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AMMAN — The abundance of water in Wadi Al Zarqa enabled the region around archaeological site of eh-Sayyeh to establish a “very attractive” settlement area, according to a German scholar.

Eh-Sayyeh is located about eight kilometres northwest of Zarqa, at the mouth of the Wadi Al Dulayl in Wadi Al Zarqa and was discovered in 1993 during a regional archaeological surface survey, and excavated in 1996 and 1999, archaeologist Karin Bartl told The Jordan Times in a recent e-mail interview. 

Two radiocarbon analyses date the eh-Sayyeh site to the 8th/ 7th millennium BC, she added, hightlighting Jordanian professor Zeidan Kafafi’s remark that “eh-Sayyeh is part of the Neolithic settlement of the Wadi Al Zarqa region, which is one of the most important areas for early settlement in northern Jordan”. 

Due to its research potential, work in eh-Sayyeh resumed in the years 2013 to 2015. The new excavations were carried out through the cooperation of the German Archaeological Institute and Yarmouk University, led by Bartl and Kafafi, the German scholar said.

Training courses in modern excavation and documentation methods for students of archaeology at various universities, including Yarmouk University and the Hashemite University were an important part of the project, she added.

The aim of the new excavations was to record the settlement structure in different areas of the site and the exact dating of the individual areas, the scholar explained, adding that during the Neolithic period it is “questionable” whether the site’s total area of 10 hectares was always fully populated.

It is more likely — and the radiocarbon data shows this quite well — that at different times, different areas were populated. Nevertheless, it is probable that several hundred people lived in the area during all phases of the Neolithic period, she said. 

Bartl noted that the subsistence of the inhabitants of eh-Sayyeh was mainly based on agriculture. 

“Sheep, goats and cattle were the preferred animals,” the scholar said.

Furthermore, wild animals such as gazelles were hunted and shells were collected from Wadi Al Zarqa, as the preliminary analysis of animal remains shows, while the analysis of plant remains shows that mainly wheat, lentils and beans were grown. 

After the Neolithic period, according to both scholars, eh-Sayyeh was “used occasionally”, as surface shards from all periods between the Bronze Age and Islamic Era show, indicating “smaller accumulations of houses during those periods”.

AMMAN — The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and the German Development Bank (KfW) on Sunday signed a grant agreement worth 20 million euros to finance the first phase of a programme designated to promote technical and vocational education and training in Jordan.

The agreement, signed by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Wissam Rabadi, KfW Amman Office Director Christian Schaub and Al Hussein Technical University (HTU) President Labib Khadra in the presence of Crown Prince Foundation CEO Tamam Mango and German Ambassador to Amman Birgitta Siefker-Eberle, includes funding to build, equip and furnish a college for technical training at the Amman-based HTU.

Additionally, two of the Vocational Training Corporation's vocational centres in the northern governorate of Irbid will be managed by HTU to improve the corporation's programmes through the comprehensive rehabilitation of the centres' infrastructure and the provision of needed equipment.

The project, to be executed and managed by the HTU, aims at developing high-quality, professionally accredited vocational education and training programmes aligned with the needs of the labour market, according to a ministry statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

After ensuring the success of the first phase, the programme will cover more vocational training institutes across the Kingdom, the statement added.

Rabadi voiced the Kingdom's appreciation to Germany for its continuous support to Jordan's vital sectors, including the water, sanitation and education sectors.

Lauding the additional support to crucial sectors in the Kingdom, Rabadi said that Germany is one of Jordan's "most important partners" in the development and reform process. 

For her part, Siefker-Eberle stressed the "deep-rooted" relations between the two countries, expressing her country's readiness to continue supporting Jordan, mainly in priority sectors. 

AMMAN — Traders and exporters of vegetables and fruits have threatened to halt all exports and imports until the Ministry of Agriculture “revises its mechanisms for sampling produce”.

President of the Jordanian Farmers Union Mahmoud Oran told The Jordan Times that the mechanisms deployed by the ministry to examine the samples “negatively affect export operations and causes losses to the sector”.

He said that the ministry’s choice of samples, refrigeration requirements and waiting period for laboratory tests are “inefficient mechanisms whose failure comes at the expense of the merchant”.

