Local

AMMAN — Muhammad Nasser Kennan wanted to be a football coach after finishing school, but in the summer of his 10th grade, his dreams were put on hold.

Kennan was under the legal working age of 18 when he was hired as a temporary worker in a plastic factory in Zarqa and, within his first week of employment, the factory had an electric malfunction which led the machine he was assigned to clean to switch on, leaving his left arm stuck between rotating blades, causing amputation. 

“I was rushed to the local government hospital and because I didn’t have any social security, my dad had to come and pay everything. The factory didn’t claim any responsibility for my injury,” said 21-year-old Kennan. 

Kennan is one of the thousands living in Jordan with an amputated limb, some as a result of regional wars, others due to work or road accidents.

Three years after the accident, he was able to receive a customised 3D-printed prosthetic arm completely free of charge through the Korean startup Mand.ro in collaboration with the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and SwissLimbs, a Lugano-based non-profit organisation specialised in physical rehabilitation. 

“Muhammad was the first on our waiting list in Al Bashir Hospital and the first to receive this new technology. He has come a long way since: until recently, he wasn’t able to talk easily and suffered from major depression. We are happy to see him improve both physically and emotionally,” said Suzan Ibrawesh, the regional representative of SwissLimbs. 

Since February 2017, Mand.ro has donated 40 prosthetic limbs to Syrian refugees and Jordanians with below-elbow amputation, according to the startup CEO Sangho Yi.

“We not only create the prosthetic arm specifically designed for the patient, but we also provide training on how to use it and conduct regular maintenance and software check-ups,” she told The Jordan Times at a press conference. 

The startup representative said they aim to facilitate physical mobility for amputees without the huge costs usually associated with it. 

“Prosthetic hands like the Bebionic, the iLimb, or the Michelangelo [internationally renowned models of prosthetic limbs] are selling between $25,000 and $100,00 and we are able to design and 3D print something similar costing us only $455,” Yi explained. 

The CEO said that the 3D scanning and printing technology is not only preferred for its affordability but also because it is fast. 

“Only using a laptop and a 3D-printer, we can have a fully functioning prosthetic hand in two to three hours,” said Yi.

Once patients are fitted with their new limbs, KOICA and SwissLimbs help in assisting unemployed patients back into the workforce. “99 per cent of our beneficiaries don’t have work,” Ibrawesh said. 

Despite having a prosthetic and fully functional hand for the past six months, Kennan has not been successful in securing employment appropriate to his condition. 

“I don’t want to work in a factory anymore, I hope no one sends their underage child to work in a factory. I wanted to work in a company, doing administrative tasks or anything, but nobody hired me. I hope things change once I get my Tawjihi,” said Kennan, who was forced to put his education on hold after his accident four years ago. 

AMMAN — Thirty-one employees from the Independent Election Commission (IEC) are currently receiving training by international experts, as part of a programme aimed at developing capacities at the crossroads between leadership and election management.

"The Leadership and Conflict Management Skills for Electoral Stakeholders (LEAD) programme is not a regular training directed by subject matter experts. Instead, we focus on facilitating capacities in a Socrative way which enhances trainees' participation and involvement," said trainer Steadman Harrisson, CEO of Go Innovation. 

The LEAD training, which is implemented by European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL-LBB), started on Tuesday, ten days after the arrival of the training team.

"We spent a while working on the cultural customisation of the programme, mostly by Arabising it to suit the local environment," said Aous Qutaishat, adviser to the IEC chairman, noting that "this does not only mean translating the material, but also adapting it to the cultural values and local practices in order to have a stronger impact."

For Tareq Bataineh, director of administration and finance at the IEC, this adaptation to the Jordanian context was "extremely useful" for better understanding of how to handle electoral matters and in-staff management.

"I began using the methodology taught by the trainers when assigning tasks to my staff. For instance, I started providing 80 per cent positive feedback and 20 per cent negative comments when assessing co-workers' performances," he told The Jordan Times at the training, noting that "I believe this greatly helps in building and boosting staff capacities."

