was made in a televised speech broadcast by Palestine TV at the ceremony celebrating the winners of the National Certificate of Honor for Academic Diplomacy and Advocacy for Palestinian Rights, organized by the International Academic Campaign Against Occupation and Apartheid.

“Truth, justice and peace will prevail in the end. We will not surrender, we will remain steadfast in resisting the occupation,” said President Abbas. “We will expand the scope of our peaceful popular resistance, and we will take action at the international level to compel Israel to end its occupation and stop its aggression, and to hold it accountable for its crimes and breaches of international law.”

The President considered that the International Academic Campaign Against Occupation and Apartheid is an asset for justice, human values and international law, one which “affirms our legitimate right to resist this colonial occupation that practices systematic aggression against our land and people, through its terrorist soldiers and settlers.”

He said addressing the campaign, “Your efforts, in partnership with prominent Palestinian institutions, are a practical affirmation of the importance of soft power in protecting rights, justice and peace, and in supporting the Palestinian national project that is committed to a just and comprehensive peace.”

Source: Palestine News & Info Agency

Amman, Prime Minister Dr. Bishr Khasawneh on Sunday attended the launching ceremony of the women empowerment strategy in Economic Modernization Vision (EMV).

This strategy, outlined by the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Women Empowerment, in partnership with relevant institutions, reflects Jordan’s commitment to equality, respect for human rights and active participation in eliminating all forms of gender-based discrimination.

The strategy also aims to enhance women’s participation in the labor market, increase their participation in economic decision-making, and mainstream gender issues in the work of the public and private sectors.

Addressing the event, Minister of Social Development / the committee’s chair, Wafa Bani Mustafa, said Jordan is entering its bicentennial with a three-dimensional modernization project and a Royal vision aimed to achieve paths of progress and prosperity.

Bani Mustafa said Jordan’s modernization era views women as a partner in EMV and a partner in achievement, noting that the nation’s political process culminated in amending the Constitution and adding clause (6) in Article (6), related to women empowerment.

To date, she noted women were also taken into account in the “deep” reforms in Jordan’s electoral and political party laws and student partisan regulations in higher education institutions.

In public sector modernization track, she said recommendations were made to “institutionalize and frame” the governmental women’s sector, and emphasize development of the appointment system for leadership positions to ensure justice and equality.

The current government saw an “unprecedented” number of women, who hold leadership positions in the Kingdom’s history, she pointed out.

The government, she said, is adding a new achievement by launching the strategy, in conjunction with the completion of gender-sensitive sectoral executive plans.

The first phase of the executive program will feature sectoral initiatives, of which 72% would directly affect women’s economic participation, and 28% indirectly, she noted.

On the strategy’s three main women-related goals, she said related efforts seek to doubling rate of female participation in Jordan’s labor market, aimed to make their economic participation reach 28% in 2033.

Hopefully, she noted this rate would exceed 36% and create more than 280,000 job opportunities for women during the next decade under EMV’s 1 million job opportunities goal at a rate of 28, 000 jobs annually for women.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman, The Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Sunday launched the national e-platform for political parties.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, IEC Chairman, Musa Maaitah, said the platform comes within the framework of realizing Jordan’s political modernization vision, which would facilitate political parties’ submission of the required documents to the commission on the latest and best technology.

The platform, he said, would strengthen principle of transparency and enables users to view the parties’ data, their regulations and their budgets.

For his part, Norwegian Ambassador to Jordan, Espen Lindbeck, lauded the IEC’s tech development in its management of the electoral process, expressing pride in participating in the platform’s inauguration.

The envoy also stressed the continued support and cooperation with IEC to implement its plans and programs related to political modernization.

Meanwhile, Resident Representative of the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representatives in Jordan, Randa Abul Hassan, said UN program continues to support Jordan’s efforts in political modernization by its partnership with IEC.

This assistance aims to enhancing political participation of youth, women and other politically marginalized groups and its support digital and tech transformation efforts, she noted.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman, President of Jordan Chamber of Industry (JCI), Fathi Jaghbir, said His Majesty King Abdullah II’s visit to Algeria is a “remarkable” opportunity and constitutes an economic and commercial path for Jordan’s private sector.

Jaghbir, in a statement on Sunday, said His Majesty always paves the way for Jordanian private sector to benefit from economic opportunities in the countries across the world and promote the Kingdom’s investment opportunities and its productive capabilities.

In this regard, he called on the government and the private sector to benefit from Royal visit to Algeria by concluding trade partnerships, which would contribute to raising Jordan’s pace of production, exports volume and trade exchange.

On the chamber’s role, he said JCI participated in multiple economic exhibitions and conferences in Algeria, aimed to enhancing joint economic cooperation.

Jordan’s industrial sector, he noted, has a “high” competitive capability and is ready to increase its exports volume to Algeria, stressing the importance and potential of Algerian market for the Kingdom.

Noting “great” importance of Royal visit, he said it would activate partnerships between the two countries, especially after Covid-19 pandemic receded and economic sectors resumed normal operations.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Algiers, A joint communiqué was released on Sunday by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria following the conclusion of His Majesty King Abdullah’s two-day state visit to Algeria.

During the bilateral meeting, which was followed by expanded talks, King Abdullah and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune discussed means of expanding cooperation between Jordan and Algeria across all fields, the communiqué said, according to a Royal Hashemite Court (RHC) statement.

In the communiqué, the two leaders reaffirmed the need to bolster joint Arab action to counter shared challenges and serve Arab causes. In that regard, His Majesty congratulated President Tebboune on the success of the Arab Summit recently hosted in Algiers.

Addressing the centrality of the Palestinian cause, both leaders stressed the importance of Palestinian unity and ending divisions, with the King lauding efforts by the Algerian President to bridge differences and unify Palestinian ranks.

President Tebboune highlighted the important role of the Hashemite Custodianship in safeguarding Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and preserving the Arab, Islamic, and Christian identity of the holy city, according to the communiqué.

The two leaders also stressed the importance of promoting Arab cooperation and economic integration.

Both leaders underscored the need to step up Arab and international efforts to reach political solutions to crises in Syria, Libya, and Yemen, reiterating the importance of collective action to counter the threat of terrorism and extremism.

The communiqué also highlighted the signing of a number of agreements and memoranda of understanding in various fields, with both leaders commending the outcome of cooperation on pharmaceutical industries and calling on officials in both countries to take the necessary steps to expand cooperation to other sectors.

King Abdullah and President Tebboune also urged officials in both countries to prepare for the upcoming session of the joint Jordanian Algerian higher committee to be held next year, the communiqué said.

Source: Jordan News Agency