In the case of exporters, the sector’s complaint, as articulated by union member Mahmoud Naser, is that “despite the produce coming from ministry-monitored local markets, exporters pay for expensive produce laboratory tests only to further bear the expenses of dumping bad produce”.

 “How is it our responsibility that the produce is bad? If the ministry has failed to develop an effective examination that ensures the produce in local markets is up to standards in the first place, why are we the ones being harmed?” he said.

President of the Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association Saadi Hammad said: “The fact that the ministry resorts to this method with exporters and importers is the greatest evidence of their inability to monitor the spraying of pesticides in cultivated land throughout the agriculture directorates.”

“Thus, their choice is to crack down on the weakest link of the chain: The exporter who has already paid for a bad shipment, a laboratory test and dumping costs,” he added.

He pointed out that, in the case of importers, samples are being taken for examination from the refrigerator door, which is the “weakest” location. The shipment “should be examined in full” before it is written off as inconsumable, he said. 

In response to these claims, Minister of Agriculture Ibrahim Shahahdeh said in a statement that the ministry “will not tolerate the violation of citizens' rights to health and food security” and that “all measures taken in the process of sampling are in line with international standards for agricultural product import and export to domestic and foreign markets”.

The statement also said that the ministry has designated agricultural fields that are licensed and monitored, and operate according to the requirements of the destination country.

The minister concluded: “We have granted about 15 companies a ‘Golden Merchant’ card, which allows them to immediately import and export their shipments after just one sample, because they have shown commitment to the instructions and conditions of international import and export standards.''

AMMAN — The Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET) was recently awarded a three-year grant to encourage the adoption of quality family planning services among vulnerable host communities and Syrian refugees living in Lebanon and Jordan.

According to an EMPHNET statement, the award was granted by the International Development Research Centre-Canada. 

The project aims to develop and evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of an intervention aimed to encourage the use of contraceptives through couples’ counseling and the use of digital technologies. By promoting evidence-based family planning practices and birth control, the project “hopes to contribute to the improvement of fragile health systems”, already burdened by a major influx of refugees, the statement said.

Family planning is considered an “important expression” of the basic human rights to freely choose to become a parent and to determine the number or spacing of children. Advocated by the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Population Fund, family planning is achieved by using appropriate and culturally accepted contraceptive methods, according to the statement. 

The statement highlighted that family planning is associated with several health and societal benefits, adding that, in spite of these benefits, 214 million women of reproductive age in developing countries, who want to avoid or delay pregnancy do not use contraceptive methods. Humanitarian crises and protracted conflict situations limit the access to adequate family planning and reproductive health services. 

In countries such as Jordan and Lebanon, where healthcare systems have had to sustain the influx of large numbers of Syrian refugees, “accessing family planning and health services is difficult”, the statement said. 

“The unmet need for family planning is a major barrier to the development and empowerment of vulnerable segments of the local population [citizens below the poverty line and Syrian refugees]. There is a need to empower these populations and involve them in the development of culturally sensitive interventions, considering the different gender sensitivities in the family planning decision-making process,” the statement said. 

It also stressed the need to develop “novel and low-cost solutions” to promote the utilisation of family planning services “at no extra costs for clients and the healthcare system”. 

The project is based on partnership and interdisciplinary collaboration between three institutions, based in Lebanon (American University of Beirut) and Jordan (Jordan University of Science and Technology and EMPHNET), according to the statement.

EMPHNET will manage the project and play a “central role” in coordinating the work of the research teams between the three entities. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah participated in a conversation in New York on Thursday evening, held by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy with its executive director, Robert Satloff. 

The conversation, held as part of the 2019 Scholar-Statesman Award dinner held in honour of King Abdullah, covered regional developments, the threat of terrorism and efforts to achieve peace in the region, according to a Royal Court statement.

Responding to a question on lessons learned on leadership over the past 20 years, His Majesty said: “With all the challenges that we have in our part of the world, you always have to look to the positive, you always have to reach out and do the right thing.” 

“As challenging and as confusing as our part of the world looks, I am optimistic; we will move to the future, and I get that inspiration, not only from my family, but from young men and women in Jordan that have that aspiration to make life better,” the King continued. 

“Youth want to move forward, live together and make a better world for themselves, and that’s what gives us, I think, the energy to continue,” His Majesty said. 

