Jordan's War on Terror

What's been happening in Jordan for the past month has been truly unprecedented.

Hummam al Balawi, a Jordanian informant pulled off the worst attack against the CIA in over 25 years. Balawi, a trusted informant of the General Intelligence Department was recruited by the CIA to try and infiltrate the higher circles of AL Qaeda and help in the capture of Al Qaeda's second most important man, Aiman al Thawahri. Balawi, however, had kept his allegiance to Al-Qaeda all along, and in a suicide bombing, he killed 7 top CIA officials along with his Jordanian GID supervisor, Sharif Ali Bin Zeid, a distant member of the royal family.

The repercussions of this attack have been staggering. Besides resulting in immense embarrassment for both the CIA and the Jordanian government, it raised too many questions to be answered.

Should Jordan be helping the CIA in their war against terror? Some say after the Amman bombings in 2005, we had no choice but to enter such a war, while others argue that fighting a war alongside the US will only drive more people into Al Qaeda . One cannot ignore the similarity to the US's decision to fight the war against terror in Iraq after the 9/11 bombings.

Even after the Amman bombings, more than 30% of the Jordanian population was actually pro-Qaeda, and if the Sharif Bin Zeid wasn't one of the victims, the majority would've idolized Al Balawi and considered him a hero.

I have no answers on what stance we should be taking, but whatever it is, Jordanians need to be made aware of it. How can Jordan fight a war against al-Qaeda if there's a not-so-small percentage of Jordanians who are actually supporting them? Just the past week a Jordanian fighter in the Taliban was killed in an American military operation. The government says of its involvement in Afghanistan as "finding the root of where terrorists plot and stopping them there". While that is legitimate, it is also pointless if there are terrorists in the making right here. It is time for the government to address the mentality that defends terrorism, rather than pretend it doesn't exist.



Must-reads:

1) Shooting Your Foot: Jordan’s Afghanistan And CIA Connection (Black Iris)
2) Humam Balawi Video Surfaces On Al Jazeera & Other Notes From Jordan (Black Iris)
3) Photo Of The Moment | Jordanian Taliban Fighter Mahmoud Zeidan’s Funeral Contrasts (Black Iris)
4) Islamists Press Jordan to Stop Aiding U.S. Forces in Afghanistan (New York Times)
5) Jordan emerges as key CIA counterterrorism ally (Washington Post)
6) هل يؤيد الأردنيون "القاعدة"؟ (Alghad)

A New Government. Yeah, so?

While the decision to dissolve the parliament about two weeks ago was met with pure joy and relief, the appointment of a new prime minister was met with either disappointment or most probably indifference. Sameer Rifai, the new prime minister is the third generation of a family of prime ministers, something that probably happens only in Jordan.

I like to think of the whole thing as a game. There's this circle of elitists, the ones allowed to play, all of whom at one point or another were ministers or CEOs and every couple of years one of them gets their turn as the top player. Now this top player would proceed to "reshuffle" the current players, or if he's looking for some change, add a couple of new ones. The field that each player is in charge of is truly irrelevant to their area of expertise. Now once the parliament is elected, the game of who destroys who first begins! Fun fun fun.

So I don't really think it matters who gets picked as the prime minister, the same cycle of events seems to repeat itself regardless of how optimistic we are of the new government. But not to be part of the blame culture, because we should take the blame as well. We should be part of a responsible, incorrupt election that would result in a parliament that speaks for the citizens rather than attack them, but hey that's just wishful thinking.

Once again, Emad Hajjaj depicts it best.

After Doubling Ministers' Salaries, PMs to Receive a JD2000 Raise

I think what surprises me the most is that I continue to be surprised at what can only be described as pure corruption. Not an ounce of decency left. Not so much as simple reservation or consideration towards the average citizen suffering to make ends meet.

About a week ago, a recommendation to raise Parliament Members salaries from JD2500 to JD4500 was approved. This took place during a meeting between Lower House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali and Prime Minister Nader Dahabi, who not only approved it, but encouraged it as well. But such a raise, if instated, is suspected to be faced with objection from the majority of the members.