Head of the software department Suhair Rahhal for her part stressed the importance of this five-day workshop in better understanding how to deal with actors involved in the electoral process.

"On voting day, we have over 5,000 IT people working in the polling stations across the Kingdom, and it is crucial for me to be ready to face any developments or situations during each step of the process," she explained.

"We noticed that, since the beginning of the training, employees started interacting much more with each other, sharing common issues and problems they face in their daily work," Franck Balme, a French electoral expert conducting the training on Tuesday.

LEAD, which is defined as "a flexible learning tool" by its organisers, includes workshops on betrayal, transactional trust, growth mindset and listening, among others, through interactive tools such as storytelling, hands on activities and visual imagery games.

"These people already know all about the elections as this is the core of their job," explained Harrisson, stressing that "however, they rarely have the techniques and the skills needed to become trainers themselves, which is what we are providing them here."

Trainees will then move on to become trainers themselves, both within their communities and later at the regional level, according to ECES coordination advisor Martina Garbuglia.

AMMAN — The Foreign Ministry has been following up on the murder of Jordanian citizen Sara Zghoul in Oregon, the US, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Wednesday.

The Jordanian Embassy in Washington is coordinating with the relevant American authorities to investigate the crime. According to a statement issued by the ministry on Wednesday, "the Jordanian Embassy in Washington on January 30 received a letter from the Washington County Police Department in the State of Oregon, expressing sincere condolences over the death of the Jordanian citizen, and summarising the actions taken so far".

The letter also stressed the authorities' keenness to uncover the circumstances of the murder and hold the offender accountable. The statement pointed out that the US police "arrested the suspect of the crime, and investigation by the police cadres of various technical and criminal ranks are under way, in coordination with prosecutors".

AMMAN — HRH Prince Feisal, the King’s adviser and chairman of the National Policies Council, on Wednesday met with a delegation from a US studies council, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the meeting, the prince outlined His Majesty King Abdullah's efforts in defending the Palestinian cause and Jerusalem, highlighting the efforts exerted with the international community to resume the Palestinian-Israeli peace process based on the two-state solution.

He noted the importance of finding a peaceful solution in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative to establish a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The talks between the prince and the delegation highlighted the importance of supporting the UNRWA to enable it providing services in the fields of education, health and relief.

They also discussed efforts to reach solutions for the Middle East's crises. The centre provides specialised researches for policymakers on the US.

AMMAN — The organising committee of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup (WAC) has announced an online campaign asking Jordanian football fans to propose a suitable slogan for the upcoming competition, which is scheduled to take place in Amman between April 4 and 20.

Farah Badarneh, CEO of the organising committee, said the camping will run through February, noting that the chosen slogan will be unveiled during a ceremony held at the end of February. 

“As an organising committee, we can definitely come up with a slogan, but we want to make Jordanians involved in the organisation process. We want them to be aware that the competition is coming closer,” she told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

She said that the committee is seeking for a slogan in Arabic, which will later be translated into English. 

A statement by the organisers stated that the slogan should not exceed three words, which should reflect on Jordan and the people’s enthusiasm for the competition.  

“We shared the campaign through the women footage Facebook page. So far, we have received over 100 suggestions but, if we share it though other pages, we might get a satisfying outreach,” Badameh added. 

The official described the campaign as “significant”, saying “we want to make each football fan a part of this tournament”.  

AMMAN — Amman was ranked as the 7th most expensive city in the Arab world, according to the 2018 Cost of Living Index.

Globally, Amman was ranked in the 328th place as the most expensive city, according to the index, which was conducted by crowd-sourced global database Numbeo.

Dubai topped the list of most expensive Arab cities in the world with a cost-of-living index of 72.58, according to the index.

Qatar’s Doha (66.12) and Lebanon’s Beirut (65.03) were ranked in the second and third places in the list for the Arab world.

They were followed by Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Manama respectively.

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

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah has said that the challenging economic situation and pressures on Jordan have ensued from the Kingdom’s political stands.

He added that the country has received messages offering easing the economic pressure on Jordan in return for accepting to change its position on Jerusalem. 

