AMMAN: Visitors are reportedly flocking in large numbers to the northern city of Ajloun in the highlands of northern Jordan, where a newly opened cable car ride is giving people the chance to experience stunning panoramic views of the mountainous forest landscape.
The Ajloun Teleferique, which was created by royal decree, is the first project of its kind in Jordan. Located about 70 kilometers northwest of Amman, it opened to the public in mid-June and immediately proved incredibly popular with visitors from across the country.
After taking a ride on the cable car with his family, visitor Omar Edajah said: “It was a breathtaking experience. Seeing the green mountains (and) the Ajloun Castle from above is such a splendid and unforgettable experience.”
The 49-year-old said he once rode in a cable car with his wife and four children in Antalya during a visit to Turkiye and had enjoyed the views over the green mountains and Mediterranean Sea.
“But I always said to myself, why don’t we have (a cable car) in Jordan, in Wadi Rum or Ajloun?” he said.
“At last, my dream has come true and now, a one-hour drive from Amman, we can always enjoy such an awesome experience.”
The cable car system covers a distance of 2.5 kilometers in about 10 minutes. It begins in the Eshtafina forest and terminates at Ajloun Castle, 1,250 meters above sea level. The cost of a return journey is 4 Jordanian dinars ($5.64). The total cost of the construction project, which began in 2020 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, was 11 million dinars.
Arwa Hiyari, the CEO of the Jordan Free and Development Zones Group, which manages the new attraction, said that more than 20,000 people rode in it in the first 10 days after its official inauguration on June 20.
During the Eid Al-Adha holiday at the end of last month, between 2,500 and 3,000 people used it each day, she added.
The Ajloun Teleferique will boost the tourism sector in the area, Hiyari said, and the project had created a number of investment opportunities.
Mohammed Al-Deek, the director of Ajloun Tourism Directorate, said that between 40,000 and 50,000 people visited Ajloun on Wednesday this week, the Islamic New Year holiday, “with the cable car being their first destination.”
He added that number of people coming to the area each weekend to ride on the cable car is having a knock-on effect on bookings at hotels, resorts and other local attractions.
Jorda historically has focused more on the development of infrastructure projects at the southern tourist attractions of Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba, collectively known as Jordan’s Golden Triangle, than in the cities of Jerash, Ajloun and Irbid in the north, which is a more verdant part of the mostly desert country and is home to hundreds of ancient Roman and Greek sites.
During a visit in May to Jerash, Jordan’s King Abdullah II called for the development of more tourism projects in the city, which he described as “one of the most beautiful places” he had ever seen.
Jerash, which is about 40 kilometers north of Amman, is considered one of the largest and most well-preserved sites of Greek and Roman architecture outside of Italy.
According to recent data from the Central Bank of Jordan, expenditure by Jordanians on outbound tourism rose by 46.5 percent during the first half of 2023 compared with the same period in 2022, reaching $905.5 million. The bank said that in June alone, expenditure on outbound tourism was about $209 million, a 41 percent increase on June 2022.
The bank data also revealed that tourism revenue reached $3.456 billion during the first six months of this year, a 59.4 percent increase compared with the same period of last year.
Spending by Jordanians on tourism abroad reached $1.467 billion in 2022, an increase of 59.6 percent compared with 2021. Tourism revenue in Jordan increased by 110.5 percent in 2022 to $5.816 billion, according to the bank, exceeding the figure for the 2019 pre-pandemic period by 0.4 percent.
New cable car is a big hit with tourists in Jordan’s northern forest city
https://arab.news/wk6e6
New cable car is a big hit with tourists in Jordan’s northern forest city
- The Ajloun Teleferique, the first project of its kind in Jordan, offers panoramic views of the mountainous forest landscape
- More than 20,000 people rode in it in the first 10 days and 2,500-3,000 people used it each day during the Eid Al-Adha holiday
Israel urges ICC to drop arrest warrants against PM
- In ruling that made headlines, ICC found “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore “criminal responsibility” for war crimes, crimes against humanity
THE HAGUE: Israel has asked the International Criminal Court to dismiss its arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant while ICC judges reconsider complex jurisdictional questions.
In a 14-page document dated May 9 but posted on the ICC website on Monday, Israel argued the warrants issued in November were null and void while judges weigh a previous Israeli challenge to the ICC’s jurisdiction in the case.
In a ruling that made headlines around the world, the ICC found “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore “criminal responsibility” for war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the war in Gaza.
The court also issued a war crimes warrant against top Hamas commander Mohammed Deif over the October 7 attacks that sparked the conflict. The case against Deif was dropped in February after his death.
Israel, not one of the ICC’s 125 members, challenged the court’s jurisdiction but judges on the ICC’s “Pre-Trial Chamber” dismissed the bid and issued the arrest warrants.
But last month, the ICC’s Appeals Chamber ruled the Pre-Trial Chamber was wrong to dismiss the challenge and ordered it to look again in detail at Israel’s arguments.
Israel says now that the arrest warrants should not stay in place while this complex and lengthy process is ongoing.
“Unless and until the Pre-Trial Chamber has ruled on the substance of the jurisdiction challenge... the prerequisite jurisdictional finding does not exist,” Israel argued.
“It follows that the arrest warrants issued on 21 November 2024 must be withdrawn or vacated pending the Pre-Trial Chamber’s determination of Israel’s jurisdictional challenge.”