Commenting on extremism, the King noted that the challenge is global, adding that Daesh has been defeated in Syria and Iraq but not destroyed, according to the statement.  

His Majesty pointed to renewed threats from the group, warning that “until politicians understand who the enemy is, it’s two steps forward and one step back”. 

The King said the challenge comes from the outlaws of Islam, including takfiri jihadist groups like Daesh that utilise the Internet and social media to create a global reach and recruit around the world. 

“So unless we call the enemy and those who support them for what they are, it’s going to take a long time for us to be able to deal with this,” His Majesty added. 

Commenting on protests in the Middle East and similar past movements, the King said the Arab Spring was led by youth who were frustrated and wanted opportunities, the statement said. 

“We look back at that point in history, and it is obviously a very defining road for us in Islamic and Arabic history, and I think we’ll look back on it and say that was a crossroad that we needed to cross,” His Majesty noted. 

Responding to a question on how monarchies have handled protests, the King said: “Monarchies in the way I was brought up by His late Majesty and he was brought up by his father and his father, is we are there for all of society.” 

“We are the balancer for everybody in society… We are the ones that make sure that everybody is protected and everybody is supported, and I think that is what has helped the monarchies be stable during a very difficult time for our region,” His Majesty continued. 

Discussing efforts to rekindle peace efforts in the region, the King stressed the important role of the United States in bringing both sides together, according to the statement.  

“I think there’s quite a few of us in this room that believe that the only way to move forward is a two-state solution, because the alternative is worse for all of us — an Israel looking inwards, which none of us can afford. We then have an immediate challenge of equal rights, which, again, is something that we can’t deal with,” His Majesty stressed. 

On the current prospects of the two-state solution, the King said,  “Every time we lose a year, it is going to be much more complicated, and much more difficult for the Palestinians and Israelis to get to go forward together”. 

Noting that Israel’s future is being part of the Middle East, His Majesty said that cannot happen “unless we solve the Palestinian problem”, which is a sensitive and emotional issue. 

“Unless we can solve the Israeli-Palestinian issue, we’ll never have the full integration that all of us deserve in our part of the world,” the King said. 

Pointing to the recent elections held in Israel and the current stalemate, His Majesty said, “we are all in pause mode, and we have not been able to get people back around the table talking to each other”. 

“The Jordanian-Israeli relationship is at an all-time low. Part of it is because of Israeli domestic issues. We are hoping that Israel would decide its future, whether it is in the next several weeks or in the next three months, and then it is very important for all of us, and I am saying, our friends here in the United States, to refocus our energies on bringing all of us back to the table, and looking at the glass half-full,” His Majesty added. 

“The problems that we’ve had with Israel are bilateral. Part of it is internal politics; I understand that, but not at the expense of something that my father and the late prime minister Rabin fought so hard to achieve, as a symbol of hope and opportunity for Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians and others,” the King continued. 

His Majesty pointed out that the Jordanian-Israeli peace was the result of the two sides sitting together “because they had the confidence in each other to create this peace”, voicing hope that the two sides can go back to talking to each other on simple issues “that we have not been able to talk about for the past two years”. 

Reacting to calls by US officials to come back from the Middle East, the King expressed understanding for the desire to bring back young men and women out from harm’s way. 

“I am absolutely sympathetic with the desire for people to bring their troops back… The United States is in a unique position of being the most powerful, capable country in the world, and with that comes a moral responsibility to help stabilise the world,” His Majesty said. 

“From an ex-military point of view, and this is my personal opinion, sometimes when you move out of a campaign before it is over, you are only going to be back tomorrow to try to fix it again, having lost all that ground,” the King underscored. 

“Nobody can fault Americans for wanting their loved ones back. But they will be back, unless we solve it, and that is the problem,” His Majesty added. 

The King concluded by reiterating the need to empower young people. 

“Just know that there is a younger generation of people in our part of the world that just want to get on with their lives,” His Majesty said. 

Be they Jordanian, Palestinian, Yemeni, Israeli or Iranian, they want to be able to find jobs, settle down with families, and move on, the King explained. 

“Believe in your people, because they do want to have the right thing but give them the opportunity. And I am not just talking about our part of the world in the Middle East. This is all over the place. So, give the young people your love and your consideration, because they will make the world better if we give them a chance,” His Majesty concluded. 

