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AMMAN — The Anti-Narcotic Department (AND) on Monday arrested 36 wanted suspects, including five who are classified as dangerous, in connection with eight illicit drug cases in various parts of the Kingdom in the past few days.

In one of the major cases, the law-enforcement agency arrested seven suspects, including one who was armed and classified as dangerous, according to Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi.

“Police officers seized 6,000 Captagon pills, a small amount of hashish and a weapon,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

“Meanwhile, the law-enforcement agency conducted four raids in Mafraq Governorate, which resulted in the arrest of 21 individuals who possessed various quantities of illicit drugs,” Sartawi said. 

“The arresting officers found 26,000 Captagon pills in possession of one of the suspects, who was classified as dangerous,” according to the police official.

In another operation, Sartawi maintained, a suspect was arrested in Irbid for allegedly “planting 300 marijuana seeds”. 

All suspects were referred to the State Security Court prosecution office for further questioning and indictment, according to a statement by the Public Security Directorate.

Earlier in the year, AND officials said approximately 23,000 drug-related cases were recorded in Jordan in 2023, involving more than 35,000 individuals, with about 13,000 suspects apprehended for alleged drug trafficking or distribution.

Officials said that the seized quantities of drugs in 2023 in cooperation with the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army, the Jordan Customs Department and other security agencies, totalled some 6,200 kilogrammes of hashish, 6.5 kilogrammes of heroin, 19 million Captagon pills, 141.5 kilogrammes of cocaine, 15 kilogrammes of Joker powder and 70.5 kilogrammes of crystal meth.

AMMAN — The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is a lifeline for Palestinian refugees since 1949 and is facing an intensified and systematic campaign by Israel to undermine its credibility and dismantle it politically, Director General of the Department of Palestinian Affairs Rafiq Khirfan said on Monday.

Addressing the UNRWA Advisory Committee meeting held at UN headquarters in Geneva, Khirfan highlighted the aftermath of Israel’s year-long war on Gaza, including war crimes by targeting civilians, residential areas and critical infrastructure, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The meeting brought together representatives from around 30 countries, including Palestinian refugee host countries, donor states, the European bloc and the Arab League. 

Spain chaired the meeting, with Jordan and Brazil serving as first and second vice presidents, respectively.

Despite UNRWA’s commitment to its humanitarian mission, the agency has suffered repeated attacks that have resulted in the deaths of more than 243 staff members and the destruction of vital facilities, Khirfan said.

He referred to recent Israeli measures, including a Knesset resolution banning all UNRWA activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, severing ties with the agency and stripping its staff of diplomatic immunities and privileges, describing these measures as flagrant violations of international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, human rights treaties and the UN Charter.

Jordan has submitted a resolution to the Arab League calling for urgent international action, he said. 

Khirfan noted that the resolution calls for the convening of a special session of the UN General Assembly to address Israel’s actions, an emergency meeting of the Security Council to pass a binding resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter compelling Israel to reverse its decisions, and the suspension of Israel’s participation in UN forums.

Khirfan expressed his appreciation for the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah and the efforts of the Foreign Ministry in mobilising international support to ensure UNRWA’s continued operations.

“UNRWA remains irreplaceable until a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian refugee problem is achieved, as set out in UN Resolution 194 of 1948,” he stressed.

The director-general also highlighted the outcome of the recent Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit in Riyadh, which condemned the adoption of discriminatory laws by the Knesset. 

Khirfan highlighted the summit’s rejection for any initiative to transfer UNRWA’s responsibilities to other entities, stressing the need for political and financial support to sustain the agency’s operations.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday inaugurated the first ordinary session of the 20th Parliament and delivered the Speech from the Throne.

Following is the full English translation of the Speech from the Throne:

 “In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

 Prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad,

Honourable Senators,

Honourable Representatives,

Peace, God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.

In the name of God, and with His blessings, we inaugurate the ordinary session of the Twentieth Parliament. We extend our congratulations to the members of the House of Representatives on their election, and we hope that this House will mark a new phase in the process of progress and modernisation, in service of Jordan and Jordanians.

