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AMMAN — Jordan’s Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS Jordan) movement urged Jordanians not to sell their lands to the government as part of a plan to build a pipeline to bring gas from Israel to Jordan under the gas deal signed in 2016.

Meanwhile, landowners gave mixed reactions to the issue after they learnt of the plan. 

In September 2016, the National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) signed a 15-year agreement with Noble Energy, a Houston-based company that holds the largest share in the Israeli Leviathan Gas Field, with the aim of receiving $10 billion worth of natural gas supplies.

Last week, the Department of Lands and Survey (DLS) published an ad in Al Rai newspaper, announcing that the Ministry of Energy acquired some lands along Irbid, Ramtha and Mafraq where the pipeline is expected to be built. However, there was no mentioning in the ad that the lands would be used for this particular unpopular project.  

In March 2016, it was reported that the Israel-Jordan joint pipeline was under construction near the Dead Sea, noting that it would transport natural gas from the Tamar field, 80km west of Israel's northern shores to the northern part of the Kingdom.

BDS Jordan urged citizens to refuse the decision through a message posted on Twitter. “The Zionist gas will slash your lands, farms and the heart of our dear Jordan by coercion. We call on you to reject the confiscation of the lands of your fathers for the future of our children as a refusal to the normalising agreement with the enemy,” the tweet read. 

Jumana Ismail, a member of BDS Jordan, said that the movement's stance has been steady since it started in 2014. “The residents of the areas [Irbid, Ramtha and Mafraq] refuse the decision, as the Jordanian community does,” she alleged. 

In previous remarks to The Jordan Times, MP Saleh Armouti said that the Energy Ministry promised to hand in a copy of the deal to the parliamentary energy committee after translating it into Arabic in May.

Jamal Qamweh, a member of the Lower House’s energy and mineral resources committee said that they did not receive the document yet.

Despite several attempts by The Jordan Times, the Ministry of Energy did not comment on the issue, with officials responding that only the minister can comment on this "sensitive issue" and he was not available. 

Other senior official also did not return the contacts made by The Jordan Times. 

The land owners themselves confirmed that they were contacted by authorities regarding the planned acquisition of private lands for the gas project. 

Some expressed their "strong" disagreement with the decision, while others said they have "no problem" with selling the lands.

Sami Qaraan, who inherited a land in Irbid’s Taibeh area along with his eight brothers, said they all strongly refuse the offer. However, he believes that the pipeline will be built regardless.

Qaraan said that the DSL’s surveyors came to the area three months ago, informing them about the project. “We consulted a well-known lawyer, who said that, theoretically, we have the right to register an objection but that, ultimately, the state has the right to own the lands as long as they are providing financial compensation.”

Yasser Qaraan, another resident of Taibeh said that he does not accept a pipeline carrying gas from the Zionist entity, noting "the government did not consult us and is taking our lands by force.”

Meanwhile, Abu Emad said he supports the project and does not mind selling his land as long as it is benefiting Jordan. 

Raed Hyasat, director of State Properties Department at DLS did not directly comment on the issue but noted that under the law, any lands needed for a governmental project that are in the interest of the community can be acquired by the state, which only accepts to consider objections by private owners within 15 days of publishing the ad.

Hyasat told The Jordan Times that the ownership in this case will be immediate and people will receive financial compensation. 

Since 2016, many demonstrations and boycotting campaigns have been held to express Jordanians' refusal of the gas deal.

According to NEPCO, the agreement will help save Jordan around $600 million per year.

AMMAN — A Royal Decree was issued on Wednesday, approving the decision by the Sharia Judicial Council to promote 78 judges to different ranks as of January 31, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported, adding that the names were published on its website.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Wednesday attended the event held by the Awqaf Ministry on the occasion of the International Interfaith Harmony Week, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.  Awqaf Minister Wael Arabiyat, Planning Minister Imad Fakhoury, Grand Mufti Mohammad Khalaileh, senior officials, representatives and military officers attended the event.