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a May Criminal Court ruling sentencing a man to five years in prison after convicting him of molesting a teenage girl in Amman in May 2018.

The court declared the defendant guilty of molesting the 17-year-old girl in a forest area in Amman on May 21 and handed him the maximum sentence.

Court papers said the victim was at her home smoking when her father entered the room and started cursing at her.

“The victim called the defendant to inform him of the incident and he asked her to leave the house and meet him in a nearby area,” according to the court transcripts.

The defendant found the minor and took her to a forest area, the court documents stated.

“The defendant then undressed the woman by force and molested her while she screamed,” court papers added. 

The defendant was unable to continue the sexual assault because the victim fought and resisted his attempts, according to court documents.

The defendant did not appeal the verdict, while the Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the sentence.

The higher court ruled that the Criminal Court proceedings were accurate and that the defendant was given the appropriate punishment.

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zu’bi, Bassem Mubeidin, Yassin Abdullat and Majid Azab.

AMMAN — Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh has met his Japanese counterpart and the president of Japan’s House of Councilors over means of advancing parliamentary cooperation and enhancing commercial partnership.

Tarawneh visited Tokyo after an official invitation from Japanese House of Representatives Speaker Tadamori Oshima, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Tarawneh and his accompanying delegation, during their visit, also met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who expressed his country's commitment to the pledges Japan announced at the UK-hosted London Initiative, including the completion of the second batch of a development policy loan of $100 million.

During his meeting with his House Speaker Oshima, Tarawneh voiced appreciation for the Japanese aid extended to Jordan, as well as Tokyo's supportive stance on the two-state solution.  

Meanwhile, talks with Santo went over the Kingdom's efforts in combatting terrorism, as well as the economic burdens that have resulted from refugee influxes.

Stressing that Jordan is a "crucial" strategic partner, Oshima and Santo, expressed appreciation for His Majesty King Abdullah's role in seeking regional security and stability and his contributions to combating extremism within a comprehensive approach.

The Jordanian delegation, headed by Tarawneh, also held meetings with Head of the Jordanian-Japanese Parliamentary Friendship Committee Kazunari Tanaka and Chairman of the Jordanian-Japanese Friendship Society Mikio Sasaki. They met with Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) Chairman and CEO Nobuhiko Sasaki and Japanese Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy Naokazu Takemoto as well.

 During the meetings, the Jordanian delegation drew attention to the importance of increasing the Japanese ventures in the Kingdom, with talks outlining investment opportunities and the Kingdom's encouraging environment for the Japanese private sector.

On the sidelines of the meetings, the Jordanian delegation, including MPs Mazen Qadi, head of the Lower House’s Modernity and Development Bloc, Hussein Qaisi, head of the Lower House's Energy Committee and Khair Abu Saileik, head of the Lower House’s Economy and Investment Committee, laid wreaths at the cenotaph at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.  

At the end of the visit, Tarawneh and his Japanese counterpart stressed the importance of preparing “legislative groundwork conducive to boosting cooperation” and achieving goals in the field of investment.  

AMMAN — Over 500 media experts and specialists gathered in Amman over the weekend to tackle the challenges posed by the "wrong" use of social media to spread radicalised ideologies and fabricated news.

Some 580 media experts took part in the forum of the 12th annual Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), which was held under the theme "Media in a Radicalised World" and constituted the “largest ever” regional gathering of Arab investigative journalists, according to organisers.

"This year's meeting comes during a global challenge of enormous importance amidst an explosion of digital tools and wide-spread internet trolling," said ARIJ Co-Founder and Executive Director Rana Sabbagh.

The ARIJ network, Sabbagh added, has played a "pivotal role" in the region by supporting free journalism and paving the way for Arab journalists to conduct credible and bold investigative reports "that have forced their governments to adopt transparent and corruption-free measures and policies".

She stressed, however, that some governments still manage to restrict reporters' freedom through threats and imprisonment by "fabricating” offences. 

Sabbagh charged that "some influential, elite and rich individuals attempted to buy the conscience of independent journalists, who are also being subjected to threats by fighting militias… in other words, our societies have become large, open prisons".

That is why, Sabbagh added, "we are proud to announce today that ARIJ has supervised over 600 investigative reports in 16 countries that helped change policies and laws of some countries, which eventually changed the lives of many people".

