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AMMAN — Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Musa Maaytah on Wednesday said that a finalised draft of the political party funding by-law will be sent to political parties before being finalisation within the constitutional frameworks.

Maaytah and the coalition of reformist parties met at the ministry and have agreed on the need to continue the discussion on relevant legislations, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

“The message that the government wants to convey to citizens is that political parties are key to parliamentary participation,” Maaytah stated.

“When a citizen feels that a certain party fulfils their ambitions then they would join it, because the foundation of political activism is party activism,” he noted.

Maaytah called on citizens to use social media and online sources to familiarise themselves with various political parties, reported Petra.

“The purpose of funding political parties is to enhance and strengthen them, whereby systematic political party activism becomes the base of involvement in politics and elections,” stated Salah Qudah, coordinator of the coalition for reformist parties and secretary general of the Jordanian Future Party.

Qudah pointed to the negative implications of the increasing number of parties, stressing the importance of working on the formation of national coalitions, as instructed by His Majesty King Abdullah.

Qudah underlined that the parties in question are in agreement with the government about the need to monitor the funding process too.

This is the last meeting allocated for the discussion of amendments to the by-law in question, according to Petra.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday received a phone call from New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, a Royal Court statement said.

During the call, His Majesty and the premier voiced keenness to further maintain consultation and coordination aimed at countering terrorism, extremism and hate speech, in addition to promoting coexistence and harmony among various faiths.

Ardern applauded His Majesty’s tremendous efforts to promote harmony, interfaith dialogue and peace in the Middle East and the world.

The King praised Ardern’s leadership in dealing with the repercussions of the terrorist attack against the two mosques at Christchurch last March, commending the distinguished humanitarian example displayed by New Zealanders in solidarity, shunning extremism and hatred and entrenching the values of tolerance and peace.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Feisal, president of the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC), on Wednesday received Prince Abdul Aziz Ben Turki Al Faisal, head of the General Sports Authority and the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee.

The Saudi prince was accompanied by Prince Fahad Bin Jalawi, director of international relations at the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee.

Prince Feisal also sponsored the Generations for Peace’s 12th anniversary celebration on Wednesday.

Prince Feisal welcomed the Saudi prince and his accompanying delegation, affirming his pride in the work and effort being made by Saudi Arabia in developing sports in the Arab world through its adoption of various programmes.

Prince Feisal and the Saudi delegation discussed increasing sports cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom, in addition to exchanging expertise and the possibility of carrying out joint projects in service of the two country’s common goal, which is to reach the highest levels of achievement in sports, the Jordan News Agency, Petra reported.

Prince Abdul Aziz stressed the necessity of uniting the two kingdoms’ efforts in order to make sports an indispensible part of their vision, and to allow youth from both countries to reach their goals.

Earlier in the day, during the Generations for Peace’s celebration, Prince Feisal reiterated the need to connect with the media due to the importance of its role in delivering the message of peace to youth.

“Representatives from government institutions and funding organisations play a crucial role in our progress,” Prince Feisal stated at the ceremony. “We are here to share in the achievements that we have made through cooperation, which have contributed to our ranking as 29th of the best 500 international organisations.”

Generations for Peace, which Prince Feisal founded, has managed to train and guide over 11,500 volunteers across 50 countries in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe over the past 12 years, according to Petra.

AMMAN — The US Mideast peace plan, known as the “deal of the century”, does not include a confederation between Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Jason D. Greenblatt, assistant to US President Donald Trump and special representative for international negotiations, said Wednesday.

“Rumours that our peace vision includes a confederation between Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, or that the vision contemplates making Jordan the homeland for Palestinians, are incorrect,” Greenblatt, who is part of the US team in charge of drafting the proposal to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, said in a Tweet on his official Twitter account on Wednesday.

Greenblatt, who is also Trump's Middle East envoy, warned against spreading rumours in this regard, stressing that the Kingdom and the US are strong allies.

Jordan has repeatedly stressed its rejection of any deal that seeks to alter the status quo in Jerusalem or seeks to terminate the Palestinian refugees’ right to return to their occupied homeland and compensation in accordance with UN Resolution 194, which called upon Israel to allow Palestinian refugees who were “prepared to live at peace with their neighbours”, to return to their homes.

Under the resolution, Israel was obliged to compensate returning Palestinians for damage to their property and for the property of those who choose not to return.