During his speech, Arabiyat said that Islam supports education and knowledge, coexistence, love and harmony, highlighting the importance of religious and ethnic diversity. The minister noted that harmony is a product of knowledge and a practice that involves the love of God and respect for one another. 

AMMAN — Residents of Palestinian refugee camps on Wednesday praised His Majesty King Abdullah’s efforts in defending Arab causes, especially the Palestinian cause.

On the occasion of His Majesty’s 56th birthday, heads of service committees at the camps issued statements praising King Abdullah’s efforts in defending the Palestinians’ legitimate rights of having a state on their national soil, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

They also highlighted the King’s initiatives to camp residents, including the allocation of 350 university seats for Palestinian refugees since 2000, and revamping more than 2,100 houses of underprivileged families. 

AMMAN — The Income and Sales Tax Department (ISTD) has said it provided to approximately 900,000 households in the public and private sectors, reaching about 4.2 million beneficiaries, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Wednesday.  The ISTD has published the list of beneficiaries to 225 public institutions in order for eligible employees to receive the support they are entitled for.

The department called on beneficiaries who applied for the cash support online and did not receive a text message not to check with their bank until they receive it. The ISTD added that anyone can formulate an objection if their monetary disbursement was denied for any reason and called on beneficiaries to use the DA3MAK website for all inquiries. The department urged beneficiaries to update their and their families’ civil status and modify any other mandatory personal information.

AMMAN — Amman was ranked as the 7th most expensive city in the Arab world, according to the 2018 Cost of Living Index, which placed Dubai at the top of its list followed by Doha, Beirut and Abu Dhabi. 

However, some economic experts and locals have expressed that it is “unfair” to compare and group Amman with Gulf cities like Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi since the average salaries are much higher there.

“The problem is not just the prices of goods or the tax, it is the income levels and the country’s overall gross income. People in Dubai or other places in the Gulf can afford the high prices but here in Jordan, the per capita income is not enough to support the people, not even for their average needs,” said Jordanian economist Khalid Zubeidi, who has over 30 years of experience monitoring economic trends in the region. 

Amani Omar, a secretary at a private company, shared similar views on this topic.

“I think it is unfair to compare Amman to other cities. Salaries in Amman are much lower than anywhere else in the Gulf so certainly Amman is more expensive,” she told the Jordan Times over the phone.

Ahmad Al Sheikh, an accountant based in Amman, says that it is the combination of the low salaries and recent increases in prices and taxes that contribute to Amman’s unaffordability. 

“I think Amman in some aspects is more expensive than Beirut and some places in the Gulf even. I make around JD600 per month right now and it’s not enough, plus the prices keep going up,” said Sheikh.

Economist Wajdi Makhamreh lists a number of reasons for the current economic problem:

“Huge oil invoices, high sales taxes, inflation and high debt to GDP ratio [currently at 95 per cent]. We are importing many things from outside, and we are facing huge fluctuations with the euro. When you import expensive things, the consequences are directly reflected on the local people,” said Makhamreh. 

These factors come in addition to the government’s change in subsidies.

“They already ended bread subsidy, and raised the taxes for over 160 other commodities from the usual 4 per cent or 6 per cent to 10 per cent,” said Makhamreh, adding that the government “will continue removing its subsidies for commodities and soon enough, everything will be left to the supply and demand of the market”.

The pundit also warned expats in Jordan about the nearing economic consequences.

“Foreigners with higher-than-average salaries may be coping with daily life expenses right now, but if things move forward with the current economic trend, everyone — both Jordanians and expats included — will be affected.”

Makhamreh said that if the government wants to turn things around, it needs to set in place good economic strategies, encourage small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and create favourable conditions for investment. 

“The government must focus on attracting foreign investment rather than taxing its locals,” insisted Makhamreh. 

Zubeidi also shed light on a few of Jordan’s potential plans that could provide some relief to the country’s economic future. 