Honourable Senators,

Honourable Representatives,

This Parliament is the first step in the implementation of the political modernisation project, on a track to bolster the role of platform-based parties and the participation of women and young people. This requires parliamentary performance, collective action, and close cooperation between the Government and Parliament, in accordance with the Constitution. 

Today, you stand before a great responsibility to establish work rules and parliamentary practices, where competition is based on platforms and ideas, is rooted in integrity, and clearly reflects the State’s interests and priorities.

Honourable Senators,

Honourable Representatives,

Our aim is to provide a decent life and empower youths while equipping them for the jobs of the future. And we must continue implementing the Economic Modernisation Vision to unleash the potential of the national economy and increase growth rates over the next decade, capitalising on Jordan’s human competencies and international relations as catalysts for growth. 

And public sector modernisation must be accelerated to arrive at efficient public administration that is capable of providing quality services to citizens, with justice and integrity. All officials and employees must adhere to this approach.

 It is incumbent upon you, as Representatives and Senators, to undertake your oversight duties in order to ensure the implementation of modernisation tracks. We have no choice but to keep moving forward in service of Jordan’s generations and its future. 

Honourable Senators,

Honourable Representatives,

We are a State with a deep-rooted identity, a State that does not risk its future, and preserves its Hashemite heritage and its Arab and humanitarian roots. Jordan’s future will not be subject to policies that do not fulfil its interests or ones that contravene its principles. 

 A just and honourable peace is the way to end the historical injustice against our Palestinian brethren, and we will remain committed to it as an option that restores full rights to their owners and guarantees the security of all, despite the obstacles and the extremism of those who do not believe in peace. 

Jerusalem will remain a Hashemite, Jordanian priority, and we will continue to defend and safeguard its holy sites, under the Hashemite Custodianship, which we undertake with honour and integrity.

Honourable Senators,

Honourable Representatives,

Jordan stands firm against the aggression on Gaza and the Israeli violations in the West Bank, and we are working tirelessly through Arab and international efforts to stop this war.

Jordan has exerted tremendous efforts, and Jordanians have valiantly been treating the wounded in the direst of circumstances. Jordanians were the first to deliver aid by air and land to people in Gaza, and we will remain by their side, now and in the future.

 These are your sons and daughters; they have pledged their allegiance to the Jordanian flag and performed their duties honourably. Our Arab Army and security agencies will remain a source of pride to their homeland and nation. You are on the pledge, ever the Nashama (the brave ones).

 Honourable Senators,

Honourable Representatives,

We will continue moving forward, and Jordan will write new chapters in its journey — a journey where the human being remains the most precious.

 Jordan, this great nation, will remain a country blessed with its people and land, an honest Arab homeland, and a home to all that is good. Every day in Jordan’s journey marks the beginning of a future that we build with faith, determination, and perseverance.

Peace, God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.” 

AMMAN — The Lower House elected MP Ahmad Safadi as its speaker during the first meeting of the 20th Parliament's first ordinary session, which His Majesty King Abdullah opened on Monday with a Speech from the Throne.  

Of the 137 lawmakers present at the session, which chaired by Mijhim Suqoor, the longest serving deputy, a total of 98 MPs voted in favour of Safadi, while his rival veteran MP Saleh Armout, of Islamist leaning, received 37 votes.  

MP Mustafa Khasawneh was elected as the first deputy speaker by acclamation following the withdrawal of MP Ahmad Qatawneh. 

MP Ahmad Hamaysat was elected as the second deputy Speaker unopposed. 

Taking the podium, Safadi pledged constructive work with the government, saying that the King's Speech from the Throne will be roadmap by which the House will proceed in carrying out its legislative and political duties. 

Present at the session, Prime Minister Jafar Hassan extended his congratulations to Safadi. 

He also congratulated the members of the Lower House on earning the trust of the citizens who elected them to the 20th Parliament.

Hassan reaffirmed the government’s commitment to working closely with the House within constitutional frameworks to implement the directives outlined by His Majesty in the Speech from the Throne and in the designation letter to the government. 