This is because Parliament members who are eligible to a pension before having become a member of the Parliament can combine both their pension and the member's salary, which definitely amounts to more than JD4500. This is applicable to about 75 members- those who reached retirement from previous jobs. With the rest feeling all left out, the government sees this raise, provided that combining the salaries is no longer allowed, as a solution to those feelings of hostility and resentment among parliament members, resulting from the "whose salary is higher" complex. This "solution" will cost an extra 1 million JDs, paid for by janabna, the taxpayers.

Getting elected into the parliament is quite the lucrative business. Not only do they receive two huge salaries, one of which encounters a raise at least twice a year (last raise was in June), but they also receive university scholarships, an exemption from duty tax, which they can sell, and a quota for Hajj. And for what? Working a maximum of 5 months a year for 4 years (mostly spent fighting with one another).

And if you haven't heard already, the ministers of the new government have doubled their salaries from JD1500 to JD3000.

We should all be mad as hell. And we shouldn't take this shit anymore.

The Assassination of Khalid Mashaal

This is a story that has always fascinated me. It sounds like a plot taken out of some espionage movie but happened right here in Jordan, and fairly recently as well: in 1997 (though I have no recollection of it at the time). Before the expulsion of the Hamas movement from Jordan, Mashaal, currently chairman of the movement, was the chief of the Jordanian branch and resided in Amman. He was the target of an assassination attempt under orders of then Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But what’s weird is that I stumbled across two completely different accounts of the actual attempt. Behold:

Scenario 1: Mossad agents, in the country posing as Canadian tourists, broke into a home where Mashaal was sleeping and injected a deadly poison into his neck. Jordanian authorities arrested two of the ten agents who were engaged in the attempt. [Source: Wikipedia]

Scenario 2: And this is the story that I had previously heard. This one took place in broad daylight. On September 25th, 1997, two Mossad agents brushed past Mashaal on his way to office and attached a device to his ear that unleashed the poison into his body. The agents quickly got into a getaway car but were captured by the police after being cornered by Mashaal’s bodyguard. They were found to be carrying Canadian passports which turned out fake. [Source: The American Jewish Yearbook 1998]

Both scenarios had the same ending though. As Mashaal lay dying in a hospital bed, a furious King Hussein demanded that Israel deliver the antidote to the untraceable poison, which at first Netanyahu refused but then turned over after increasing pressures, and Mashaal survived the attempt.

The Mossad agents in custody were later released in exchange for the release of Ahmad Yassin, the founder of Hamas who was serving a life sentence in an Israeli prison. The entire episode helped Mashaal’s rise to power in the movement.

Pretty fascinating, huh?

It's pretty ironic that if Netanayahu wins, he would have to deal once again with the same man he tried to kill.

Why I'm Against Annuling the Treaty

Disclaimer: Before you go on to make a comment, bear in mind that I am an avid supporter of the Palestinian cause. I have not been "washed away" by Israeli propaganda nor can I begin to explain my fury and frustration at what is going on in Gaza right now.

I was reluctant to speak about this at first, because of all the vicious fights that I've observed around the blogosphere whenever this subject is discussed. But I'm putting my opinion out there so people can see the other side of the equation. The other opinion, that everybody I've met seems to be terrified to disclose.

I am very much against the annulment of the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty, the closure of the Israeli embassy or the expulsion of the ambassador, and I cannot see what good it could possibly achieve or contribute in ending the massacre the Palestinians are currently facing.

Here's the thing. I understand the feelings of frustration and anger, I really do. I understand the feeling of helplessness that takes over you as you see the lives of over 400 people, 400 human beings just like you and me being taken away in a place not so far from what we call home. I understand how the Arab nation feels like something has to be done, something needs to be done, so that we stop feeling so inferior to the rest of the world, to do something after being persecuted for so many years. I understand that it was OUR land to begin with, and that the Israelis were the ones who came here and unrightfully took over what's not theirs. I understand all of that.

