On February 26, representatives from the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Government met in Jordan for previously agreed-upon peace talks, reports Reuters. The talks, while initially perceived as successful, were abruptly halted due to increased violence in the West Bank.
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According to the Associated Press, Jordan’s Prince Hamzah announced his decision to abdicate his right to the throne in a statement published on his personal Twitter page. BBC News recounts Hamzah’s reasoning behind this monumental decision, stating that his “personal convictions” were not in line with the “modern methods of our institutions.” This announcement comes after Hamzah publicly apologized to his brother, King Abdullah II, in March 2022, for his previous comments criticizing his rule.
Read moreClaims of sedition have caused a rift in the Jordanian royal family this past week, as multiple high-ranking officials were arrested in a rare semblance of instability within the levant kingdom. However, according to Al Jazeera, on April 7, Jordanian King Abdullah II addressed the situation, stating the ‘sedition’ which caused him ‘pain and anger’ has been dealt with.
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The King of Jordan is one of the few remaining monarchs whose presence is not just symbolic, but is also a decisive figure in governance.
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The Middle Eastern culture is collectivist by nature, where the behavior of one person reflects on the family he or she represents. Families who harbor drug addicts are less likely to talk about it to officials and centers that may offer rehabilitation.
Read moreWatching my Jordanian host family cheer on the win of a Christian Palestinian and empathize with the tears of a Yemeni, and seeing the televised audience of different identities and origins dancing together in Lebanon made me think that perhaps Pan-Arabism is real — even if it exists, for now, in the realm of “Arab Idol.”
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Gabi Hunt meets Gaith Jann, a man who left his job and began selling books, fueled by a nostalgic memory of a childhood constantly surrounded by literature, and the goal of doing something that felt fulfilling.
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