“If they open the border with Syria, trade will go up, not just with Syria but also with Europe. Business with Iraq is also picking up and this will help our economy. Our gateway to the Gulf through Saudi Arabia is also very beneficial for trading, for both Jordanian goods and transit goods, and of course once the Basra to Aqaba pipeline happens — that will bring a lot of money to Jordan,” the economist concluded. 

The cost-of-living index, conducted by crowd-sourced global database Numbeo, is a theoretical price index that measures relative cost of living over time or regions. It measures differences in the prices of goods and services, and allows for substitutions with other items, as prices vary.

AMMAN — The government, through the Agricultural Credit Corporation, in 2017 offered farmers interest-free loans up to JD20 million, contributing to raising loan values by 24 per cent compared to 2016.

An Agriculture Ministry statement, carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said that the government in 2017 exempted cooperative organisations from loans of JD43 million and exempted cooperative associations from JD100 million as loan interests.

The government last year presented compensations of JD1.4 million to farmers after frost spells that damaged their crops.

AMMAN — Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani has condemned the terrorist attack that targeted a side road in Pakistan on Tuesday, killing eight people including a child, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Momani said that the terrorist attack proves that the war on terrorism did not end in some parts of the world and requires international joint efforts within a holistic strategy.

The attack that targeted a region near the Afghan border killed 8 people including three women and a child who were travelling in a minibus. Momani, who is also the government spokesperson, reiterated Jordan’s firm stance in rejecting acts of violence and terrorism in all its forms, expressing Jordan’s condolences to the Pakistani government and to the families of the victims and wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

AMMAN — Energy Ministry Secretary General Amani Azzam on Wednesday said that fuel prices will remain unchanged until the pricing committee meets to agree on a decision, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

A government committee meets monthly to adjust fuel prices in accordance with changes in international oil prices. Prices of oil derivatives in the local market are calculated based on international prices and other costs such as shipment, handling and taxes.

AMMAN — Having their old methods "ruined" by concerned agencies, illicit drug traffickers would resort to new ways, including manufacturing narcotics inside the country, Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) director said Wednesday.

“Almost all security agencies in Jordan are cooperating with us to combat drug trafficking and we're almost certain that illegal narcotics traffickers will resort to new methods including manufacturing drugs inside the country,” AND Director Brig. Gen. Anwar Tarawneh said.

The remarks came during a meeting organised by Basil Tarawneh, the government's coordinator for human rights, which included members of the committee following up on human rights recommendations and members of the press.

Anwar Tarawneh referred to a recent incident, a first of its kind in the Kingdom’s history, during which a laboratory was raided earlier this month, revealing “alleged manufacturing of Captagon pills". 

AND said that the seized chemicals in the raid, which led to the arrest of eight suspects, were sufficient to produce over 100 million narcotic pills.

Anwar Tarawneh added that new smuggling methods include using the sea instead of the traditional channels.

The AND official stressed that 95 per cent of the seized substances “are destined to neighbouring countries”. 

Anwar Tarawneh also refuted claims that “individuals caught by AND agents during raids are subjected to abuse or torture”. 

“Most of the time, it is the drug dealers who are trying to publicise such false and unfounded news to attack us because we ruined their plans,” the AND director explained.

“It is part of our cooperation with all organisations to ensure that all citizens enjoy full rights and live in a safe environment,” Basil Tarawneh told the gathering, who later visited the AND museum and storage where all illegal narcotics are stored. 

AND Major Anas Tantawi outlined the methods used by traffickers and manufacturers to smuggle drugs. 

“We found illegal narcotics hidden in fake olives, charcoal, fake white cheese, laundry tiles, tyres, arts, books and the list is long,” he said, noting that the AND is constantly developing its methods to fight illegal smuggling into the country. 

“They are working on new and creative ways to smuggle illegal narcotics and we are also working to constantly improve our methods to make sure that we continue to be a regional hub standing in the face of illegal drug trafficking,” Tantawi concluded.