But here's what I also understand. This dreaded treaty between us and the Israelis, the treaty that protests have been calling to annul for at least 3 times (that I can remember) , is what's preventing Israelis from starting a war with us. It's also what's enabling us to send in the donations to help those in the battle-zone. I honestly don't understand those who want to go into "war" and start a "jihad" against the Israelis. We are a country of 5 million, we have very few resources, and to put it simply and clearly, there's no way in hell we can win a war against Israel. The reason Jordan has remained quite a safe country (considering the fact that we live in a war zone), is not exactly a miracle. It's because we've accepted the presence of the Jewish nation as a fact and let's face it, it's not going to go away anytime soon, and if you think otherwise, you are either affected by your emotions, or grossly overestimate the abilities of the very country you're criticizing.

And this is why I can't support the riots that have been breaking out all over the place. i couldn't be more angry about what's happening, but I frankly think you're a hypocrite if you tell me you're willing to sacrifice your freedom and safety to go into a battle, to go into a war, that you KNOW there's no way you can win. I like the fact that I live in a safe, secure country, where I can go about my daily life without fear of having my house brought down over my head. This doesn't mean we've given up. I'm not giving up. I make my voice heard to let the people around the world, who aren't being told the whole story, know that a massacre is taking place. There are other ways we can fight this war, and sacrificing this country is not one of them. We've done that once before and lost. We'd just be hitting the self-destruct button.

Also posted on 7iber.

On Ghaza

"There is only one difference between the attacks between Israel's IDF forces and Hamas's rocket launches: Israel's are effective. Both sides fired rockets/missiles into regions populated by civilians. Both sides claim their opponent's civilians to be legitimate targets because of their support for their respective regimes. Hamas fires 20-90 kg unguided rockets. Israel fires Air-to-Ground precision guided missiles in the 130-150 kg range. It should not be surprising that one side produces an irritant while the other produces death and destruction."

Israel Versus Gaza: A Ridiculous War Dictated by a Lack of Alternatives

And while over 200 Palestinians are dead and over 400 injured, you got Israel vowing to expand the attacks and Washington calling on Hamas to stop the rocket attacks, attacks that are so inaccurate and so ineffective that sometimes end up killing the Palestinians themselves, but are being used as an excuse for the Ghaza attacks. The Israelis come off looking as poor and helpless, and that all they're doing is defending their people. How many more people must die in the name of this power struggle?

It's Obama!

So the Americans did it and made history as the first African-American was elected president of the United States and I can't help but feel joyful and excited. I think Obama's message of hope and change has spread here, to our side of the world, and we desperately need a change after what can only be described as a catastrophic presidency of George Bush. It's no longer about how will benefit this region, it's about who will cause the least harm.

And so here's to hoping the world will become a better place, even if just a little. And adieu to the mavericks. Frankly, I would've shot myself had I had to hear Palin's you betchas and say it ain't sos for the next four years. But most importantly, goodbye George Bush, you nutjob. May we never see the likes of you again.

P.S. McCain is quite the gracious loser, I have to say.

If McCain Wins

What Your Tax JDs Are Paying For

مجلس الوزراء قرر في الجلسة التي عقدها قبل اسبوعين منح اعفاءات جمركية لسيارات اعضاء مجلس النواب. وبموجب القرار فان آلية حصول النواب على الاعفاء ستكون بالحصول على كتاب بهذا الخصوص من دائرة الجمارك اعتبار من اليوم للتوجه لشراء ما يرغبون من انواع السيارات.وحصل نواب في المجالس النيابية السابقة على اعفاءات جمركية فيما حصل نواب المجلس النيابي الرابع عشر على تسهيلات جمركية ومالية فقط للحصول على سيارات

[Source]

As if a JD2460 a month salary is not enough, now our lovely Parliament members are entitled to duty free cars, all paid for by us, the naive Jordanians who helped elect them in the first place. And to do what? To go and throw water and juice cups on each other. Great. Long live democracy.

Here We Go Again!

