هدوء بعد شغب بالعاصمة الجزائرية

25/11/2010 م

اشتبكت قوات الأمن الجزائرية أول أمس الثلاثاء بالعاصمة مع عشرات الأشخاص الذين احتجوا على هدم منازلهم التي تقول السلطات إنها بنيت بشكل غير قانوني، في حين يؤكد السكان أن مشكل السكن هو الذي يدفعهم إلى ذلك.

واندلعت المواجهات بين الطرفين بحي ديار العافية الشعبي المكتظ بالسكان، بعدما قام عمال بلدية العاصمة مدعومين بالشرطة بهدم ثلاثة منازل بحجة أن بناءها مخالف للقانون، وهو ما أثار غضب سكان الحي ودفعهم إلى الرد بشكل عنيف.

وقالت قناة الجزيرة إن عشرات الشبان قاموا بإغلاق الطرق ورشق الشرطة بالحجارة والزجاجات، وردت عليهم قوات مكافحة الشغب التي وصلت المكان بعد حدوث الاشتباكات بين الطرفين بالقنابل المسيلة للدموع.

ويؤكد المتضررون –وفق الجزيرة- أنهم أصبحوا مشردين بعد أن هدمت البلدية مساكنهم دون أن توفر لهم منازل بديلة، مع العلم بأن الأحياء العشوائية أصبحت تطوق العاصمة الجزائرية بسبب أزمة السكن.

وفي نفس السياق يقول أحد أرباب الأسر التي هدمت بيوتها -ويدعى العربي جوديل (52 عاما)- لرويترز إنه طرد من منزله هو وأسرته وأصبحوا في الشارع، مشيرا إلى أنه طلب من بلدية العاصمة إيجاد حل لأزمته "لكن لا حياة لمن تنادي"، في حين دعت زوجته الله أن يقتص ممن سمتهم الظالمين.

ويذكر أن الحكومة الجزائرية أعلنت خطة استثمار بقيمة 286 مليار دولار على مدى السنوات الأربع القادمة لإيجاد وظائف وتحسين مستوى المعيشة، كما تعهد الرئيس عبد العزيز بوتفليقة ببناء مليون وحدة سكنية جديدة بحلول عام 2014.

وتشهد الجزائر بين الحين والآخر موجات من الغضب والاضطرابات الاجتماعية بسبب مشاكل البطالة والسكن، لكن أعمال الشغب تكاد تكون نادرة في العاصمة الجزائرية على وجه التحديد بسبب خضوعها لوجود مكثف للشرطة.

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/CA882CF0-9514-4269-AC16-BC8E1D639EC8.htm.

Jordan's Tribal Leaders Flex Their Muscles

by Abdullah Omar
Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Rioting presents a challenge to campaign of King Abdallah II to impose rule of law

AMMAN, Jordan - Calm has returned to As-Salt, a city of 100,000 some 30 kilometers (18 miles) west of the capital Amman, after three days of rioting that erupted in the wake of a police shooting of an unarmed civilian. But the local tribes believed to be behind the unrest still have a beef with King Abdallah II.

The aftermath of clash is evident in the city’s downtown, where thousands of gendarmerie were deployed to contain angry crowds that smashed shop fronts and torched automated teller machines during 48 hours of rampaging. When his iron-fist policy failed, the king dispatched Interior Minister Nayef Al-Qadhi to the town to seek a truce with the tribes.

But the underlying causes of the rioting will be a tougher problem to solve. Western diplomats say the modernizing Abdullah is determined to impose the rule of the law on the influential tribes, but tribal chiefs are equally determined to preserve their traditional power and privileges, putting the two on a potential collision course.

“In King Hussein’s time, the tribes could get away with anything,” a Western diplomat told the Media Line, referring to Abdullah’s father, who ruled Jordan for close to half a century until he died in 1999. “But, King Abdallah II is adamant to put everybody under the rule of law. His policy isn’t being received well by tribes used to certain leverages.”

Jordan’s king and tribe drama could have far-reaching implications. The country is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East. But with a war-torn Iraq to his east and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to his west, Abdallah faces a host of challenges to stable rule. Jordan’s tribes are the bulwark of his Hashemite monarchy and counterbalance the influence of Jordan’s big Palestinian population.

