Coronavirus Crisis May Lead to Resignation of Jordanian Ministers

The streets of the Jordanian capital are seen empty after the start of a nationwide curfew, amid concerns over the coronavirus spread, in Amman, Jordan, March 21, 2020. (Reuters)
The streets of the Jordanian capital are seen empty after the start of a nationwide curfew, amid concerns over the coronavirus spread, in Amman, Jordan, March 21, 2020. (Reuters)
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Coronavirus Crisis May Lead to Resignation of Jordanian Ministers

The streets of the Jordanian capital are seen empty after the start of a nationwide curfew, amid concerns over the coronavirus spread, in Amman, Jordan, March 21, 2020. (Reuters)
The streets of the Jordanian capital are seen empty after the start of a nationwide curfew, amid concerns over the coronavirus spread, in Amman, Jordan, March 21, 2020. (Reuters)

Reports have circulated in Jordan in the past two days that the coronavirus crisis may prompt the resignation of some ministers, who were widely criticized for their mismanagement of the outbreak in the country.

Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Shehadeh was the first to resign days ago over “administrative mistakes committed in some agricultural directorates.”

Official sources did not reveal to Asharq Al-Awsat the reasons behind the expected resignations and whether they will be accompanied by a cabinet reshuffle.

It is still yet unclear whether Prime Minister Omar Razzaz will assign ministers from his government to carry out the duties of the three ministers observers said will most likely resign.

In other news, after about a month since the closure of schools as a precaution over the coronavirus outbreak, parents have been demanding to know the fate of the academic year.

Education Ministry spokesman Walid al-Jallad said remote teaching is still active on local television and private channels that were launched for this purpose.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that official exams will be held for high school students in early July as scheduled, noting that distance learning is enough to complete the school curriculum in June.

Jallad, however, warned that the aggravation of the health crisis could still affect these plans.

Jordan has reported 345 virus cases and five deaths.



Israeli Forces Kill One Palestinian in West Bank Refugee Camp

Mourners carry bodies of Palestinians who were killed in an Israeli airstrike, during their funeral in Tulkarm in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 20,2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman
Mourners carry bodies of Palestinians who were killed in an Israeli airstrike, during their funeral in Tulkarm in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 20,2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman
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Israeli Forces Kill One Palestinian in West Bank Refugee Camp

Mourners carry bodies of Palestinians who were killed in an Israeli airstrike, during their funeral in Tulkarm in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 20,2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman
Mourners carry bodies of Palestinians who were killed in an Israeli airstrike, during their funeral in Tulkarm in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 20,2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman

Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man in a dawn raid on Tuesday on a refugee camp near the city of Tulkarm in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.
The Israeli military said the man was killed in a "counter-terrorism" operation that resulted in 18 arrests, while the official Palestinian news agency WAFA said Fathi Saeed Odeh Salem died after snipers shot him and fired on ambulance crew.
Hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis have been killed in the West Bank since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel triggered the current war in Gaza and a wider conflict on several fronts.
WAFA said Israeli bulldozers demolished infrastructure in the camp, including homes, shops, part of the walls of Al-Salam mosque, which they barricaded off, and part of the camp's water network.