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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jordan king wants new intel chief to back reform

2011-10-19

AMMAN: Jordan’s King Abdallah on Tuesday issued directives to the newly-appointed head of the General Intelligence Department to support political reform and carry out “modernization” of the country’s top security apparatus. Isn't the security intel chief supposed to follow the government line without being explicitly told to do so? In a letter to Gen. Faisal Shoubaki, the monarch said the development process should find expression in showing “due systematic and institutional respect for the country’s laws, human rights and personal freedoms.” Abdallah on Monday appointed Shoubaki as new intelligence chief in what appeared as a shakeup of the state’s top posts that also involved picking International Court of Justice judge, Awn Khasawneh as new prime minister. “The regional and local circumstances through which you take up the responsibility of this pioneering security establishment require the adoption of a national culture of openness, transparency and accountability,” the king said, referring to the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt that inspired months of demonstrations in Jordan and other Arab countries. The monarch asked Khasawneh to open dialogue with all political parties and ensure the enactment of a new election law that leads to a lower house truly representative of the people. Meanwhile, Jordan’s main opposition political party, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), said Tuesday it was awaiting the program and composition of the new Cabinet to decide its stance on the change or any offers to join the new government. “The important thing is not who goes and who comes, but rather how the Cabinet is formed and what program it adopts,” the IAF Secretary-General Hamzeh Mansour told Arab News. For the past four years, Bakhit has been at loggerheads with the IAF and its mother group, the Muslim Brotherhood, which accused him of rigging the 2007 general elections to cripple the opposition’s presence at the House of Representatives. “We want a program with a timetable for bringing the country out of its present crisis and returning back powers to the people,” Mansour said. Asked about the possibility of his party joining the new Cabinet, the IAF chief replied: “The answer is neither yes nor no.” “Our stance will depend on the composition of the ministerial team and their action program.”

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jordanians call for ouster of PM Bakhit

2011-07-09

[Arab News] Jordanians demonstrated on Friday for the fifth week in a row in several cities calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit's government, the dissolution of the lower house of parliament and taking serious moves to punish corrupt officials, witnesses said. It's the system, not the man... Hundreds of protesters erupted into the streets after Friday prayers in the city of Tafileh, 180 km south of Amman, to press their demand for Bakhit's ouster. They issued a statement rejecting last week's reshuffle of Bakhit's cabinet as a fresh evidence of the government's "weak will" to carry out the needed political reforms and a move designed to "kill the public mobility." "The decision-makers have to stop their procrastination, piracy and the cover-up they provide for corrupts," the statement said. In the reshuffle, Bakhit appointed nine new ministers, including replacements for the ministers of the Interior, Justice and Health who resigned in connection with the fleeing of the convicted tycoon Khalid Shahin. Shahin, who was serving a three-year jail term when he decamped to London on Feb. 25, is now in Frankfurt under the pretext of seeking medical treatment that he says he could not find locally. Jordanian authorities said they were in contact with the German government seeking to ensure Shahin's extradition to Jordan. Scores of activists demonstrated for the first time in the city of Mafraq, 50 km east of Amman, urging King Abdallah to sack the cabinet and dissolve the House of Representatives. They also called for Bakhit's trial over his role in the so-called 2007 casino deal, when his government then allowed a London-based investor to build a casino on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. Samir Rifai, who succeeded Bakhit as premier, sought to annul the agreement in 2008, contending that it harmed Jordan's interests and involved taboos because Islamic teachings prohibit gambling. The lower house voted recently to clear Bakhit of wrongdoings, but implicated former Tourism Minister Osama Dabbas.

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Arabia

GCC will not tolerate threat to security of any member: King

2011-05-17

[Arab News] Presiding over a Cabinet meeting on Monday, King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah reiterated that Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) would stand united against those who threaten the security and stability of a member country. He thanked GCC leaders for their active participation in last week's consultative summit conference in Riyadh. He said the half-yearly summit discussed ways and means to strengthen the six-member bloc and reaffirmed its support to Arab and Islamic causes. The king briefed the ministers on the content of messages he received from King Muhammad of Morocco and Yemeni President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower... . He also spoke about telephone conversations he had with US President Barack B.O. Obama and Jordan's King Abdallah. Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said the Cabinet endorsed an agreement with Japan for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax evasion. It also reshuffled the Health Service Council, which is chaired by Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Extremists attack Jordan loyalists