Last week’s rioting in As-Salt was set off by relatives of a man assaulted by a local police officer. The incident began when an officer reportedly put chase to a vehicle he deemed suspicious because it had no license plate and its windows were broken. As he pursued the car, he was confronted by relatives of the driver.

Eyewitnesses say the policeman pulled his gun and shot at close range a man they termed a bystander. Angry and vengeful, relatives of the victim and others attacked a police station, torched a police booth and bank, and hurled stones at gendarmerie forces. The police responded by storming shops and beating civilians inside them.

“Our relative was shot in the head from a close range, and the police told us immediately that they didn’t do it,” said Ali Khreisat, a member of the tribe that clashed with police. “They confessed later. But we needed to take the law in our hands because we do not have trust in police or the government.”

The melee in As-Salt is hardly an isolated incident in a country. According to official figures, nearly 200 cases of social violence – the official term for vigilantism -- were reported in the north, central and southern parts of the kingdom last year. One common factor among most incidents is that they happened in tribe-dominated areas.

The late King Hussein was in most respects a modernizer, but he relied on tribes to cement his grip on power amid fear about the rising influence of the country’s Palestinians. Abdallah II has continued his father’s legacy, but the Western-educated Abdullah has also sought to impose the law equally on all the population and use the police and other government mechanisms to enforce it.

“In Jordan, the tribe is a fundamental part of social and political identity. We cannot ignore this, but modernity requires the state to implement the law, without discrimination or favoritism,” Fuad Dabour, security-general of the Arab Communist Party, told The Media Line.

The unrest exploded just a few days ahead of the scheduled opening of a newly elected parliament, which needs to address not only the growing vigilantism, but to spur economic growth and cut Jordan's record $2 billion budget deficit. Abdallah has his work cut out, but thanks to voting rules that favor the kingdom’s rural, tribal allies, parliament is dominated by tribal leaders.

Of the 120 newly elected lawmakers, only 17 are Jordanians of Palestinian origin, even though they make up nearly 65 % of the population. Many observers say the elections system has enhanced tribal power at the expense of rule of law and government.

Experts have warned that the tribes may use their power to oppose the king, especially as economic pressures grow and trust in government decline. The attack on security forces in As-Salt suggests that police have become the public face of bad public policies and decisions, said Professor Musa Shtewy, a sociologist and member of a government committee to study social violence. Nearly 70% of the population is under age of 30, but the young lack work opportunities while a conservative mentality limits business and social advancement.

“Youth is living in a state of frustration. Political alienation and apathy are prevalent,” Shtewy told The Media Line. “We also have high unemployment, poverty and lack of future prospects.”

Dabour, the communist, blamed the government, which he says discourages the young from joining political parties that would raise them above narrow tribal allegiances.

“The authorities are reaping the fruits of what they planted,” he said.

Copyright © 2010 The Media Line. All Rights Reserved.

Source: The Media Line.
Link: http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=30626.

Princess Muna inaugurates new headquarters for FFSPD

By Rand Dalgamouni

AMMAN - Members of the Families and Friends Society of Persons with Disabilities (FFSPD) on Wednesday celebrated the opening of their new headquarters, which they hope will allow them to serve a greater number of people.

HRH Princess Muna, the society's honorary president, inaugurated the new venue along with Their Royal Highnesses Prince Raad and Princess Majda Raad.

FFSPD founder and chairperson, Rima Ayoub Zureikat said one of the main challenges the society had faced since its founding 16 years ago was its small venue, adding that the new headquarters will allow them to serve a greater number of persons with disabilities (PWD) and their families.

She explained that FFSPD provides a variety of training, empowerment and social integration programs for PWD.

"We take those with multiple disabilities who come from areas where they have been previously isolated and ignored. Our motto is 'Tell me and I won't, show me and I might, involve me and I will'," she told The Jordan Times in a recent interview.

"Our children are able, but in their own way," she added, noting that the society also provides help to mothers of children with disabilities.

"We train mothers on the best way to deal with their disabled children. They regain their confidence and overcome the social stigma that they may face," Zureikat explained.