She also thanked the government of Jordan for providing all needed permissions for convening the Forum.

Sabbagh, who established the network in 2005, then announced that she is stepping down from her post to move to Sarajevo to assume a new position.

"ARIJ will always be in my heart, my home and my mission in life, but it is time to give a chance to someone else to continue the path that I started," Sabbagh told the gathering. 

Chairwoman of ARIJ’s Board of Directors Yasmine Dabous announced that the board has chosen journalist Rawan Damen to take over as ARIJ's executive director.

"I look forward to assuming this new post by introducing new and serious ideas that will include anyone who is interested in providing hard and true work for investigative reporting in the Arab world," Damen told the gathering.

The forum was held “amidst difficult times for journalists worldwide”, and particularly for Arab media practitioners operating in the globe’s "riskiest area for press freedom and independent media", according to a press statment released by ARIJ.

It allowed journalists to share experiences, learn from expert speakers and trainers and network and find new partners for their next investigations into issues of concern to the public for the benefit of accountability, according to the press release.

Delegates benefitted from more than 40 training sessions and workshops on data journalism, open source investigations, audio storytelling, fact checking, physical and digital safety, online investigative tools, mobile journalism and bullet proofing investigations from a legal perspective. 

Other sessions featured the use of Google tools for research and news verification, combining high-tech and traditional reporting and mastering investigative interview techniqnes, the press release said.

Several Arab reporters shared the difficulties and challenges they are facing as a result of social media and from certain groups and government measures that are "controlling their work".

 Meanwhile, veteran journalist Riad Kobaissi, who heads the investigative reports unit at Al Jadeed TV and also worked with ARIJ on a number of investigative reports in 2012, spoke about a difficult experience that affected him and his family.

"My Facebook page was hacked, some people spread my Whatsapp photo, which included my children, with my number and I started receiving thousands of unwanted and threatening messages that I had to block on a regular basis," Kobaissi said.

"My colleagues are also facing systematic digital defamation and misleading campaigns in an effort to thwart their efforts in raising public awareness," the journalist added.

Social Media Specialist Amine Abou Yehya said that "the digital media forums came as a saviour for extremist groups, who use it to instigate hate speech".

Abou Yehya added that there are also many digital forums that target youth and school children by introducing violent ideologies, with many of these young people expressing their admiration for what they see online. 

"We surely need to introduce media education to high schools, to alert the new generations of the dangers of social media," Abou Yehya warned.

Conversely, Director of Media Partnerships for Facebook and Instagram in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey Fares Akkad focused on the importance of "his social media outlets in dealing closely with media establishments and journalists who are working in the field in order to develop mechanisms that help them avoid mistakes and secure their personal safety and security". 

Rasha Qandeel, a presenter at the BBC, stressed that "citizens' journalism has overcome hurdles by exposing the truth of the authorities' media machines that used to control traditional media".

That is why, Qandeel added, "wherever you find your battle, take it instead of running away from it".

AMMAN — Minister of Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh on Saturday opened the foreign news editing room of the Jordan News Agency, Petra.  The Arab Potash Company prepared the room by rehabilitating the space and providing office furniture and the necessary equipment, according to Petra.

Adaileh expressed appreciation to the Arab Potash Company for the support it provided to Petra, noting that it reflects the “integrated partnership” between the public and private sectors.

For his part, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Potash Company Jamal Sarayrah expressed his pride in cooperating with the Jordan News Agency as an established national institution, commending the role it plays in conveying a bright image of Jordan.

The agency’s General Manager Fayiq Hijazeen expressed thanks for cooperation with the Arab Potash Company, highlighting that the company’s support will contribute to the economic development of the country. 

AMMAN — The Social Development Ministry has provided some 5,000 houses for underprivileged families since the start of its programme, launched by a Royal initiative in 2003, Director of Buildings and Housing at the ministry Ali Abdulhafeth said on Wednesday.

In a ministry statement sent to The Jordan Times, Abdulhafeth said that the ministry builds, buys and renovates 120 to 300 residences for underprivileged families annually, depending on the programme's available resources.

He noted that the ministry periodically checks on the conditions of the beneficiary families, and that after a recent survey, some 300 residences were retrieved from families who no longer met the programme's conditions and were redistributed to families in greater need of them.