He made the remarks during a conversation with University of Jordan students on Tuesday, excerpts of which were released by the Royal Court on its social media accounts.

Elaborating on Jerusalem issue, His Majesty said that since the holy city is not only for the Jews, and as Christians there are subject to Israeli harassment like Muslims, there is a need for a new type of relation between the world’s Muslim and Christian communities to defend their rights in the city.

Internal challenges 

Listening to questions and comments by the young people attending the meeting concerning reform, economic challenges, unemployment and political reform, among others, King Abdullah called on grassroots, especially youth, to “speak loudly and push politicians and officials from the base”, while he places pressure from the top.

He underlined the need for administrative reform, strengthening and expanding the middle class, and a change in the mindset as prerequisites to the broader reform plan.

“We as Jordanians work differently from all others. If there was an incompetent [official], we wait six months until we send him a way, because we do not want to anger his tribe...”. He stressed that his policy is to sack that person immediately and let the people know that he or she has not done their job efficiently.

The Monarch underlined that the refom under way in the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army and the General Intelligence Department since last year “focuses on ensuring quality at the expense of quantity”. 

He cited other examples where the prevailing culture must be changed. In terms of fighting corruption, he said, all agree that wasta (favouritism) is unacceptable, “but when the person[s] involved is a relative, we stop there”. The same applies to law enforcement, the Monarch said, referring to cases when a wanted criminal finds support in his community despite his bad record. 

“It is either that we are serious about the desire to change or we want to stay where we are now.”

His Majesty raised the issue of decentralisation as a vehicle of reform that dictates change in the political mechanism, as the “voice of villages and towns [is supposed] be reaching faster than Amman’s”.  The logic, he said, is that the number of Parliamentary seats should be lowered from 130 to 80 as the mandate of the House will be restricted to nationwide policies. The King noted that such a decision might face resistance.

His Majesty also criticised “irresponsible freedom” exercised on social media that takes the form of character assassination and rumour mongering, stressing that such acts cross the redlines. “There is no ceiling for freedoms, but they should be coupled with a sense of responsibility,” he said. 

Asked on his Discussion Papers, a series of articles His Majesty has written since 2012 to trigger a national debate over national issues, he told the participants that he “cannot tell officials what to do”, but seeks to see a debate involving grassroots, lawmakers and officials that lead to the envisioned change. 

On political parties, the King reiterated that although there are now parliamentary blocs,  the country needs two or three political parties that build their platforms on national issues rather than geographical, religious or other affiliation, noting it might be too late now to have such parties before the coming election cycle. 

External challenges

Commenting on the Kingdom’s philosophy on foreign policy,   King Abdullah stressed that the qualities of the Jordanian character play an important part. 

“Jordanians do not lie and keep their promises,” he said, adding that despite the weak assets and small size, Jordan is “bigger than its geographical boundaries... and Jordanians have always proved that they are up to the responsibility when the country faces challenges on its borders”, citing the performance of the Kingdom in the wars it has fought historically, which exceeded its military capabilities and excelled that of countries with greater defence assets. 

“I do not worry about our cohesion when we are challenged,” he said. 

On a different note, the King told his young audience that although the conventional wisdom of this generation and the one preceding it is to head West in terms of foreign ties, he saw that there is great potential in the East and attract investments from there, especially since several countries from that side of the world want access to Europe and US through Jordan.

“I have told officials that if I were you I would follow up closely [on deals with Asian countries] even if that means sending a delegation every week” to India, for example, to make things happen. 

A message to youth 

King Abdullah repeated throughout the conversation that it is the youth who know well what the country wants and where it should be going, stressing that he feels relieved whenever he has a talk with young people.

“Maybe it is too late for the older generation to change culture-wise, but you can change the culture. You draw the redlines and you say enough is enough.” 

He called on the young men and women to keep in touch with his office, reiterating that in this way, they would be a great help to His Majesty as he pushed for reforms and changes to the status quo. 

Following the discussion, His Majesty King Abdullah took to Twitter to express his delight of meeting with the students. 

