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AMMAN — Despite its international recognition, the Baptism Site on the eastern side of the Jordan River receives “way fewer” visitors than the one located in the occupied West Bank, experts said.

Jordan’s Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond Jordan” has been authenticated as the place where Jesus Christ was baptised, based on historical accounts of ancient pilgrims who documented their visits, the New Testament and archaeological findings and buildings, according to archaeologists.   

Fadi Haddad, a tourist guide and author of “Christian Pilgrimage Journey in Jordan”, said that West Bank has the main Christian sites including Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jericho and others, Haddad said.

For some denominations, the main purpose is to get baptised at the river, regardless of which side they are, according to Haddad.

Yousef Zreiqat, a faith-based tourism expert, said that the vast majority of tourists visit Jordan for Petra, meaning that most of them are not visiting Jordan for faith purposes. Meanwhile, Israel is the main destination for biblical tourists.

“Jordan is a destination for various types of tourism including historical, archaeological, adventure, nature, health and many other,” Zreiqat noted, saying “despite having very important and authentic religious sites such as the Decapolis cities mentioned in the Bible, the King’s way, and the globally-recognised Christian pilgrimage sites, Jordan is incomparable to the western bank when it comes to biblical tourism”.

The experts urged focusing on many other promising types of tourism such as adventure, nature, health and conferences.

“The site was visited by three Popes, many heads of state and senior officials, proved authentic, it has a high profile in the world, is well organised and has a competent administration,” Zreiqat stressed, noting that “nothing more can be done except telling the world that these things happened: this is where promotion comes”.

He called for updating the statistics system in a way that includes the numbers of visitors according to types of tourism. 

A tourist guide in Jerusalem, who preferred to remain unnamed, said that Israeli official figures show that 56 per cent of Israel’s visitors come to see the biblical sites.

He told The Jordan Times that visiting the river on the western bank is also free of charge.

Wael Dakkak, a tour operator, said it is a matter of figures, claiming that the higher numbers of visitors to the site in Israel is simply reflecting the higher number of tourists that visit the country.

In 2017, 3.7 million tourists visited Israel while Jordan received much fewer tourists, according to Dakkak, who pointed out that the budget of the Jordan Tourism Board is 90 per cent lower than that of Israel (around $10 million and $100 million respectively).

Raed Abdulhak, a tourism expert, said: “In a nutshell, more tourists go to the Jordan River’s western side not because of promotion campaigns or authenticity but simply because tourist guides are more enthusiastic, as they can benefit from visiting the river and mediate the purchases of baptism gowns”.

AMMAN — Investing in agriculture is always a long-term goal which pays off after decades of persistent, tenacious and meticulous planning. However, the focus of international organisations, donors and various stakeholders is too often on short-term projects in medical services and education, experts claimed.

On Sunday, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) signed two letters of agreement in its Amman headquarters: one with the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) and the second with the Nippon International Cooperation for Community Development (NICCOD) to implement the “Social Stability and Resilient Livelihoods for Syrian Refugees and Vulnerable Jordanian Farm Families from Hosting Communities” project.

The project, valued at $1 million, which were provided by the government of Japan, aims to boost agricultural livelihoods and resilience for 500 vulnerable families including 250 Syrian refugee families and 250 impoverished Jordanian households in Irbid, Mafraq and Zarka Governorates. 

According to event organisers, around 3,000 people will benefit from this project, both directly and indirectly. 

“The project aims to reinforce Jordanian social stability and local economies by restoring the livelihoods of Syrian refugees and their Jordanian host communities,” explained project manager Amjad Al Attar, noting that it will make a “significant” contribution to Jordan Resilience Plan for the Syria Crisis.

The plan, which is set in the 2017-2019 timeframe, aims to “address needs and vulnerabilities of Syrian refugees and Jordanian communities and institutions affected by the protracted Syria crisis”, especially by providing “enhancement of the food security situation while sustaining livelihoods”, according to Attar.