She pointed out that the FFSPD is one of the first societies in Jordan to apply the Portage Program, which is a home-based educational, early interventional and diagnostic program for children from birth to nine years of age.

Under the program, a home visitor comes weekly to train the mother on how to best care for her child with mental, physical, or multiple disabilities.

"Some of the mothers we train become home visitors themselves, since their experience gives them the empathy to help mothers of other children with disabilities," Zureikat noted.

A two-year program prepares children aged between six and nine with mild to moderate mental disabilities, who have been previously home-serviced, for integration into schools within their local communities.

Zureikat explained that the FFSPD works with 30 children in their homes and 32 at the society's facilities, in addition to 40 older PWD aged between 16 and 40.

Employing a staff of 25, the society engages PWD in activities that range from cooking and sewing to summer camps, computer skills courses and horseback riding.

Zureikat said she is hoping to build another floor to accommodate more children and separate them by age.

She also hopes the society will be able to overcome the challenge of helping older PWD to join the labor market.

25 November 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=32075.

Israeli envoy called over 'assault on diplomats'

By Hani Hazaimeh

AMMAN - Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Wednesday summoned Israeli Ambassador to Jordan Daniel Nevo and expressed the government's “utter rejection and condemnation” after two Jordanian diplomats in Tel Aviv “were assaulted by Israeli police”.

"We asked the Israeli government to deal with this incident in accordance with diplomatic norms and take all measures to ensure that such incidents never happen again," Judeh told The Jordan Times yesterday.

He added that he called on the Israeli government, in a letter of protest handed to Nevo, to start an immediate investigation into the incident and inform the ministry of its outcomes accordingly.

Agence France-Presse yesterday quoted the Israeli police spokesperson, Micky Rosenfeld, as saying: “They [the diplomats] were questioned for a short period of time in the area where police were on patrol.”

“Their IDs and passports didn’t exactly match. They were released after a short time when things were cleared up.”

Rosenfeld said the Jordanian embassy staff were stopped in the Tel Aviv area and that the police were still investigating what they were doing in what he said was “the middle of nowhere”.

“As far as we’re concerned, that incident will be looked into. What they were doing walking around that specific neighborhood [has] nothing to do with their work,” he said.

25 November 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=32071.

New government sworn in

By Hani Hazaimeh

AMMAN - Prime Minister Samir Rifai and his new Cabinet were sworn in yesterday before His Majesty King Abdullah, becoming the 73rd government in the country's history and the eighth since the King ascended the Throne.

Besides Rifai, 19 ministers from the outgoing government kept their portfolios and 11 new members joined Rifai's team.

The composition of the new Cabinet, which as its predecessor includes three women, reflects a desire to secure continuity in the workings of the government and to build on the achievements of the previous administration, the prime minister-designate said.

King Abdullah on Sunday accepted the resignation of Rifai’s government and tasked him with forming a new Cabinet to continue implementing the plans outlined in the outgoing government’s Letter of Designation about a year ago.

In the Letter of Designation addressed to the prime minister-designate on Sunday, King Abdullah commended the achievements of the outgoing government in several fields, but noted that there is still a “long” way to go to fully realize the development process.

The letter underlined the need for the government to continue working transparently and systematically to achieve the goals included in the previous Letter of Designation, highlighting several priorities that the government should take into account.

“The government must also cooperate with the legislative authority to complete the decentralization law to enable citizens to have a greater say in determining their future and identifying their development priorities,” the King said.

In his response to the King’s letter, Rifai pledged to implement the Monarch’s directives to proceed with reform and development and to move the country’s national interests forward towards a better and brighter future.

“The government realizes that cooperation between all institutions, in an integrated effort free of personal interests, is key to success in achieving the national goals, overcoming the challenges facing the country, and building the future Jordan and Jordanians deserve,” Rifai said.

Therefore, he added, the government will do everything in its capacity to build a genuine, institutional partnership with the Lower House on the basis of the Constitution and laws, in order to achieve the aspirations of the country and its citizens, as well as to promote shared responsibility for the process of development and modernization.