No information has been announced on the deal, but according to several media reports it is expected to be announced after the holy month of Ramadan, which is due to start the first week of May.

In a meeting at the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army General Command in March, His Majesty King Abdullah stressed that “the future of Jerusalem and Palestine is a red line for Jordan”.

The King said the position of Jordan and all Jordanians is unwavering on Jerusalem and on any attempts to create an alternative homeland for the Palestinians in Jordan. 

His Majesty criticised those questioning Jordan’s “unequivocal position”, underscoring that “this is the position of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and all Jordanians”.

Also at a meeting with Zarqa notables in March, King Abdullah reiterated: “To anyone who speaks about an alternative homeland, the answer is no”.

Jordan does not have any information about the deal of the century and it was not briefed about it at all, a top government official said in a recent media gathering, stressing that Jordan’s position is clear and unwavering with regard to the Palestinian issue.

“Jordan supports the two-state solution that leads to establishing an independent Palestinian state based on the Arab Peace Initiative and the international resolutions and the Kingdom will continue to commit to this solution,” the Jordanian official said.

“Jordan will not accept any deal that affects the country’s interest, and in spite of our different views the Jordanian-US ties are strategic and distinguished,” the official added.

At a seminar organised by the reform and social guidance society in Zarqa on Tuesday, Minister of State for Media Affairs Jumana Ghunaimat also stressed that the government rejects any offer, settlement or deal that is not in line with Jordan’s constant positions.

She added that Jordan was under “tremendous” pressure because of its position on the Palestinian cause.

AMMAN — Abdul Rahman Nouri told The Jordan Times he could not believe what he had seen during a recent hike near King Talal Dam.

“If I saw these images on social media I would say they were taken in another country. Many social media users who saw my pictures were always asking whether these locations are in Jordan or not, and said they wanted to visit Jordan,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone.

Nouri is among many Jordanians who say they have been exposed to new locations in the Kingdom due to so-called adventure tourism. Both seasoned hikers and amateurs told The Jordan Times that interest in these trips has been on the rise recently.

Ramzy Tabalat, director of the Jordan Trail, said mainstream hiking trips have generally been designed for families, but social media has contributed to expanding adventure tourism in the Kingdom.

“People are used to the classical tourism that entails turning to a tourism office and going around known tourist attractions by car. Recently, adventure tourism has been among the growing trends in tourism in Jordan. Younger generations like this kind of tourism,” he told The Jordan Times.

Fouad Kalbounah, a founder of Walking Jordan and member of another hiking group dubbed Treks, said Jordan is filled with splendid locations, but that the only way to discover them is to abandon the car and have a walk.

“Tourists like the idea, especially the ones who cannot afford the more classical tourism experience,” he told The Jordan Times.

Shireen Nababteh, a member of Walking Jordan, said the group usually visits a location to review it before they actually organise trips to the site.

“We do that so that we can describe how difficult the hike is for people so they are aware of the type of trip they are going to take,” she told The Jordan Times.

“You need to walk to discover the beauty of Jordan. I noticed that some people are fed up with the city,” Nababteh said, adding people’s curiosity to discover new areas and social media have sparked a rise in the number of hikers in Jordan.

Tabalat said the rise of adventure tourism is not only entertaining for participants, but also beneficial to local communities.

“Around 52 villages have benefited from the Jordan Trail because the villages provide participants with the necessary services they need during their hike,” he added.

AMMAN — A good background in photography can be more important than a classical archaeological education when taking photos of archaeological sites, according to a German photographer.

Professional photographer Johannes Kramer recently trained staff from the Jordan Archaeological Museum and the Department of Antiquities (DoA) in the theory and practice of photographing archaeological objects.

The workshop was held as part of the “Documentation of Objects in Jordanian Archaeological Museums” (DOJAM) project, implemented in partnership with the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology (GPIA) and the DoA, according to Jutta Häser from the GPIA.

“It is highly important to support colleagues in the museums and at the DoA in their daily work,” Häser said, adding that DOJAM aims to train staff at the DoA and the Jordan Archaeological Museum in general, and the photography workshop was but one component of this.

“Generally speaking, the theoretical and practical aspects of archaeological photography are definitely the basic knowledge of photographic camera techniques, but then especially a good know-how of working with light,” Kramer said.