The two letters of agreement were signed by FAO representative in Jordan Nasredin HagElamin, Director General of NARC Nizar Haddad, and Yuiko Isoda on behalf of NICCOD, in the presence of deputy chief of mission Masahiro Tada, first secretary at the Japanese embassy Nana Watanabe and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator  Andres Pedersen. 

“Our aims will be achieved through the establishment of home- and group-based, small-scale agri-food enterprises that will contribute in reducing food insecurity and under-nutrition, as well as increasing income generation at the household level and enhancing skills development and employment creation at the local level of rural and peri-urban communities hosting Syrian refugees,” Attar underlined, stressing that the project  will use approaches with strong feedback mechanisms, which will take into consideration the current context so as to  allow flexibility. 

The project’s institutional set-up will also promote ownership of its interventions by Jordanian farmers and Syrian refugees, he emphasised. 

“Strong capacity-building activities, based on needs analysis will enable the start-up and smooth implementation of project interventions,” Attar added.

Methodologies will ensure that activities are successfully implemented through FAO’s core areas of expertise in inclusive and efficient agri-food systems approaches, post-harvest management and small agri-business development, farmers’ business school methodology for participatory learning and conditional and restricted cash transfer/voucher systems, the project manager concluded.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Feisal on Sunday inaugurated the Air Safety Organisation Conference of the European Air Forces/146, the Jordan News agency, Petra, reported.

In a speech delivered during the conference, the Commander of the Jordanian Royal Air Force Maj. Gen. Yousef Hunaiti stressed the need to unify the air safety concepts and develop methods of reducing accidents. He noted that the aviation safety programme is key to ensuring the aviation sector’s success.

The conference, held between July 1-5, is organised in the Middle East for the first time with a wide European participation.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Sunday met with the head of the Lower House’s Agriculture Committee MP Khalid Hiyari to discuss the tax on agricultural production inputs and find ways to boost the sector and overcome its challenges, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the meeting, which was also attended by the Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Musa Maaytah, the prime minister stressed the government’s keenness to find solutions to the challenges and problems facing the sector in addition to re-considering the agricultural inputs tax within a plan to restudy the total taxation burden. Razzaz said the government places “great importance” on the agricultural sector so as to alleviate its suffering “as soon as possible”.

AMMAN — The Senate, through its social solidarity fund, on Sunday extended financial aid worth JD15, 000 to Al Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Senate President Faisal Fayez said that the Senate, through its social solidarity fund, seeks to re-inforce the principles of social responsibility volunteerism and social solidarity, which are always advocated by His Majesty King Abdullah.

He stressed that the Senate will provide financial aid worth up to JD160,000 to a number of institutions and social aid funds, adding that most of the contributions are from the Social Solidarity Fund’s members, where these contributions are regularly deducted from their monthly compensations.

He called for taking national responsibility in light of the difficult economic circumstances facing the country and to provide initiatives that enable Jordanians to face the challenges and alleviate the difficult living conditions facing them. 

AMMAN — Launched five years ago as an initiative to alleviate the plight of a number of refugees in Jordan, Welfare-Together evolved earlier this year from an informal group to an official non-profit organisation.

“We grew from about 100 registered aid recipients to more than 3000,” said one founder Ayad Abbas.

When Abbas moved to Jordan in 2011 he noticed that poor people concentrated in the Hashemi Shamali neighbourhood, in east Amman, were in need of a friendly smile, an extra helping hand, and whatever modest assistance could be offered to make their lives more comfortable.

Welfare-Together focuses its work on Iraqi and Syrian refugees, but also provides aid to Yemenis, Egyptians and other members of the local community.

Zachary Sheldon, an American volunteer and researcher from the University of Chicago, learned about the group from Abbas and decided to join the team.

What set Welfare-Together apart from so many Western NGOs and organisations operating in east Amman, Sheldon observed, was the organisation’s emphasis on giving local people living in Hashemi Shamali a role in leading aid projects.

In fact, the committee of the organisation is comprised of refugees themselves, Abbas underlined.

