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Islamists Fail to Overthrow Jordanian Government

His Majesty King Abdullah with Prime Minister Hani Mulki and ministers in January 2017. (Photo courtesy of Royal Court)
His Majesty King Abdullah with Prime Minister Hani Mulki and ministers in January 2017. (Photo courtesy of Royal Court)
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Islamists Fail to Overthrow Jordanian Government

His Majesty King Abdullah with Prime Minister Hani Mulki and ministers in January 2017. (Photo courtesy of Royal Court)
His Majesty King Abdullah with Prime Minister Hani Mulki and ministers in January 2017. (Photo courtesy of Royal Court)

The Jordanian government headed by Prime Minister Hani Mulki survived on Sunday an overthrow attempt by Islamist deputies after the Reform bloc and several other independent lawmakers failed to gather the needed support to pass a memorandum requesting a no-confidence motion against the government.

A total of 67 deputies granted confidence to Mulki’s government while 49 withheld confidence and 8 MPs abstained.

The parliament session was attended by 122 deputies out of the 130-seat Lower House.

Following the confidence given to his government, Mulki said he will move ahead with his government's decisions aiming at "upgrading the living conditions of all Jordanians and strengthening the country."

"The government will move ahead with its decisions and will not procrastinate because it is not seeking popularity," the Prime Minister said.

The no-confidence motion was tabled by the Islamist al-Islah (Reform) parliamentary bloc, which includes independent Islamic lawmakers and the Islamic Action Front, the Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing.

The memorandum requesting a no-confidence motion against the government came following economic decisions taken lately by the government, including recent hikes in prices of some good and taxes, and lifting the bread subsidy.

In response to those decisions, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported that citizens staged rallies and sits-in last Friday in Amman and other regions to protest against the recent government decisions to increase prices. The demonstrations called for the resignation of government and the dissolution of Parliament.

However, the government said those decisions were necessary to curb the kingdom's budget deficit.

Jordan had witnessed a similar situation in 1963 when the cabinet of Prime Minister Samir al-Rifai failed to gain a vote of confidence and was forced to resign the following day.

Article 54 of the Constitution says, "A session to consider a vote of confidence in the Council of Ministers or any individual minister shall be held at the request of the prime minister or a request signed by no less than 10 deputies."

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Arab World

Israel Military Issues Evacuation Warning for Area of South Lebanon

Smoke rises following an explosion in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from northern Israel, April 28, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke rises following an explosion in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from northern Israel, April 28, 2026. (Reuters)
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Israel Military Issues Evacuation Warning for Area of South Lebanon

Smoke rises following an explosion in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from northern Israel, April 28, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke rises following an explosion in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from northern Israel, April 28, 2026. (Reuters)

Israel's military on Tuesday warned residents of more than a dozen villages and towns in southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate and head northwards, saying it would respond to Hezbollah's "violation of the ceasefire" there.

The military "does not intend to harm you, and out of concern for your safety, you are required to evacuate your homes immediately and move away from the specified area towards the Sidon District", Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X.

"Anyone present near Hezbollah elements, their facilities or their weapons is endangering their life," he added.

All the areas listed in the post appear to be outside or on the border of the so-called "Yellow Line" -- a strip of Lebanese territory around 10 kilometers (six miles) deep along the border within which Israeli troops are operating.

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have traded blame over violations of the fragile ceasefire in Lebanon agreed earlier this month, and attacks by both sides have continued.

In two incidents on Tuesday morning, the Israeli military said an interceptor was launched "toward a suspicious aerial target that was identified in an area where Israeli forces are operating in southern Lebanon".

On both occasions, it said the target did not cross into Israeli territory.

The military also announced on Tuesday morning that one soldier had been severely injured and another lightly injured a day earlier "as a result of an explosive drone impact during operational activity in southern Lebanon".

"This incident constitutes a violation of the ceasefire understandings by the Hezbollah terrorist organization," it said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Hezbollah's rockets and drones remained a key threat requiring action by the Israeli military, adding that Israel was continuing to carry out strikes.