Rifai noted that the new government will embark on a comprehensive review to remove all obstacles facing the reform process and hindering efforts to build a better future for Jordan.

“The government will not hesitate to take firm decisions to ensure smooth progress in the reform process as instructed by Your Majesty, and will pay no attention to cynics or allow personal interests to obstruct these efforts,” Rifai said.

He added that the government will take all necessary steps to activate partisan politics in keeping with the Constitution and develop legislation related to public freedoms and human rights, as well as laws governing the performance of civil society organizations, in order to achieve political development that encourages public participation in decision making and creates a proper environment to ensure a successful overall reform process.

“In this context, and in line with the directives of Your Majesty, the government will do everything necessary to develop the media industry, and to ensure that the media practices its duties with utmost freedom and independence, while at the same time protecting society, institutions and individuals from the misconduct of some media practitioners that do harm to the nation and infringe on the rights of the people and their reputations,” the premier stressed.

Moreover, Rifai reiterated that the government will send the temporary Elections Law to Parliament for approval after making “any needed adjustments or amendments consistent with the interests of the country”, and will cooperate with the legislative authority to complete the decentralization law, which will enable citizens to play a greater role in identifying their development priorities.


List of Ministers

Following is the complete list of the new Cabinet:

• Samir Rifai: Prime Minister and Defense Minister

• Khalid Karaki: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education

• Saad Hayel Srour: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior

• Ayman Safadi: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State and Government Spokesperson

• Abdul Salam Abbadi: Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs

• Hisham Tal: Minister of Justice

• Suleiman Hafez: Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources

• Nasser Judeh: Minister of Foreign Affairs

• Walid Maani: Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research

• Mohammad Abu Hammour: Minister of Finance

• Tayseer Smadi: Minister of Agriculture

• Hala Lattouf: Minister of Social Development and Women’s Affairs

• Amer Hadidi: Minister of Industry and Trade

• Alaa Batayneh: Minister of Transport

• Musa Maaytah: Minister of Political Development

• Nabih Shuqum: Minister of Culture

• Imad Fakhoury: Minister of State for Mega-Projects

• Jafar Hassan: Minister of Planning and International Cooperation

• Ibrahim Omoush: Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs

• Mohammad Najjar: Minister of Water and Irrigation

• Mohammad Obeidat: Minister of Public Works and Housing

• Marwan Juma: Minister of Information and Communications Technology

• Ali Ayed: Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications

• Samir Murad: Minister of Labor

• Rabha Dabbas: Minister of Municipal Affairs

• Nasser Shraideh: Minister of Environment

• Fares Qatarneh: Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs

• Nesreen Barakat: Minister of Public Sector Development

• Mahmoud Sheyyab: Minister of Health

• Ahmad Tbeishat: Minister of Parliamentary Affairs

• Zeid Goussous: Minister of Tourism and Antiquities

25 November 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=32070.

اعتداء على موظفين أردنيين بإسرائيل

24/11/2010 م

محمد النجار-عمان

اعتدى رجال أمن إسرائيليون على موظفين يعملان بالسفارة الأردنية بتل أبيب, أمس الثلاثاء, حسب ما أكدت مصادر رسمية أردنية.

وجاء في صحيفة الغد الأردنية اليوم الأربعاء أن عسكريين إسرائيليين بزي مدني قاما بالاعتداء على الموظفين أثناء عودتهما إلى منزلهما.

وأوضحت أن الاعتداء جاء بعد أن طلب الأمن الإسرائيلي منهما إبراز جواز السفر رغم حملهما هوية إسرائيلية بموجب عملهما.

وأضافت أن الموظفين يعانيان من كدمات ورضوض، إلا أن حالتهما الصحية حسنة.

وأكد مصدر رسمي في وزارة الخارجية الأردنية للجزيرة نت أن الوزارة أجرت منذ أمس اتصالات مع السفارة الأردنية في إسرائيل للوقوف على ملابسات الحادث تمهيدا لاتخاذ القرار المناسب.

وتجري هذه الاتصالات بغياب وزير الخارجية الأردني ناصر جودة الذي قدم استقالته مع الحكومة التي يتوقع أن يعيد سمير الرفاعي تشكيلها اليوم الأربعاء.

