Jordan News UpdatesSix Grad-type rockets were fired from Adaisseh and Markaba villages in southern Lebanon toward Israel, a Lebanese security source announced late Monday.
Israeli raid sirens blared in some settlements along the Lebanese-Israeli border, while Israeli forces fired artillery shells at the Kfarchouba in Lebanon, the source added.
Source: Jordan News Agency
The Jordan National NGOs Forum (JONAF) and other civil society institutions and human rights activists Tuesday appealed to the international community to protect women, children and men in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories from ongoing Israeli attacks.
“Members of the JONAF coalition and the Jordanian National Commission for Women, along with many human rights activists and civil society organizations in Jordan, call upon the international community and supporters of women’s rights to activate immediately Article 9 of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) to protect the rights of women, children and men in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories,’ the forum said in a press release.
“As innocent civilians are being killed by excessive retaliatory measures by the Israeli military, let us be reminded that Article 9 of UNSCR 1325 calls upon all parties to an armed conflict to respect fully international law applicable to the rights and protection of women and girls, especially as civilians, in particular the obligations applicable to them under the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Additional Protocols thereto of 1977, the Refugee Convention of 1951 and the Protocol thereto of 1967, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women of 1979 and the Optional Protocol thereto of 1999 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989 and the two Optional Protocols thereto of 25 May 2000, and to bear in mind the relevant provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,” it stated.
“UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security is based on four main pillars: participation, protection, prevention, and relief and recovery. For the past 73 years, we have seen our Palestinian sisters facing oppression every day, getting beaten up and arrested for practicing their right to peaceful protests to protect themselves and their families from displacement,” said the statement.
UNSCR 1325 also stresses the need to include – and thus empower – local women in conflict resolution, it noted, adding that “as the conflict and occupation continue, and the suffering of Palestinian refugees worsens, it is essential to recognize resistance as a human right and as a means to achieve comprehensive and just peace based on women’s and men’s political agency. It is time to do more than just having nominal women representation, with no real participation. To achieve just solutions, the value of women leading the resistance against systematic oppression must be acknowledged.”
The statement called on donor nations, the UN secretary general and the Security Council to adopt consistent and gender sensitive approaches enabling accountability and ensuring the protection of human rights of women and children in Palestine, in accordance with the protection principles enshrined in UNSCR 1325.
“Conflicts are not a choice for civilians who endure them, and do not distinguish among nationalities,” it said, warning that without a serious commitment to protect the rights of women and children in Palestine, the credibility of UNSCR 1325 and its national iteration through JONAP is at risk.
The statement called on the international community to work toward ending conflicts and occupation, and preserving the safety and security of Palestinians, and to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law, war crimes and the discrimination and ethnic cleansing committed against Palestinians since 1948.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Two people were killed Tuesday when a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck a factory in an Israeli settlement in the western Negev, according to Israel Radio.
It said that Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired rockets on western Negev settlements this afternoon, killing two workers in a packaging factory, and also fired mortar shells at the Erez border crossing, lightly wounding an Israeli soldier.
Two mortars also fell in the Eshkol Regional Council area in the north-western Negev, causing material damage but no injuries, it said.
Source: Jordan News Agency
The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday said that the death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression has risen to 213, more than half of them civilians.
In the latest update, the ministry said that among the victims were 61 children, 36 women and 16 elderly people, adding that around 1,442 people were injured in the aerial, land and sea bombardment.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Chinese ambassador Chen Chuandong said Tuesday that the Jordanian people have through hard work over the generations achieved national independence and other key accomplishments during their century-old state.
In an article entitled “The beauty of spring after rain and wind … starting again towards a new centenary”, which was published by the Chinese embassy on Tuesday, the envoy stated that Jordan and China are cooperating and joining forces in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, which points to the value of the strategic partnership and deep-rooted relations between the two countries.
The Chinese people, he said, will never forget that since the outbreak of the pandemic, Jordanian friends, businessmen and students in China have offered valuable materials and moral support to Hubei province and the city of Wuhan.
The Chinese returned the favor by providing assistance to Jordanians for more than a year, including masks, testing kits, personal protective equipment, temperature screening devices, ventilators and other medical supplies that the Kingdom needed, he added.
On COVID-19 vaccine testing, Chen pointed to bilateral cooperation in the field of clinical trials of the Chinese vaccine, noting that Jordanians took part in the trials, and praising the efficiency and safety of the Chinese vaccine.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Thousands of people supporting Palestine marched in the Canadian city of Montreal to denounce the recent Israeli attacks against Palestinians.