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2 by firing rockets towards Israel to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Arab World

Dozens of Gaza Children Arrive in Jordan for Medical Care

A wounded Palestinian girl, evacuated from Gaza for medical treatment, arrives in an ambulance at the King Hussein Bridge in Jordan, April 27, 2026. (Reuters)
A wounded Palestinian girl, evacuated from Gaza for medical treatment, arrives in an ambulance at the King Hussein Bridge in Jordan, April 27, 2026. (Reuters)
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Dozens of Gaza Children Arrive in Jordan for Medical Care

A wounded Palestinian girl, evacuated from Gaza for medical treatment, arrives in an ambulance at the King Hussein Bridge in Jordan, April 27, 2026. (Reuters)
A wounded Palestinian girl, evacuated from Gaza for medical treatment, arrives in an ambulance at the King Hussein Bridge in Jordan, April 27, 2026. (Reuters)

A new group of wounded or ill Palestinian children from Gaza have arrived in Jordan to receive medical care, the kingdom's army said on Tuesday.

They are the 26th group of children transported to Jordan since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.

The 81 children, accompanied by 108 family members, arrived through the King Hussein, or Allenby, border crossing between the occupied West Bank and Jordan, the army said in a statement.

It is part of the "Jordanian medical corridor" initiative that King Abdullah II agreed to following a meeting with US President Donald Trump in February 2025.

Under the initiative, around 2,000 children will be transported to Jordan to receive medical care.

Since March last year, more than 716 children have been transferred in cooperation with the World Health Organization, the majority of them suffering from fractures, major wounds or cancer.

"The children will be treated in a number of Jordanian hospitals, as part of the kingdom's ongoing medical and humanitarian efforts to provide healthcare and medical support to our brothers and sisters in the Gaza Strip," the army said.

A ceasefire has largely held in Gaza since last October, but some violence has persisted.

Arab World

Iraqi Leaders to Begin Thorny Talks on Forming Cabinet

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with Ali al-Zaidi, the Coordination Framework’s nominee for prime minister, in Baghdad, Iraq, April 28, 2026. (Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office/Handout via Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with Ali al-Zaidi, the Coordination Framework’s nominee for prime minister, in Baghdad, Iraq, April 28, 2026. (Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office/Handout via Reuters)
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Iraqi Leaders to Begin Thorny Talks on Forming Cabinet

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with Ali al-Zaidi, the Coordination Framework’s nominee for prime minister, in Baghdad, Iraq, April 28, 2026. (Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office/Handout via Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with Ali al-Zaidi, the Coordination Framework’s nominee for prime minister, in Baghdad, Iraq, April 28, 2026. (Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office/Handout via Reuters)

Iraqi leaders are expected to begin complex talks on Tuesday over forming a government and allocating cabinet portfolios under new prime minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi.

Five months on from elections, Iraq remains deadlocked in negotiations over a new administration, after US pressure scuppered the choice for prime minister of the majority bloc in parliament.

Two-time ex-premier Nouri al-Maliki, who has close ties to Iran, had been endorsed by the bloc but was forced to step back after an ultimatum from US President Donald Trump.

Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq led by the United States, the country has walked a tightrope between the competing influences of Washington and Tehran.

On Monday, Iraq's new President Nizar Amedi nominated businessman Zaidi as prime minister-designate, giving him the daunting task of putting a cabinet together in the next 30 days amid fierce political wrangling.

The Coordination Framework -- the majority bloc in parliament and an alliance of Shiite groups with varying ties to Iran, had backed Maliki but appears to have yielded to the US pressure.

The framework has now endorsed Zaidi and thanked Maliki, a key member of their alliance, for dropping out.

Iraq's state-run INA news agency quoted a framework official late Monday as saying the alliance would meet on Tuesday with Zaidi to discuss the cabinet.

Zaidi said he is determined to work "with all political forces", INA reported.

Seen as a compromise figure, Zaidi, 40, is little known in political circles, and has never held a government post.

A businessman and owner of a television channel, he once headed one of the many Iraqi banks that are banned from conducting dollar transactions under US anti-money laundering regulations.

If Zaidi succeeds in forming a government, he will replace Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who until recently enjoyed smooth relations with the US.

Sudani's hopes for a second term as prime minister faded after he failed to stop Iran-backed groups from targeting US interests during the Middle East war.

A political source told AFP that the Coordination Framework endorsed Zaidi "after checking" with US representatives.

Victoria J. Taylor, director of the Iraq Initiative at the Atlantic Council think tank, said on X that "the framework would not have nominated him without some sense that the US would accept his nomination".

Trump's "public opposition to Maliki was deeply embarrassing and the framework doesn't want to go down that road again," added Taylor, who is a former US deputy assistant secretary for Iraq.

Zaidi's nomination also emerged 10 days after an Iranian commander visited Iraq and met with political leaders.