“Our Jordanian youth are excelling at all levels with their awareness and bright ideas. I was delighted today to meet students of the University of Jordan in an enriching dialogue that addressed various local and international issues, which strengthened my faith that the youth of the homeland are the pillars of its future, and capable of bearing the responsibility of continuing building and modernisation,” His Majesty tweeted in Arabic.

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania visited Al Mustanadeh Park in Al Quweismeh on Tuesday, joining members of the local community to mark the official launch of the area’s new public park and community centre, according to a statement from Her Majesty’s Office. 

Built by the Greater Amman Municipality under the administrative supervision of Zaha Cultural Centre, Al Mustanadeh is one of several Amman parks to be built in implementation of Royal directives from His Majesty King Abdullah. The Royal initiative, known as the “Safe Parks Project”, comes under broader efforts to transform Jordan’s public parks into family-friendly spaces that offer a comprehensive range of services.

The new park, spanning approximately four dunums, is designed to serve as a safe space for children, as well as an accessible destination for people with disabilities.

Queen Rania toured the park alongside Director of Zaha Cultural Centre Rania Sbeih, stopping to chat with visiting families and young children along the way.

Her Majesty explored the park’s outdoor facilities, stopping by the football field, playgrounds, and designated area for family picnics and outdoor events. She also visited the park’s community centre, which offers a variety of academic, cultural and sports programmes to members of the local community. 

The Queen visited the centre’s “Karameesh Room”, where young children learn through play, engaging in activities including the use of educational mobile application “Karim and Jana”.

 She also passed by the “Think Room”, where older children can learn about robotics, electronics, mental math, Photoshop and chess.

Executed under a Royal grant, the first phase of the “Safe Parks Project” includes the establishment of five new parks and the renovation of three existing parks within Amman, as well as the renovation of an additional six parks in Zarqa Governorate. 

This comes following a previous Royal grant to establish Zaha Cultural Centre branches in Tafileh, Madaba, Irbid, Mafraq, Karak, Ruseifah and Deir Alla, and to rehabilitate existing parks in Ajloun and Irbid. Studies are currently under way regarding the development of additional centres in Jerash, Aqaba, the Ghor area, and Amman.

AMMAN — The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) launched on Tuesday an $800 million emergency appeal for Syria and the occupied Palestinian territory.

The agency made the emergency appeal as it faces a projected deficit of $200 million in its emergency budget for this year brought on by a cut in half of US aid to an organisation that serves 5.2 million Palestinian refugees, UNRWA Spokesperson Sami Mshasha said.

If the funds are secured, UNRWA will allocate approximately $400 million each for Syria and the occupied Palestinian territory, which consists of Gaza and the West Bank, according to the relief agency, which indicated that the appeal also covers some 50,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria that have fled the war to Lebanon and Jordan. 

“We are sending a message that the agency is here to stay, that it is not for sale and that it will remain operational until a just and lasting solution to the plight of the Palestinian refugees is achieved,” Mshasha told media representatives during a press briefing coinciding with UNRWA’s official appeal launch from Geneva on Tuesday.

Inside Syria, UNRWA is reaching over 400,000 Palestine refugees with cash assistance, one of the largest such programmes in an active conflict setting anywhere in the world, according to the UN agency.

In Gaza, almost 1 million Palestine refugees are dependent on UNRWA for emergency food assistance, which is a ten fold increase on the 100,000 Palestinian refugees who required such support in 2000, according to an UNRWA statement.

“The 800-million-dollar emergency appeal is the minimum requirement for upholding and sustaining our services to the Palestinian refugees, who are completely dependent on the agency’s aid and services of food, water, shelter and medical assistance,” Mshasha said.

Mshasha underlined that the deficit in the emergency programmes’ budget this year is linked to US cuts on funding to the agency, which received $350 million in US aid last year.

UNRWA is funded mainly by voluntary contributions from UN member states, with the US being its largest donor. Washington said on January 16 that it will hold back $65 million of a $125 million aid instalment to the agency.