The past week, head of the Royal Court, the very controversial Bassem Awadallah was once again under attack, this time for his alleged involvement in a human trafficking case that led to a lawsuit. I say once again because back in May, Awadallah was also viciously attacked by Parliament member Nariman Roussan for the land sales issue, who went as far as to compare him to Israeli spy Eli Cohen. And well, if you thought she won't be making another appearance amidst the chaos, you were highly mistaken.

This time, Roussan had questions for the government regarding an Independence day celebration that was aired on Jordan television. Apparently she is angry over cameras' focus on Awadallah during the event, and also because she's wasn't shown on television while greeting the King. The government sent her a detailed response saying that the cameras' positions are not determined on who will be standing in front of them, and that while a number of attendees (including Roussan) were coming in, one of the cameras encountered an error, which is why she wasn't shown on television. But she remains unconvinced.

Following what happened with writer Nahed Hattar, she may want to consider toning down her attacks on Awadallah a bit. See in the same week Hattar went on TV and attacked Awadallah, he also "resigned" from his post at a bank, stopped writing in his column in the newspaper and then suffered a health crisis that put him in the hospital. One of the commentators suggested that next news piece will read "Roussan suffers unfortunate car accident"!

You gotta love Jordanian politics.

Your Moment of Zen

That's John McCain hugging George Bush. Now isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever seen?

HM King Abdullah Addresses Issues and Puts an End to Rumours

The newspapers are buzzing with the interview His Majesty King Abdullah has given addressing issues that have been troubling Jordanians for some time now. I did not realise how bad the situation in Jordan has gotten until I read the interview. The skyrocketing prices, the land sales, the Jordan Festival, the McCain episode, the casino deal, the vicious rumours circulated by the media, the ever-growing skepticism towards the government's actions (which I admit to have been a part of), the conflict between parties that stoops to a new low everyday. Things have gotten so bad that the King felt obligated to exceptionally speak very frankly about these issues, basically to shut people up and end the controversy, and I have tremendous respect for him because of that.

Here are some excerpts from the interview:

About Prices:

"The high prices are on everyone's mind. This is a problem the whole world is suffering from and the developing world, which we are a part of, is being hit the hardest. No government in the world, as far as I know, has found a short-term answer to completely shield its people from the high prices, anyone who claims otherwise is being unfair.

The government has taken several measures to protect citizens against the high cost of living...I am the first to admit that this is not enough and that we need to do more and we will do more, God willing."

About the Land Sales:

"Selling government land to pay off international debt, which Jordan recently did, has saved current and future generations from paying high interest payment on the debt.... I want to remind people that we have paid off $2.4 billion of our debt this year.

..the debate should not focus on whether the government has the right to sell public land or any other public asset for that matter, because it obviously does have the right to sell land, but how the proceeds from the sales are used? If the process is transparent, and if the benefit of selling outweighs that of maintaining ownership, then this represents an opportunity that the Jordanian people should benefit from.

...I welcome, and indeed encourage, public criticism when it comes to the question of transparency and to whether some government assets should indeed be sold. In any country, sale of government assets is usually controversial. But currently the level of debate in Jordan has dropped to unacceptable levels with overdramatisation, rumours and opinions that are based on total ignorance of the issues; to the point where, even mature and lucid criticism is drowned out by rumours and ignorance."

About the Jordan Festival:

"Today, Arab artists are contemplating cancelling their performances and Arab tourists who were planning on visiting Jordan are cancelling their trips. The government is now wasting its valuable time and resources trying to do damage control. All this because some so-called journalists are too careless and incompetent to do their basic work; it is shameful....Should Jordan's future be held hostage to rumours and gossip? And should false information be the reference for our Jordanian press? Should we remain silent until the truth becomes the victim of irresponsible journalism?

