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Jordan Objects to Israel's Opening of Airport near Red Sea

A general view of the new Ramon International Airport in Timna Valley, north to Eilat, Israel June 13, 2018. (Reuters)
A general view of the new Ramon International Airport in Timna Valley, north to Eilat, Israel June 13, 2018. (Reuters)
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Jordan Objects to Israel's Opening of Airport near Red Sea

A general view of the new Ramon International Airport in Timna Valley, north to Eilat, Israel June 13, 2018. (Reuters)
A general view of the new Ramon International Airport in Timna Valley, north to Eilat, Israel June 13, 2018. (Reuters)

Israel inaugurated on Monday a new international airport in its desert south meant to boost tourism to the nearby Red Sea and serve as an emergency alternative to Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion airport.

Jordan, however, hit out at the move to open the airport along their shared border, saying it would threaten the Kingdom's airspace.

“Jordan rejects the establishment of the Israeli airport in its current location,” Head of Jordan's Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission Haitham Misto said.

He said Jordan had notified the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) of "the Kingdom's strong objection.”

Amman, Misto added, had called on the ICAO to "take all necessary measures to ensure that Israel complies with international standards.”

He said the commission had been in touch with Israel's civil aviation authority and “informed it that the decision to operate the airport should not be taken unilaterally until all outstanding matters are resolved.”

Israel must abide by the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation signed by 192 countries, including Jordan and Israel, he stressed.

Initially Ramon Airport will handle only domestic flights, operated by Israeli carriers Arkia and Israir, AFP reported. A date has not yet been given for the start of international flights.

The new airport will replace Eilat’s current airport — used almost exclusively for domestic flights — and the basic airport at Ovda, 60 kilometers north of the city, which receives international traffic, mainly of holidaymakers from Europe.

The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) said that the plans for the Ramon project were revised in light of lessons learned during the 2014 Gaza war.

"In an emergency, not only will Israel's entire passenger air fleet be able to land and park there but also additional aircraft," the IAA added.

After a rocket fired from Gaza hit near the perimeter of Ben Gurion airport in 2014, international carriers suspended flights.

Israeli media said that a 26-meter high, 4.5-kilometer long "smart" anti-missile fence has been installed to help protect Ramon, which is adjacent to the border with Jordan.

The IAA refused to comment on those reports.

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Lebanon Parliament Meets to Elect President

The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
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Lebanon Parliament Meets to Elect President

The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)

Lebanon's lawmakers on Thursday began a session that could see army chief Joseph Aoun elected as president following a vacancy of more than two years, an AFP reporter said.
The 128-lawmaker chamber, which has failed to reach consensus a dozen times amid tensions between the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and its opponents, started discussions at 11:00 am (0900 GMT).
The leading candidate, Lebanese army commander Joseph Aoun, no relation to the former president, is widely seen as the preferred candidate of the United States, whose assistance Lebanon will need as it seeks to rebuild after a 14-month conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Hezbollah previously backed another candidate, Suleiman Franjieh, the leader of a small Christian party in northern Lebanon with close ties to former Syrian President Bashar Assad.
However, on Wednesday, Franjieh announced he had withdrawn from the race and endorsed Aoun, apparently clearing the way for the army chief.
Lebanon’s fractious sectarian power-sharing system is prone to deadlock, both for political and procedural reasons. The small, crisis-battered Mediterranean country has been through several extended presidential vacancies, with the longest lasting nearly 2 1/2 years between May 2014 and October 2016. It ended when former President Michel Aoun was elected.
As a sitting army commander, Joseph Aoun is technically barred from becoming president by Lebanon's constitution. The ban has been waived before, but it means that Aoun faces additional procedural hurdles.
Under normal circumstances, a presidential candidate in Lebanon can be elected by a two-thirds majority of the 128-member house in the first round of voting, or by a simple majority in a subsequent round.
But because of the constitutional issues surrounding his election, Aoun would need a two-thirds majority even in the second round.
Other contenders include Jihad Azour, a former finance minister who is now the director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund; and Elias al-Baysari, the acting head of Lebanon’s General Security agency.
A president is needed to appoint a permanent prime minister and cabinet. The caretaker government that has run Lebanon for the last two years has reduced powers because it was not appointed by a sitting president.
The next government will face daunting challenges apart from implementing the ceasefire agreement that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war and seeking funds for reconstruction.
Lebanon is six years into an economic and financial crisis that decimated the country's currency and wiped out the savings of many Lebanese. The cash-strapped state electricity company provides only a few hours of power a day.
The country's leaders reached a preliminary agreement with the IMF for a bail-out package in 2022 but have made limited progress on reforms required to clinch the deal.