Jordan Parliament Passes Law Reinstating Conscription

 A general view taken from Jabal Al Qala district shows a Jordanian flag fluttering above the Jordanian capital Amman. (AFP)
A general view taken from Jabal Al Qala district shows a Jordanian flag fluttering above the Jordanian capital Amman. (AFP)
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Jordan Parliament Passes Law Reinstating Conscription

 A general view taken from Jabal Al Qala district shows a Jordanian flag fluttering above the Jordanian capital Amman. (AFP)
A general view taken from Jabal Al Qala district shows a Jordanian flag fluttering above the Jordanian capital Amman. (AFP)

Jordan's parliament on Monday voted in favor of a law reinstating conscription for men from early next year, decades after compulsory military service ended, state media reported.

Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II in August announced the reinstatement of conscription -- repealed in 1991 -- to "prepare young men to be ready to serve the country and defend it".

The government then referred the law to parliament for a vote.

Following approval, it is now set to be ratified by the Senate and then sent to the king for approval.

The official Petra news agency reported that the House of Representatives overwhelmingly "approved an amended law for national and reserve service" during its session on Monday.

The session was attended by Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, who was quoted as saying that the law "will be among the government's priorities in the upcoming period, in preparation for its implementation at the beginning of February next year".

Government spokesman Mohammed al-Momani had previously said the conscription program targeted the recruitment of 6,000 men who would have completed 18 years of age by next February.

He added that the penalty for failing to report for military service would be between three months and one year in prison.

The government ultimately aims to conscript 10,000 men annually.

Jordan ended conscription in 1991, just three years before it signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.

Momani denied that the conscription law was related to remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in August in which he appeared to voice support for the idea of a "Greater Israel".

The term Greater Israel refers to a biblical interpretation of the nation's territory during the time of King Solomon, encompassing not only the present-day Palestinian territories of Gaza and the occupied West Bank, but also parts of other countries including Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.



EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
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EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)

The European Union on Monday condemned new Israeli measures to tighten control of the West Bank and pave the way for more settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, AFP reported.

"The European Union condemns recent decisions by Israel's security cabinet to expand Israeli control in the West Bank. This move is another step in the wrong direction," EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni told journalists.


Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher Were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher Were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

The atrocities unleashed on El-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region last October were a "preventable human rights catastrophe", the United Nations said Monday, warning they now risked being repeated in the neighbouring Kordofan region.

 

"My office sounded the alarm about the risk of mass atrocities in the besieged city of El-Fasher for more than a year ... but our warnings were ignored," UN rights chief Volker Turk told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

 

He added that he was now "extremely concerned that these violations and abuses may be repeated in the Kordofan region".

 

 

 

 


Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

The General Secretariat of the Arab League strongly condemned decisions by Israeli occupation authorities to impose fundamental changes on the legal and administrative status of the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in the West Bank, describing them as a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and signed agreements, SPA reported.

In a statement, the Arab League said the measures include facilitating the confiscation of private Palestinian property and transferring planning and licensing authorities in the city of Hebron and the area surrounding the Ibrahimi Mosque to occupation authorities.

It warned of the serious repercussions of these actions on the rights of the Palestinian people and on Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The statement reaffirmed the Arab League’s firm support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the establishment of their independent state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.