The protesters drove through the streets, waved Palestinian flags chanting “stop the occupation,” “Palestinian Lives Matter” and “No to Ethnic Cleansing”.
After the march, as protesters gathered in front of the Israeli consulate, a window was smashed and tear gas was deployed by Montreal police.
“We are asking our government to put pressure on the state of Israel to end the expulsions immediately and to respect international law and human rights law,” the Canadian Palestinian Foundation of Quebec vice-president, Zahia Elmasri, told the CTV News.
Source: Jordan News Agency
Norway’s Ambassador to Jordan Tone Allers said on Sunday that Jordan has a crucial role as a provider of stability in the Middle East and that the Kingdom is a valued partner in efforts to solve and prevent conflicts, be it in Syria, Yemen or the Israel-Palestine conflict.
In an interview with the Jordan News Agency (Petra) on her country’s national day, the ambassador stressed that Jordan has been a crucial partner in supporting a two-state solution ever since.
As chair of the Ad hoc Liaison Committee supporting Palestinian State-building, and an important supporter of UNRWA, Norway works closely with Jordan, Allers indicated.
She added: “We also coordinate closely on Syria, where Jordanian perspectives are of great value. Our embassy in Amman is our biggest in the region, illustrating Jordan’s role as a regional hub, both in the political, military and humanitarian field.”
Following is the full text of the interview in a Q&A format:
1. How do you view Jordan’s foreign policy during the era of His Majesty King Abdullah II and its implications for the relations and partnership between Jordan and Norway?
During his reign, His Majesty King Abdullah has been playing an important role as a bridge builder in foreign policy, and a promoter of tolerance and cooperation on the international stage. Jordan, under His Majesty’s leadership, has set an example by receiving several waves of refugees, most notably after the invasion of Iraq and the Syrian crisis, and by stressing their right to safe and voluntary return.
For Norway, His Majesty King Abdullah II has been an central partner in the efforts towards the establishment of a two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His Majesty is also a partner in defending the multilateral system at a time where it has come under increasing pressure.
2. How do you view the importance of the visits at the leadership and high level of the two countries to enhance bilateral relations and international cooperation?
What makes Norwegian-Jordanian cooperation so strong is that it takes place on all levels: between the Royal families, on the political level, between institutions and people to people. During my four years in Jordan, our Foreign Minister, Prime Minister and Crown Prince have all visited Jordan. The definite highlight was the visit to Jordan by Their Majesties King Harald and Queen Sonja in March this year, their first official state visit to the region.
In addition to strengthening political cooperation and the signing of an agreement on political consultations, the visit included a business delegation of about 30 companies, focusing among other issues on health technology, energy and sustainable tourism. The visit was a joint effort with the Jordanian embassy in Oslo, which opened in 2017.
3. How do you see the historical relations between the two countries and the development they have witnessed?
Norway and Jordan last year celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations. These have developed over the years, and are now stronger than ever. One of the more recent pillars of cooperation is in the area of defense, where an MoU was signed in 2019 and is now being implemented. It is my hope that in the future, there will be even more trade and investments and more people-to-people cooperation, also in the form of tourism between both countries.
Source: Jordan News Agency
A number of Palestinian citizens were killed and dozens were wounded Sunday dawn, in violent shelling by Israeli warplanes on the western part of Gaza City.
Palestinian sources said that Israeli aircrafts violently bombed a number of houses in western Gaza, killing at least two civilians, and wounding dozens with various injuries.
Also today, a Palestinian was killed and others were injured as Israeli jets fired a number of missiles at a group of citizens in Al-Qurum area, east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian civil defense crews continue to recover the victims from under the rubble of five houses that were targeted by the Israeli aircrafts early today, which resulted in the death and injury of scores of Gazans.
The occupation warplanes also have destroyed the streets leading to the Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza, which impeded the arrival of ambulances transporting the injured to the hospital.
Source: Jordan News Agency
A Palestinian citizen from the West Bank city of Tulkarem was killed by Israeli occupation fire last night, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced early Sunday.
In a statement, the ministry added that Tulkarem Public Hospital also received 9 Palestinians injured with Israeli live bullets, one of them is in critical condition.
Source: Jordan News Agency
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, on Sunday, announced that it allowed hotel-affiliated and tourist restaurants to continue providing food delivery services until 3 a.m. and until further notice.
Addressing the Hotels Association and the Tourist Restaurants Association, the Ministry urged registration on stayhome.jo, a government platform, to re-issue mobility permits.
Source: Jordan News Agency