He also stressed the government’s respect for the MPs’ constitutional roles in oversight and legislation and expressed openness to all opinions and proposals to serve the nation and its citizens.  

AMMAN — Polish President Andrzej Duda on Monday arrived in Amman for an official visit to the Kingdom, during which he is scheduled to meet with His Majesty King Abdullah. 

Upon landing at the Queen Alia International Airport, President Duda was welcomed by Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Sami Smeirat, who heads the accompanying honourary delegation, the Jordan News, Petra, reported.

The reception also included Amman Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh, Amman Governor Yasser Adwan, Polish Ambassador to Jordan LucjanKarpiński, and members of the Polish embassy.

AMMAN — The Senate convened on Monday for its first meeting of the 20th Parliament’s first ordinary session, inaugurated earlier in the day by His Majesty King Abdullah with the Speech from the Throne.

In the presence of Cabinet members, the session outlined legislative priorities for the coming period, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

The Upper House formed a committee to draft a response to the Speech from the Throne, comprising Senators Samir Rifai, Rajai Muasher, Mohammad Dawudieh, Issa Murad and Abla Amawi. 

Rifai was elected as first deputy president, Abdullah Ensour as second deputy president, and Suhair Ali and Zuhair Abu Fares were elected as assistants to the president.

In his remarks, Senate President Faisal Fayez underscored that the Speech from the Throne would guide the Senate’s efforts to fulfil its constitutional duties, expedite legislative progress, and advance the Kingdom’s reform agenda. 

Fayez also stressed the importance of promoting "strong" cooperation with the government and the Lower House to consolidate a genuine partnership in line with constitutional mandates and national priorities.

He also reiterated Jordan’s unwavering position on the Palestinian cause, stressing the need for an independent Palestinian state based on international legitimacy and the two-state solution. 

The president also highlighted the Kingdom's humanitarian role in Gaza, noting that Jordan was the first country to break the blockade on the besieged Strip, continuously providing humanitarian aid and operating field hospitals in Gaza and other Palestinian cities.

During the session, senators Bisher Khasawneh, Rajai Muasher, Hussein Majali, Khawla Armouti, Mazen Darwazeh, Abla Amawi and Suhad Juneidi took the oath of office after they were absent with excuse from the swearing in session that was held in late October. 

The session opened with the reading of Royal Decrees announcing the dissolution of the previous session and the convening of the new one. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday stressed the need to step up Arab efforts to bolster the humanitarian response in Gaza, during a meeting with Qatar Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at Al Husseiniya Palace.

During the meeting, attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, His Majesty affirmed that putting an end to the Israeli war on Gaza and Lebanon is the immediate step required to reach comprehensive calm in the region, according to a Royal Court statement. 

The King highlighted the importance of implementing the resolutions reached at the recent Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit held in Riyadh, commending Qatar’s efforts aimed at de-escalation and restoring regional stability.

Discussions also covered the deep-rooted ties between the two countries and means of expanding cooperation across various fields, the statement said. 

Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, and Director of the Office of His Majesty Alaa Batayneh attended the meeting.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah is scheduled to open the 20th Parliament's first ordinary session on Monday, where he will deliver the Speech from the Throne.

The Senate will later convene a meeting, chaired by President Faisal Fayez, to read the Royal Decrees that include one postponing the start of Parliament’s ordinary session to 18 November 2024, and a second summoning Parliament to convene for an ordinary session as of Monday, 18 November. 

The Upper House will then elect members of the committee to prepare a draft reply to the Speech from the Throne.

Following the Senate meeting, the 138-member Lower House will meet in a separate session to elect its speaker as well as members of the permanent office, including deputy speakers.

Before amending the Lower House's bylaws, the first meeting used to be chaired by the eldest deputy. Now the MP with the longest membership will preside over the first meeting.

The Lower House will also from a committee to prepare a reply to the King's Speech and will elect members of its 20 permanent committees.

The replies of both Houses have to be referred to His Majesty in 14 days from the date of delivering the Speech from the Throne. 

