‘Jordanian ambassador to Israel still in Amman for consultations’

AMMAN — Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani on Saturday said Jordan’s Ambassador to Israel Walid Obeidat is still in Amman for consultations, stressing Jordan’s continued efforts to advocate the Palestinian cause. 

The government on Wednesday recalled Obeidat for consultations in the wake of an Israeli incursion into Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and in protest over Israeli violations against Al Haram Al Sharif compound.

The minister made the remarks during a meeting with political party representatives who commended the step and said Jordan should ensure that the Arab and the Islamic nations shoulder their responsibility regarding the developments taking place in Jerusalem, as Jordan cannot hold this responsibility on its own.  

At the meeting, attended by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Khaled Kalaldeh, Momani also underscored the role that the state media has always played in support of the Palestinian issue, especially when Israeli occupation forces imposed restrictions on Palestinians, or carried out violations against Islamic sites in the occupied lands. 

State media outlets have worked to highlight the Israeli violations against the Palestinians through dedicating around 70 per cent of their airtime to cover this issue, noted Momani, who is also the government spokesperson, as quoted by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Momani noted that the 1994 Wadi Araba agreement between Jordan and Israel outlines the framework of bilateral relations between Jordan and Israel. Therefore, any decision that Jordan takes is in line with the agreement, he said, noting that Jordan has a clear and well-defined approach for dealing with Israeli escalatory measures. 

Regarding the development of the media sector, Momani said Jordan currently has around 70 active television and radio stations and “professional” electronic news websites. 

Momani pointed out that the number of media outlets, mainly electronic websites, has dropped in the past couple of years because court cases were filed against those which did not observe transparency and professionalism in their work. 

Regarding the annual payment of JD50,000 by the Interior Ministry to political parties, Momani said the new law on political parties, which is currently in the Lower House, will make a distinction between small and large parties to decide how much financial assistance to allocate to each.

With regard to the terrorist group, known as the Islamic State, Momani cautioned against the dangers of terrorism, regardless of its origin or the parties that back it, asserting that Jordan’s goal is to stop IS and other armed terrorist groups, and to prevent them from threatening Jordan. 

Stressing that Jordan’s war against terrorism is a pre-emptive defensive measure, he said IS is currently stationed in next-door Arab countries so that it would not be wise for Jordan to wait until terrorists step inside the country.

Momani also highlighted the burdens borne by Jordan as a result of the influx of Syrian refugees for more than three years, noting that their number changes on daily basis as they come and leave the country, noting that this issue has been imposed on the Kingdom due to its geographic proximity to Syria.