Israel and its allies reacted furiously to the warrants issued on November 21, Netanyahu describing it as an “anti-Semitic decision” and then US president Joe Biden slamming it as “outrageous.”
Technically, any member of the ICC is required to arrest Netanyahu if he travels there, although the court has no independent power to enforce warrants.
Israel argued in its submission that Netanyahu could theoretically be arrested while the court was still weighing whether it had jurisdiction in the case.
“Depriving persons of their liberty on the basis of an arrest warrant issued in the absence of the necessary legal pre-conditions is an egregious violation of fundamental human rights and of the rule of law,” Israel argued.
Allowing the warrants to stay in place during the deliberations “is unlawful and undermines the legitimacy of the court,” said Israel.
Syrian, Turkish foreign ministers address security issues in Ankara
- Officials convened during trilateral meeting involving Syria, Turkiye and Jordan
LONDON: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani met his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, in Ankara on Monday.
The officials convened during trilateral talks, which included Jordan’s foreign minister, to address joint security and economic issues in the region.
The ministers discussed various issues, including Israeli actions in the southern Syrian Arab Republic since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, as well as coordination with Arab states and the international community to support Syria’s security, stability and sovereignty.
Emir of Kuwait, Lebanese president discuss historic opportunity to shape future
- The meeting at Bayan Palace in Kuwait addressed the recent developments in Lebanon
- Officials highlighted that Lebanon has a historic opportunity to shape its future
LONDON: Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah met with Lebanese President Gen. Joseph Aoun on Monday morning to discuss ways to enhance collaboration between their countries in various sectors.
The meeting at Bayan Palace in Kuwait addressed the recent developments in Lebanon. Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, acting Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah, and senior officials from both countries attended the meeting.
Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah stated that the discussions centered on strengthening ties and exploring ways to develop them across all possible areas.
Officials highlighted that Lebanon has a historic opportunity to shape its future, overcome past challenges, and initiate reconstruction and development to fulfil the aspirations of the Lebanese people for security and stability, the Kuwait News Agency reported.
Sheikh Mohammad noted that the session also addressed key issues of mutual interest, methods to enhance unified Arab action, and recent regional and international developments.
Hundreds march in West Bank against killings of Palestinian medics
- Protesters carried symbolic white shrouds bearing the names and pictures of the dead, as well as signs demanding the release of three staff members
RAMALLAH: Hundreds of Palestinian Red Crescent staff marched in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday to protest the killing of medical workers in Gaza over the past 19 months of war.
Gathering in the city’s Clock Square, medical personnel, support staff and volunteers wore white and orange vests and waved flags bearing the Red Crescent’s emblem.
The demonstration marked World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, usually observed on May 8, and called for the “protection for medical and humanitarian workers.”
In a statement released Monday, the Red Crescent said 48 of their staff members have been killed in Gaza and the West Bank since the war began on October 7, 2023 — including 30 who “were killed while performing their humanitarian duty wearing the Red Crescent emblem.”
Protesters carried symbolic white shrouds bearing the names and pictures of the dead, as well as signs demanding the release of three staff members who have been detained by the Israeli army for over a year.
Some 1,400 humanitarian and medical workers have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war, according to the statement, which added that “dozens of medical personnel working in Gaza... were detained while performing their humanitarian duties.”
It highlighted a particularly deadly attack in March in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, when 15 first responders including eight Red Crescent paramedics were killed by the Israeli army.
The first responders were answering distress calls after Israeli air strikes.
The incident drew international condemnation, including concern about possible war crimes from UN human rights commissioner Volker Turk.
An Israeli military investigation, the results of which were published, acknowledged “professional failures” and “violations of orders” during the shooting.
Syria leader to miss Arab summit in Iraq: diplomatic source
- Powerful Iraqi politicians have rejected hosting the former jihadist leader who became Syria's interim president
- Ahmed Al-Sharaa was imprisoned for years in Iraq on charges of belonging to Al-Qaeda following the 2003 US-led invasion
BAGHDAD: Syria’s interim president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, will not attend an upcoming Arab League summit in Baghdad, an Arab diplomatic source said Monday, as powerful Iraqi politicians have rejected hosting a former jihadist leader.
Sharaa, whose Islamist group spearheaded the offensive that toppled Syria’s longtime ruler Bashar Assad in December, was imprisoned for years in Iraq on charges of belonging to Al-Qaeda following the 2003 US-led invasion.
The Iraqi government has invited Sharaa for the meeting planned for Saturday, but he “will not attend the Arab Summit,” the diplomatic source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Instead, Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani will lead the Syrian delegation.
Several powerful Iraqi politicians have voiced opposition to Sharaa’s planned visit to Iraq.
They include former prime minister Nuri Al-Maliki, a leading member of Iraq’s main pro-Iran coalition that holds a parliamentary majority.
Armed groups aligned with Tehran have also joined the call against Sharaa, including the powerful faction Kataeb Hezbollah which has previously fought in Syria alongside Assad’s forces.
Several Iraqi security sources told AFP that an old arrest warrant for Sharaa from his time as a member of Al-Qaeda remains in place.
However, authorities seek good relations with Syria’s new leadership to help maintain regional stability, the sources said.
The fall of Assad, who was a close ally of the government in Baghdad, has complicated relations between the neighboring countries.
Iraq, where the majority are Shiite Muslims, remains deeply scarred by decades of conflict following the US-led invasion, which triggered sectarian violence and the rise of Sunni jihadist groups including Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