2011-04-16

[Arab News] Hundreds of protesting religious hard-liners clashed with supporters of Jordan's king on Friday, wounding dozens, in the latest move by the thug movement to assert itself amid the country's wave of anti-government demonstrations. A crowd of about 350 hard boyz faced off with a slightly smaller group of loyalists in the town of Zarqa. The hard boyz beat the government supporters with clubs and fists, and the two sides hurled stones at each other, leaving people bloodied on the ground. The Salafi movement is banned in Jordan, but it has grown in strength in recent years and members of the group have held a series of rallies in various parts of the country in recent weeks. Their demonstrations are separate from the 14-week-old wave of anti-government protests by leftists and others demanding democratic reforms in the country. More than 2,000 Jordanians erupted into the streets throughout the country Friday to press their demands for a greater political voice. About half of them demonstrated outside Amman's municipal building after Friday prayers. They held a huge Jordanian flag and chanted, "We sacrifice our blood and soul for Jordan. Reform the system now." Police separated them from a small group of government loyalists who shouted threats: "Those who fight us, beware! Our rocks will smash your heads." The violence in Zarqa began when a crowd of hard boyz rallied in front of the town's Omar ibn Khattab Mosque. A crowd of government supporters gathered nearby to watch. One of the government loyalists waved a framed portrait of King Abdallah in the air and marched toward the crowd. The hard boyz started to push him back, then beat him and he fell to the ground, his face bloodied. Other hard boyz rushed to nearby cars, pulled out clubs and cables and attacked the rival group. Stone throwing and fistfights erupted, leaving many bloodied, until police intervened and convinced the government supporters to move farther away from the mosque. Zarqa, an industrial city north of the capital, Amman, is the birthplace of slain Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jordan Islamists to boycott dialogue with govt

2011-03-17

[Arab News] Jordan's main opposition group, the Moslem Brüderbund movement, said Tuesday that it had decided not to take part in the national dialogue proposed by the government, insisting that King Abdallah be the "reference" for any discussion relating to political reforms. The boycott decision was taken by a joint meeting of the executive bureaus of the Brotherhood and its political arm, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), a statement said. "The reference should be His Majesty the King and not the government" of Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit, the statement added. Bakhit on Monday named a 53-member National Dialogue Committee and tasked it with the adoption of political, economic and social reforms, foremost the drafting of an election law and a political parties law. The body included three prominent, but moderate, leaders of the Islamic movement--former Brotherhood leader Abdul Majeed Thuneibat, former IAF Secretary General Ishaq Farhan and current chairman of the IAF Consultative Council Abdullateef Arabiyyat. "The panel's reference and structure fail to live up to the minimum of our demands," the statement said. The Brotherhood and the IAF also demanded that the national dialogue's agenda includes items such as "constitutional reforms and the annulment of all amendments introduced into the 1952 constitution in such a manner that ensures circulation of power and the formation of governments with majorities at the parliament". The statement accused the government of adopting tactics to "silence the voices calling for reforms and stopping the popular mobility which is indicative of the people's awareness". The Brotherhood also accused the government of "mobilizing its employees and favorites, carrying them in public transport vehicles and encouraging them to threaten national symbols. " The statement referred to local media reports that the IAF Secretary General Hamzeh Mansour had received threats from "mobs" for obstructing reforms proposed by the government and for suggesting that the country be turned into a constitutional monarchy, which implies curtailing the king's powers. According to security sources, heavy security measures were taken over the past couple of days to protect Mansour and his family members. Leaders of the Islamic movement were also the target for verbal attacks by participants in massive rally on Saturday that sought to express allegiance for the king. Meanwhile, ...back at the fistfight... five small opposition parties have issued a joint statement criticizing the structure of the national dialogue body and calling for their leaders to be included in the committee.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

US backs Jordan's planned reforms in response to protesters

2011-03-04

[Arab News] A senior US official held separate meetings on Wednesday with Jordan's King Abdallah and Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit to relay Washington's support for the political and economic reforms recently pledged by the two leaders, according to a US embassy statement. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour Michael Posner "emphasised the strong, long-term American commitment to the well-being of Jordan and the US appreciation of Jordan's many decades of work toward regional peace and prosperity", the statement said. He also underscored the "US support for the king's call for sustained, serious and comprehensive program of political and economic reform as the key to realizing the enormous potential of Jordan and Jordanians", it added. King Abdallah recently asked his new government of Bakhit to carry out "real and speedy reforms" that would lead to the formation of cabinets by political parties or coalitions with majorities at the parliament. The monarch earlier fired the cabinet of former Prime Minister Samir Rifai in response to a series of demonstrations that drew inspiration from the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. On Friday, thousands of Jordanians demonstrated in Amman and other major cities demanding the dissolution of the newly elected lower house of parliament and going to early polls.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Two demonstrations in Jordan to press for political reforms