Although not officially declared by the US administration, the cuts come after the Palestinian leadership refused to meet US Vice President Mike Pence during his visit to the region and rejected any future role for the US in the peace process following US President Donald Trump’s decision in December last year to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, Trump said: “When they disrespected us a week ago by not allowing our great vice president to see them, and we give them hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and support, tremendous numbers, numbers that nobody understands — that money is on the table and that money is not going to them unless they sit down and negotiate peace.”

Mshasha said that while the agency will continue negotiating with the US on the fund cuts, he noted that “there are indications that the US will not donate this amount of money again if the agency doesn’t respond to its demands”.

Such demands entail a review in mechanisms of money disbursement, employment and content of extra-curricular courses taught at the agency’s schools.

“This is not the first financial crisis that UNRWA suffers, but it is certainly the toughest,” Mshasha pointed out.

Under its global fund raising campaign, UNRWA will target countries which did not contribute to its emergency budget before, he said, noting that the agency also targets international funds, the World Bank and the private sector.

“We also urge the Arab countries to up their contributions,” Mshasha said.

At the emergency appeal’s launch event in Geneva, UNRWA Commissioner-General, Pierre Krähenbühl, said that the appeal “enables UNRWA to continue delivering desperately needed relief to those affected by deepening emergency situations. However, the agency’s critical financial crisis following the reduction in US funds threatens our ability to deliver these vital services”.

Krähenbühl stressed that “supporting UNRWA emergency appeals is not a substitute for an urgently needed political solution to the underlying conflict. It is, however, fundamental to sustaining the dignity and strength inherent in the Palestine refugee community”, Agence France Presse reported. 

UNRWA said that it expects facing “a tough situation during the next few months”.

“We are studying our options…, the basic point is that we don’t want our clinics, schools and food distribution centres to be shut down,” Mshasha told The Jordan Times.

In response to the unprecedented financial crisis, UNRWA launched last week the global fund raising campaign #DignityIsPriceless. 

UNRWA was established by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 302 (IV) of December 8, 1949, to carry out direct relief and works programmes for Palestine refugees. The agency began operations on May 1, 1950, according to the agency’s website.

AMMAN — An Israeli technical team is in contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to arrange for the reopening of the Israeli embassy in Amman, Minister of State for Media Affairs and Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani said Tuesday.

The minister, who did not indicate the exact date for the reopening of the embassy, told The Jordan Times that the two sides were looking into all preparations and details to open the door for the return of Israeli embassy staff to Amman.

“The Israelis are in constant communication with the ministry in this regard,” Momani said.

Earlier in January, Israel officially apologised for an incident when an Israeli embassy guard killed two Jordanians and the 2014 killing of Jordanian Judge Raed Zuaiter by Israeli troops, while crossing to the West Bank.

The Foreign Ministry said then it had received an official memo from Israel’s foreign ministry in which “the Israeli government expressed its apology and deep regrets regarding the Israeli embassy incident in July last year, resulting in the martyrdom of two Jordanian citizens, and also regarding the incident of killing Judge Raed Zuaiter”.

In the memo, Israel officially pledged to carry on with legal action related to the embassy incident and “promised to provide financial compensation for the families of the three martyrs”.  

In the letter, Tel Aviv expressed its keenness on resuming cooperation with Jordan and settling these files.

In response, Amman announced that it would “take the appropriate measures that serve national interests” in response to the Israeli memo, especially since the Israeli government accepted, as indicated in the letter, all the conditions set by Jordan to allow the return of its ambassador to Amman.

On July 23rd last year, 16-year-old Mohammad Jawawdeh was killed, along with Bashar Hamarneh, a doctor, by the embassy employee at a building rented by the embassy for its staff. The killer, who shot both Jawawdeh and Hamarneh, left Jordan to Israel protected by his diplomatic immunity, a matter which triggered widespread public anger in Jordan. 

On his return to Tel Aviv, the guard was warmly welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the footage of the encounter insulting the sentiments of Jordanians.

In March 2014, Zuaiter, a judge at the Amman Court of First Instance, was killed at King Hussein Bridge during an argument with an Israeli soldier.