Another unique aspect of Welfare –Together’s approach to providing aid to the residents of east Amman is its refusal to limit its efforts to one nationality or refugee population.

“Based on my own research, I think that focusing on all low-income people, regardless of nationality, is a much better approach than serving one nationality exclusively, which is an approach a lot of Western NGOs have to adopt because of their donors,” Sheldon highlighted.

The NPO provides the needy with second-hand furniture, carpets, clothes and housing material; distributes cooling fans; has a team of handymen to repair installations in the homes of refugees; organises its own sporting activities in Hashemi Shamali; and delivers medical assistance and equipment to people with disabilities.

Medical assistance is particularly important, and the organisation enjoys agreements and a mutual understanding with local hospitals and medical centres that provide for the community, according to Abbas. 

UNHCR and governmental agencies offer medical services, for example, but they remain limited, said Abbas. 

“We have done hundreds of operations, arranged tests, and handed medication and medical equipment to patients,” he added.

Funding, however, remains a major obstacle facing the organisation. 

“A big challenge that we are facing now is with donor countries that are slowly withdrawing their resources, and this may lead to [a] disaster,” Abbas admitted.

Despite these setbacks, Abbas said that Welfare-Together has maintained its ties with the Prince Alia Foundation and Iraqi Business Council in Jordan as well as support from individuals both in the Kingdom and abroad. 

AMMAN — The total remittances of Jordanians working abroad rose by 1.2 per cent compared with the same period of 2017, hitting JD1.1 billion, data released on Sunday by the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ).

At a monthly level, CBJ preliminary data shows that the Jordanian expatriate remittances in May of 2018 alone went up by 1.3 per cent to $314.5 million, compared with $310.6 million in May, 2017, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

AMMAN — A joint security force from the Gendarmerie and the Public Security Department have arrested a suspect in the shooting death of Anti-Narcotics Department officer Tariq Sabeeleh during a raid on the suspect’s hiding spot in the Central Badia region, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Sunday.

A security source said that the personnel raided the suspect’s location after investigating and collecting information about the suspected murder which took place during the holy month of Ramadan.

The source added that they arrested another suspect who was reportedly involved in the case, noting that the major suspect was in possession of a weapon. The department said they will proceed with the investigations before referring suspects to the court. 

AMMAN — One person was killed and 44 others were injured when a bus and a vehicle collided causing the bus to derail off the road and fall down a slope on Hasa-Tafileh road, according to the Civil Defence Department (CDD).

The rescue and ambulance cadres at the Tafileh CDD provided first aid for the injured and transferred them, along with the body, to Prince Zaid Military Hospital, The CDD statement, cited by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said.

AMMAN — Tkiyet Um Ali (TUA) and “NAUA”, a Crown Prince Foundation (CPF) Initiative established in partnership with the private sector, have signed a partnership agreement that aims to garner the support and funding of individuals and companies for the most prominent projects and programmes of TUA, which will appear on NAUA’s online platform.

The agreement was signed by TUA Director General Samer Balqer and NAUA CEO Ahmad Zubi, in the presence of CPF CEO Tamam Mango, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

According to the agreement, individuals and companies will be given the opportunity to learn about TUA’s programmes and its milestones and to contribute to its various programmes.

TUA will transfer these donations to help the sustainable food support programme for families benefiting from their programmes, in accordance with a clear, pre-agreed work plan with NAUA. 

For its part, NAUA will monitor the progress of work and report on its impact, and then it will present the findings on the platform.

TUA Director General Samer Balqer praised NAUA’s choice for TUA through its online platform to channel donations from individuals and companies to support the poorest families, adding that this partnership aims at reaching a hunger-free Jordan.

NAUA CEO Ahmad Zubi has reiterated the importance of partnerships with credible institutions, where the TUA was chosen and adopted on NAUA’s platform for the harmony of vision and working mechanisms between the two parties, pointing out that NAUA will work with TUA to add its most prominent programmes on the platform in order to help in attracting support for these programmes.