Let us assume for a moment that it is in fact Publicis that is helping to organise the event. In fact, I cannot think of a major company that does not do business with Israel. If all these companies are offlimits then we are in deep trouble. For example, Intel whose chips power 80 per cent of computers around the world has billions of dollars of investments in Israel; its closest competitor AMD also has large investments in Israel. Does that mean we should throw our computers away? This is nonsense. If we follow this line of thought, then we will be doing the best service to Israel. All it has to do is use the best technology and best talent in the world and automatically it would be offlimits to us. "

About Rumours:

"I am extremely shocked and dismayed at the low level of debate transpiring in some elite and media circles. Throughout my life I have grown accustomed to rumours about myself and my family, as well as Jordan; but today, I feel that these rumours are negatively affecting the future of Jordan and I simply cannot remain silent. "

"I remember once having a conversation with my father, God rest his soul, about rumours circulating around a certain government official. He told me to be very careful before repeating anything I heard, because he said the difference between a lie and the truth is very simple - proof. He said that people who make dangerous claims that can jeopardise people’s reputations and careers without any proof are either ignorant or cowards. He told me that we would never allow Jordan to be hijacked by cowards and the ignorant. Today, this is my message to my brothers and sisters, the honourable citizens, that public policy will never be held hostage to rumours and ignorance. The world is becoming an increasingly complicated and technical place. I realise that some governments’ policies may be misunderstood and may face public discontent, indeed governments may sometimes make big mistakes, but if anyone has any proof of any intentional wrong-doing, please stand up and let it be known. My door is open. I am honoured to belong to a Hashemite Family that is firmly shut to rumours and irresponsible discourse."

"We should read about the world around us before we judge ourselves and let us learn from the experiences of others, let us be open to the world and unafraid, for this is the only way we will progress. Let knowledge be your weapon and don't believe rumours, especially when someone tells you "it's from reliable sources".

Finally, know that you mean everything to me."

It is at times like these that I feel proud to be a Jordanian.

You can read the entire interview (which I recommend you do) in Arabic here, and in English here.

P.S. How ironic is it that Ammon started the news piece with the paragraph about how rumors are negatively affecting Jordan and should not be tolerated?

The New Traffic Law

“ Lawmakers on Sunday began deliberating the long-awaited draft traffic-law amid hopes that the new legislation would discourage reckless driving and reduce deadly road accidents.

The draft stipulates that drivers who cause the death of an individual in a road accident will face a six-month prison term and/or fine ranging between JD1,000 and JD2,000 and will also have their driving license suspended for a minimum of six months to a maximum of one year.

But the Legal Committee, which studied and endorsed the bill with minor changes, reduced the incarceration period in such cases to three months. ”

[Source]

This amendment was disputed, much to my surprise, by Legal Committee member Mahmoud Kharabsheh, who sent a letter to Lower House speaker Abdul Hadi Majali demanding tougher punishments against “road criminals”. Kharabsheh was one of the members who were against changing the laws regarding honor crimes in 2000, because according to him, that would be "an invitation to obscenity," since "females are the ones who take the initiative and demonstrate consent to committing adultery."

Good for him.

But back to the subject. I think that in traffic accidents, where the driver is proven to be at fault, 6 months is too short a sentence. 6 months isn't going to discourage reckless drivers out there, it is hardly a slap on the wrist for someone who took another's life because they like speeding, so let alone 3 months. But then again, it's not always the driver's fault. Naseem points out how in many cases, pedestrians can be just as irresponsible as the drivers. We need to figure out a formula so that drivers will not be wrongfully accused, but at the same time combat this massive problem we seem to be having.

I long for the day when I open a newspaper and not find a report about a number of citizens who lost their lives in a car accident.

Members of the Parliament Receive a Raise

That's right. Our beloved parliament members have received a JD500 raise. The MPs' original salary included a basic salary of JD1500 a month, in addition to about JD466 for expenses making their total salary JD1960 a month. The raise introduced a new "hospitality" allowance, as well as an extra JD150 for phone expenses, bringing their grand total to JD2460 a month.

The new raise was granted after the members filed a top secret memo demanding a raise. Gee, I wonder why the memo was top secret. Maybe because they didn't want the general public to realise what hypocrites they are. Notice how this comes a day after a number of MPs demanded the cancellation of the Jordan Festival due to the "extenuating financial circumstances" that Jordanians are going through.