ويقوم بالاتصالات الأمين العام للوزارة محمد الظاهر، حيث نص كتاب العاهل الأردني بقبول استقالة الحكومة على تولي الأمناء العامين مسؤولية إدارة الوزارات حتى تشكيل الحكومة.

ولم يعين الأردن سفيرا جديدا له في تل أبيب منذ تولي السفير السابق علي العايد منصب وزير الدولة لشؤون الإعلام والاتصال الناطق الرسمي باسم الحكومة في يوليو/تموز الماضي.

وبينما تضاربت الأنباء في الأشهر القليلة الماضية عن هوية السفير الأردني الجديد في تل أبيب، أكدت مصادر سياسية مطلعة للجزيرة نت أن تعيين السفراء يتم بقرار من العاهل الأردني عبد الله الثاني الذي يتولى تسمية السفراء خاصة في الدول المصنفة كدول "حساسة".

وتبادلت عمان وتل أبيب السفراء بعد توقيع معاهدة سلام بينهما في وادي عربة في أكتوبر/تشرين الأول 1994.

وعاشت العلاقات الأردنية الإسرائيلية حالة من التوتر العام الماضي بعد فوز بنيامين نتنياهو برئاسة الحكومة في إسرائيل قبل أن تعود الاتصالات السياسية لأعلى مستوياتها عندما التقى عبد الله الثاني بنتنياهو في عمان الصيف الماضي، وأجرى الجانبان عددا من الاتصالات الثنائية بعد هذا اللقاء.

وتوجه الحكومة الأردنية انتقادات مستمرة للسياسات الإسرائيلية خاصة ما يتعلق بالاستيطان في القدس المحتلة والضفة الغربية، لكن هذا الانتقاد لا يتقاطع، حسب مراقبين، مع استمرار علاقات تطبيع فنية على مستوى لجان حكومية وأمنية تلتقي بشكل شبه دوري.

وزار وفد من موظفي وزارة المياه الأردنية إسرائيل قبل أسابيع لحضور اجتماع دوري يتعلق بتنفيذ اتفاقات خاصة بالمياه، كما التأم في العقبة الصيف الفائت اجتماع أردني فلسطيني إسرائيلي للبحث في تنفيذ قناة البحرين بين البحر الأحمر والبحر الميت، وهو مشروع ثلاثي برعاية دولية يتوقع أن تبلغ تكلفته 10 مليارات دولار.

وتعارض أحزاب سياسية ونقابات مهنية العلاقات الثنائية بين الأردن وإسرائيل، وأقامت اللجنة العليا لحماية الوطن ومجابهة التطبيع اعتصاما قرب السفارة الإسرائيلية في عمان في ضاحية الرابية في 26/10/2010 اعتصاما احتجاجا على مرور 16 عاما على هذه العلاقات.

كما يقيم ناشطون قوميون ويساريون اعتصاما أسبوعيا قرب السفارة منذ الاعتداء على سفن أسطول الحرية نهاية مايو/أيار الماضي، وأكد الدكتور إبراهيم علوش أحد قادة هذا الاعتصام للجزيرة نت أن الاعتصام سيقام كل خميس من كل أسبوع حتى قطع العلاقات بين عمان وتل أبيب.

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/1F887E8E-7141-4E05-B043-2FBEADAC91FA.htm.

Jordanian military field hospital arrives in Gaza

2010-11-24

Gaza - Another Jordanian military field hospital (Gaza 11) on Wednesday arrived in the coastal territory to replace (Gaza 10) whose tour of duty came to an end after treating thousands of Palestinians in the besieged strip .

(Gaza 10) Director Nidal Yunis said that the staff of the outgoing hospital is proud for accomplishing the mission which came upon directives by His Majesty King Abdullah II to provide excellent and quality medical service to alleviate the suffering of Gazans.

He added that Gaza 10 treated around 44,000 patients and performed 720 minor and major surgeries since its inception two months ago.

Director of Gaza 11 Nabeel Hmoud said that the new clinic comprises 210 medical, technical and administrative staff and will start work next Sunday.

Source: Ammon News.
Link: http://en.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleNO=10949.