Jordan: Drug Smuggling Attempts via Syria Persist

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at a press conference after a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Amman, Jordan (Reuters)
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at a press conference after a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Amman, Jordan (Reuters)
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Jordan: Drug Smuggling Attempts via Syria Persist

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at a press conference after a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Amman, Jordan (Reuters)
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at a press conference after a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Amman, Jordan (Reuters)

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi announced that drug smuggling attempts continue across the Syrian border, according to the Arab World News Agency.

Speaking at the virtual ministerial meeting to Launch the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drugs in Washington, Safadi said that Jordan confiscated over 65 million Captagon pills during the past two years.

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted the virtual Ministerial-level meeting to provide the foundation to combine efforts and prevent the production and trafficking of illicit synthetic drugs, identify emerging drug trends and use patterns, and respond to their public health impacts.

Safadi said that forming the coalition is essential in addressing the escalating threat of industrial drugs.

He called for cooperation in providing border protection technology and exchanging intelligence information in confronting the drug threat, which requires a joint international effort.

Last month, the Jordanian Armed Forces announced that it had shot down a drone carrying narcotics from Syrian territory.

Combating drug smuggling and dumping in the Jordanian market topped Jordan's priorities in recent talks in Amman, with the participation of the foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq.

In a statement after the meeting, Syria agreed to help prevent drug trafficking, work to identify drug traffickers and cooperate with Jordan and Iraq to end trafficking.

Last May, according to press reports, Jordan launched an air strike targeting the most prominent strongholds of drug smuggling and manufacturing in southern Syria, killing a Syrian drug smuggler.



UN Agency: Gaza Unemployment Surges to 80% as Economy Collapses

A house hit by an Israeli strike lies in ruins, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Gaza City October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
A house hit by an Israeli strike lies in ruins, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Gaza City October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
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UN Agency: Gaza Unemployment Surges to 80% as Economy Collapses

A house hit by an Israeli strike lies in ruins, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Gaza City October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
A house hit by an Israeli strike lies in ruins, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Gaza City October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas

Unemployment in Gaza has soared to nearly 80% since the Israel-Hamas war erupted, with the devastated enclave's economy in almost total collapse, the International Labor Organization said on Thursday.
Economic output has shrunk by 85% since the conflict with Israel began a year ago, plunging almost the entire 2.3 million population into poverty, the United Nations agency said.
The conflict has caused "unprecedented and wide-ranging devastation on the labor market and the wider economy across the Occupied Palestinian Territory", the ILO said, referring to Gaza and the West Bank.
In the West Bank, the unemployment rate averaged 34.9% between October 2023 and the end of September 2024, while its economy has contracted by 21.7% compared with the previous 12 months, the ILO said.
Before the crisis, the unemployment rate in Gaza was 45.3% and 14% in the West Bank, according to the Geneva-based organization.
Gazans either lost their jobs entirely or picked up informal and irregular work "primarily centered on the provision of essential goods and services," the ILO said.
Israel launched its offensive after Hamas-led gunmen attacked on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's campaign in response has killed more than 42,000 people, according to Gaza's health authorities. Two-thirds of Gaza's pre-war structures - over 163,000 buildings - have been damaged or flattened, according to UN satellite data.
Israel says its operations are aimed at rooting out Hamas militants hiding in tunnels and among Gaza's civilian population. The crisis has spilled into the West Bank, where Israeli barriers to movement of persons and goods, coupled with broader trade restrictions and supply-chain disruptions, have severely impacted the economy, the ILO said.
Israel says its actions in the West Bank have been necessary to counter Iranian-backed militant groups and to prevent harm to Israeli civilians, reported Reuters.
"The impact of the war in the Gaza Strip has taken a toll far beyond loss of life, desperate humanitarian conditions and physical destruction," said ILO regional director for Arab states Ruba Jaradat.
"It has fundamentally altered the socio-economic landscape of Gaza, while also severely impacting the West Bank’s economy and labor market. The impact will be felt for generations to come."