So let's recap on their accomplishments so far. I mean they must have done something to earn their raise. Anything?

12 Parliament Members Demand Cancelling Jordan Festival

Yesterday, the Lower House of the Parliament was scheduled to discuss legislation on transportation, maritime authority and rights of people with disabilities during their session. So what do they end up doing? They propose cancelling the Jordan Festival scheduled for next July due to the "economic and financial circumstances" Jordanians are going through.

The proposal was filed by none other than Nariman Roussan, who was surprised at her colleagues' hesitation to sign the memo, which she describes as 'normal'. This whole incident comes after several complaints about the organizing company, a French company suspected of supporting Zionism for organizing events celebrating 60 years of Israel's existence.

Now if they had objections to the company, which is perfectly okay, then why not suggest changing the company instead of cancelling the whole event. But not during a parliamentary session that was supposed to discuss more pressing issues, and not under the excuse of "economic circumstances". Trust me if Roussan or any of the other signing members really cared about impoverished Jordanians they would've donated some of their lifelong monthly JD1500 salary. If people don't want to go, they won't, but you do not get to decide for them.

Enough with the BS. And someone has GOT to stop Roussan from talking. Seriously.

Arab Media Guidebook?

Can someone explain this to me? Control what exactly and who decides what to control? Something tells me there's more to it than what Mr. Joudeh is disclosing.

We've Been Punk'd

Majorly.

In a recent post, I mentioned how Robert Kagan, McCain's advisor, announced adopting the "Jordanian Option" strategy which declares Jordan as the new Palestine, based on a Ammon news source. Well, turns out Ammon is a big fat liar tabloid, basically. While they made their initial story sound credible, their only source was an extreme anti-Jordan blog called "Fellka Israel", a completely unreliable source. Kagan has denied making such allegations, and even the university, where Kagan had allegedly spoke denied ever having him for a lecture.

Ammon even twisted a story to make it sound as if the King was referring to Kagan's remarks, while in fact he was just speaking about the general situation in the Middle East. The whole thing is a disgusting publicity stunt to increase their ad revenues, and so far they haven't bothered to make a retraction or issue a formal apology. From now on, I will not be reading Ammon anymore. I'd rather be reading and quoting Shihan instead.

Here's the other thing though. Where on earth was our government? How about our embassy in the U.S.? The entire parliament in an uproar denouncing the allegations and furiously condemning them, yet no one bothered to check if the whole thing was true? Till today, no one had made an official statement regarding the whole incident. This makes no sense. Sounds to me like it was a premeditated stunt to distract the country from something. I'm quite the conspiracy theorist as you can see.

McCain to Declare Jordan as the New Palestine

According to this Ammon news source, John McCain's advisor has announced that the presidential candidate has adopted the "Jordanian Option" strategy, which declares Jordan as the newly formed Palestinian state. McCain's advisor sees it as the ideal solution, seeing as we already have millions of Palestinians and we're right there across the river. He also thinks there's no need to have a separate Palestinian state because it already exists within Jordan, and thinks that the royal family may remain if the "people" want them to stay.

I couldn't find any other sources to corroborate this, but if it is true, I say fashar! How ridiculous of him to think that Jordanians would settle to live in a Palestinian state or that Palestinians would settle to live other than in their own country! George Bush may not be the stupidest man after all.

Legacy of a Nutjob: George W. Bush

“ U.S. President Bush claimed Wednesday that he had no regrets about the decision to invade Iraq and topple Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Asked about Iraq, Bush said that "substantial" progress had been made in helping the country, adding that efforts in Iraq would "change the Middle East for the better."

"Removing Saddam Hussein made the world a safer place," Bush said. ”

[Source]

Other stupid Bush quotes:

"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country."

"Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?"

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

Favorite Bush moments:

So regardless of who gets elected for president next, I don't think anybody can surpass the stupidity of George W. Bush. It's just not possible.