The 20th Lower House was elected on September 10 according to the 2022 Elections Law, under which 41 out of the Chamber's 138 seats were allocated to political parties lists.

AMMAN — Udhruh, some 15 kilometres east of Petra and known from the Nabataean, Roman and Byzantine times, is a place where Jordanian and Dutch experts study ancient water harvesting and subterranean structures used to collect and preserve water in a very arid area of the Petra hinterland.

“For the subsurface part, three lines of vertical qanat shafts (totalling more than 200 individual shafts) were dug and hacked out of the limestone bedrock, 1.1–3.9 kilometres south-east of the fortress of Udhruh,” said the professor Mark Driessen from Leiden University.

 Driessen added that these shafts are currently filled in, and recognisable by circular mounds or hollows, "probably created during the construction and maintenance of the shafts, and later filled in with blown- or filled-in debris."

"We have already counted 243 of these circular mounds, positioned at regular intervals of about 25–30 metres apart. There must have been more though, as some parts of the lines lack such mounds and some shafts are losing their surface visibility as a result of erosion and modern cultivation," the professor said.

"At the western side – near Tell Abara – the qanat tapped into three or four ‘mother wells’ which are probably fed by groundwater from elevated aquifers," Driessen elaborated, adding that a modern water station is situated to the west of Tell Abara and close to the mother well in the southernmost line of shafts. 

The Dutch team noticed over several campaigns that a small but continuous flow of pulsating water was coming out of a surface pipe near this station, which was probably drilled into the subterranean water level. 

Therefore, they assumed that the aquifers must still contain water. 

“The three lines seem to merge near the modern Udhruh – Maan road approximately 2.8 km south-east of Udhruh,” said professor Fawzi Abudanah from Al Hussein Bin Talal University in Maan, adding that this intersection is uncertain, however, because of the observable distortions in this area, and further east two parallel lines of shafts are seen heading towards the Wadi Fiqay. 

Along with construction and maintenance purposes, the shafts play an important role in ventilation of the qanat: The horizontal underground tunnels of the Udhruh qanat have not been investigated yet, as the vertical shafts are filled in.

Shafts in that area are still fully or partly opened in the area.

"A start has been made on the archaeological excavation of one vertical shaft, which was stopped unfortunately after four metres because we reached the maximum depth with the ladder we had available," Driessen explained. 

He added that it was already clear that the more or less square shaft (about 2 × 2m) was cut through the Muwaqqar Chalk Marl rock formation, with evenly distributed man-made holes in the opposite walls, which were probably used to hold bars for a ladder construction. 

For the safer exploration, a large tripod and military rope hoists is used to further excavate this qanat shaft. 

Soil samples will be taken to date the period during which the qanats went out of operation, and also for micro-morphological research in order to find out if the backfilling started through natural processes or anthropogenic activities, Abudanah elaborated. 

He pointed out that reaching the bottom of this shaft will also "allow us to access and gain knowledge about the horizontal tunnel and channel construction, hopefully with datable material culture and mortar samples." 

"The aim is eventually to excavate at least one ‘mother well’ shaft and two other additional shafts to obtain data, especially on the hydrological capacities of the channels," Abudanah underlined.

Abdudanah continued: "The subsurface parts of qanats transport water from a mother well to a surface outlet. After travelling 3.1–4.5km through underground conduits, the water probably reaches a surface outlet. An erosion gully in the alluvial deposits of the Wadi Fiqay unearthed two parallel surface channels of different construction only 200 metres from the most north-eastern qanat shaft."

“An outlet point can therefore be expected somewhere in these environs. The surface parts of the water scheme in this wadi are covered with thick alluvial deposits in some places, while at other spots they stand above the current ground level,” Driessen explained.

He noted that the surface water conduits – with total lengths of 1.9 and 2.6km – end at two large reservoirs connected to agricultural field systems. 

"The maximum capacity of this reservoir [with an inside surface of 988 square metres] was about 2.7 million litres of water," Diessen underscored.