2011-02-18

[Arab News] Jordanians demonstrated in Amman and the northern city of Irbid on Wednesday calling for political reforms and the resignation of the new cabinet that was formed last week by Marouf Bakhit, eyewitnesses said. Dozens of activists took part in a demonstration in front of the royal court in Amman to press for the annulment of amendments that were introduced into the 1952 constitution, a landmark in Jordan's democratic march. "We are here to demand the restoration of the 1952 constitution which should represent the start of the reforms era," said Mohammad Sunaid, one of the leaders of the campaign. In Irbid, about 80 kilometers north of Amman, hundreds of Jordanian activists, unionists and members of opposition parties marched calling for the resignation of the government, the dissolution of the lower house of parliament that was elected on November 9, 2010 and the trial of corrupts. Two weeks ago, King Abdallah sacked the former cabinet of Prime Minister Samir Rifai under the pressure of a series of protests that swept the country and found inspiration from the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. Rifai was replaced by Bakhit, to whom the monarch assigned the duty of conducting speedy "real political and economic reforms."

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jordan blames Israel's obstinacy for escalating Arab anger

2011-02-13

[Arab News] US Assistant Secretary of State William Burns held talks on Saturday with Jordanian leaders, who warned that Israel's obstinacy in Middle East peace talks would only aggravate the "anger" of the region's peoples. Burns met with King Abdallah, Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh to discuss ways to surmount the deadlock in the Middle East grinding of the peace processor and latest developments in the region, a reference to the Egyptian uprising that toppled pro-West geriatric President Hosni Mubarak. "Israel should give up the fortress mentality and stop all unilateral actions particularly the building of settlements," Bakhit told Burns, according to a statement from the prime minister's office. "Israel should look forward to the future and realize that justice and dignity of peoples are an indispensable issue and that the continued deadlock in the grinding of the peace processor will only enhance the anger of peoples in the region as a result of their feeling of an imbalance in the criteria of justice," said Bakhit, a former ambassador in Israel. Bakhit formed his cabinet earlier this week after King Abdallah sacked the government of Prime Minister Samir Rifai under the pressure of a series of protests that swept the country over the past weeks and found inspiration from the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. He told the American envoy that his government "realized the regional changes and was taking measures to speed up the political and economic reforms" and take serious steps to fight corruption. King Abdallah also held a separate meeting on Saturday with the Russian Middle East envoy Alexander Sultanov.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jordan's major Bedouin tribes call for sweeping reforms

2011-02-09

[Arab News] Members of Jordan's major Bedouin tribes, normally a bedrock of support for King Abdallah, added their weight Monday to opposition calls for sweeping reforms to open the country's politics and reverse spreading poverty. Failure to do so, they warned, could awaken a revolt on the scale of those roiling Tunisia and Egypt. It was a rare rebuke by Jordan's rustics, traditional allies of the king and his ruling Hashemite family, signaling that the discontent in Jordan stretches beyond the Islamists and other political opposition movements. In a letter to Abdallah, 36 rustics called for the king to dismiss the Parliament elected in November and name a new government to oversee a more transparent election. They also want changes to an electoral law that critics say allows the king's loyalists to dominate the legislature, the only body in the national government that is elected. And they called for the king to give up his power to choose the Cabinet. Even before the unrest sweeping Tunisia and Egypt, Jordanians were demanding a greater say in politics and employment opportunities. But protests -- most organized by opposition groups, including the Mohammedan Brotherhood -- broke out during the recent unrest around the region. But the protesters have not called for Abdallah, who marks 12 years since his ascension on Monday, to give up power, suggesting their movement does not pose as dire a challenge to Jordan's ruler. Like the opposition, the rustics also complained of corruption and said those who stole public funds should be held accountable, have their assets frozen and be prohibited from traveling. That discontent has spread to Abdallah's support base is notable. The rustics, or native East Bank Jordanians, hold top positions in the army and security apparatus. The letter warned that Jordan "will sooner or later face the flood of Tunisia and Egypt due to the suppression of freedoms and looting of public funds." "We're sounding the alarm because we care for the king and we want the Hashemites to continue to rule us and Jordan," one of the signatories, Ahmed Oweidi Abbadi, said. "We're reflecting the views of young Jordanians, whether urban Bedouins or those still living in tents, that the situation has become unbearable, that corruption, nepotism and bureaucracy are widespread and that the rich are becoming richer, while the poor -- like many Bedouins -- are becoming poorer." Royal palace officials declined to comment and refused to say if the letter reached the king. None of the 36 signatories hold any political weight, but their tribal affiliations "make their voices heard," said Labib Kamhawi, a former political science professor at the University of Jordan. "More and more Jordanians of different political leanings and backgrounds are expected to come out to voice their criticism of the system," he said. "People generally want to keep the king in power, but they're demanding that reforms be enacted immediately."