The main prerequisite to successfully photographing an object is a good general understanding of the object and a sense for its form and material, Kramer explained, adding that after a while these traits allow a photographer to better visualise archaeological finds.

The veteran photographer said that he has worked on around 50 archaeological projects in seven countries, and the latest project was another step in merging archaeology and photography.

“It [the workshop] was a fruitful and enriching meeting for everybody, of course also for me, as we could discuss several problems and look for solutions in an open atmosphere,” he said. “The Jordan Archaeological Museum and DoA staff were very happy with the workshop and got a lot of input for their practical work.”

The GPIA plans to export the workshop to other museums, according to Häser, who added that “the photo workshop was one further step towards the professional documentation of Jordanian heritage”.

AMMAN — Yazan Mesmar utilises cranes and scaffolds to create murals multiple storeys high on buildings across Amman.

The Jordanian artist does this despite a fear of heights, he said, adding that he likes the fact that murals grasp people’s attention and makes them stop, stare and wonder.

Mesmar told The Jordan Times that he uses his graphic design background to plan his sketches and then paint them onto Amman’s walls.

However, despite having a library of graphic design artwork to draw inspiration from, he told The Jordan Times that the medium is simply a way of creating his clients’ visions. For instance, he once spray painted the wall of a school using drawings made by students.

Once commissioned, he said he has to “commit to the process”, because it is a long one, with planning sometimes taking up to three months. It is a two-step process: getting permission from the government and then getting permission from building owners.

On walls over three storeys high, Mesmar uses special equipment such as cranes. “I have to think about scale and proportion, which is difficult at a height,” he said. “To begin with, it’s an engineering process. Only in the final stages does it become art.”

“I enjoy the non-verbal responses to my artwork,” Mesmar said. “I especially like the reaction of children, because it’s always pure.”

Mesmar pointed to a design he did on a building in Sweifieh. The piece had three fish swimming vertically towards the top of the wall and was intended to make children stop and think about the artwork.

However, Mesmar said it was vital that he have a “mature relationship with his passion”, in order to balance artistic freedom with clients’ brands.

Mesmar’s artwork is often featured in exhibitions but can also be seen throughout Amman before the walls are sometimes painted over so that new artwork can be painted on top, making way for fresh designs and ideas.

“I like when it’s covered in white paint, it’s almost like censorship” the artist stated, adding that he preferred not to get too attached to his work and instead move on to his next project.

AMMAN — The King Hussein Cancer Centre (KHCC) on Wednesday was awarded with MAGNET (certificate of excellence) accreditation from the American Nurses Credentialing Centre (ANCC), according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times.

Asem Mansour, director general of the KHCC, stated that the accreditation is considered the highest and most prestigious recognition for nursing excellence, and is evidence of the KHCC’s progress in achieving better patient care outcomes, safer environments and quality service for KHCC patients.

Mansour said the final step of the MAGNET accreditation included a three-day field visit by a team of international experts who reviewed a report on the performance of KHCC nursing staff and services.

Mansour added that the KHCC is the first oncology hospital outside of the US to become a member of the MAGNET Recognition Programme, and only 8 per cent of hospitals in the US and 9 international healthcare institutions have received such recognition of excellence.

According to the Chief Nursing Officer Majeda Ruzzieh, achieving the membership was the result of implementing strict criteria for excellence in nursing.

The programme focused on the development of several objectives, of which the most important included raising the quality and level of healthcare, identifying points of excellence in nursing services provided to the patient and publishing the results of the finest research available in the field of nursing care, the statement said.

AMMAN — Public Security Department (PSD) Director Maj. Gen. Fadel Hmoud on Wednesday met with a Chinese delegation over means of boosting joint cooperation in the field of security.

Hmoud stressed the deep relations between the two countries’ security agencies, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported, as the Chinese delegation expressed their keenness to boost cooperation in all fields, including policing and public security.

Vice President of the Hubei Province and Security Director Zeng Xin, head of the delegation, voiced appreciation for the advanced level of PSD services.

The delegation visited the Command and Control Centre, where they were briefed by Col. Rami Dabbas, director of the centre, on the centre’s duties and services, Petra added.

AMMAN — The Kingdom will observe a public holiday on Thursday, May 2, on the occasion of Labour Day marked on May 1, according to a communiqué issued by Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Wednesday.