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jordans opposition says new PM must step down

2011-02-04

[Arab News] Jordan's powerful Islamist opposition on Wednesday urged the country's newly appointed prime minister to step down, calling him the wrong person to introduce democratic reforms and tackle deepening poverty and unemployment. Also, Jordan's King Abdallah made a surprise visit to an impoverished northern village. It was his first such trip since the unrest broke out in neighboring Egypt, and appeared to be an attempt to defuse popular anger over the country's troubles and portray himself as a caring leader. On Tuesday, Abdallah named Maruf Bakhit prime minister, bowing to public pressure from protests inspired by those in Egypt against geriatric President Hosni Mubarak. Hamza Mansour, a leader of the opposition Mohammedan Brotherhood's political wing, rejected Bakhit's nomination, saying he "is not the right person for the job." "Bakhit is a security man, a former army general and ex-intelligence official. He doesn't believe in democracy," Mansour told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named. Instead, he said the country needs "a national figure who can tackle Jordan's serious economic and political crisis." Jordan is grappling with a soaring foreign debt estimated at $15 billion, an inflation rate which has swelled by 1.5 percent to 6.1 percent in December and high unemployment and poverty rates -- set at 12 and 25 percent respectively. Mansour also criticized Bakhit for signing off on Jordan's first casino, which the Brotherhood strongly opposed on the grounds that it violated Islamic principles and encouraged vice. The project was later canceled. On Tuesday, Abdallah, facing public pressure inspired by the revolt in Tunisia and Egypt, sacked his government and named Bakhit as prime minister, ordering him to move quickly to boost economic opportunities and give Jordanians a greater say in politics. Bakhit, 63, is a former ambassador to Israel who supports strong ties with the US and Jordan's peace treaty with Israel -- policies which the Brotherhood and the leftists oppose. The Brotherhood advocates the introduction of Shariah law, close relations with Mohammedan nations and Israel's destruction. Many Jordanians see Bakhit as a tough enforcer of security, which goes against their calls for greater democratic freedoms. Bakhit is an ex-army major general who also served as the chief of Jordan's National Security Agency in the last decade. He is credited with maintaining Jordan's stability following the 2005 triple attacks on hotels in Amman, claimed by Al-Qaeda in Iraq.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Jordan protesters call for reforms

2011-01-30

[Arab News] Islamists, leftists and trade unionists gathered in central Amman on Friday for the latest protest to demand political change and wider freedoms. A crowd of at least 3,000 chanted: "We want change." Banners and chants showed a wider range of grievances than the high food prices that fueled earlier protests, and included demands for free elections, the dismissal of Prime Minister Samir Rifai's government and a representative parliament. The protest after Friday prayers was organized by the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Mohammedan Brotherhood which is the only effective opposition and biggest party, but included members of leftist parties and trade unions. Jordan's protests, as in several Arab countries, have been inspired by the uprising that overthrew the Tunisian president. "After Tunisia, Arab nations have found their way toward the path of political freedom and dignity," said Zaki Bani Rusheid, a leading politician. Demonstrations have taken place across Jordan calling for reversal of free-market reforms which many blame for a widening gap between rich and poor. Jordan is struggling with its worst economic downturn in decades. The government has announced measures to reduce the prices of essentials, create jobs and raise salaries of civil servants. Protesters say the moves do not go far enough. King Abdallah told politicians on Thursday the government must do more to ease the plight of Jordanians and urged a faster tempo of political reforms. "Openness, frankness and discourse over all issues is the way to strengthen trust between people and government entities," the monarch was quoted as saying in a statement. "Everything should be put in front of people. There is nothing to be afraid of," said the 49-year-old monarch, who has faced stiff resistance from a conservative establishment to reforms they fear will empower the Islamists. He urged the 120-member assembly to amend an electoral law criticized as designed to underrepresent cities in favor of sparsely-populated tribal areas to ensure a pliant assembly. Under the constitution, most powers rest with the king, who appoints the government, approves legislation and can dissolve Parliament.

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Africa North

Saudi King Offering Mubarak Unspecified Support To Put Down Rabble

2011-01-29

Saudi Arabian King Abdallah Ibn Abdulaziz al Saud says demonstrators in Egypt want to destabilize the country by "inciting a malicious sedition." He made the comments in a call to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Saturday to offer his support, the state-run Saudi News Agency reported. "Egypt is a country of Arabism and Islam," the king said. "No Arab and Muslim human being can bear that some infiltrators, in the name of freedom of expression, have infiltrated into the brotherly people of Egypt, to destabilize its security and stability and they have been exploited to spew out their hatred in destruction, intimidation, burning, looting and inciting a malicious sedition." Mubarak told the Saudi king "that the situation is stable." Uh-oh... Mubarak said Egypt would "deter anyone who tries to exploit the freedom of Egyptian people and will not allow anyone to lure those groups or use them to achieve suspicious and strange agendas."

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