BETHANY BEYOND THE JORDAN, JORDAN — The Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, on Friday consecrated a new church at a place on the banks of the Jordan River that the Catholic Church officially recognizes as the site where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Parolin inaugurated and consecrated the Church of the Baptism of … Read more
Jordan and Egypt are both important states in the Middle East, and they have been Israel’s historic peace partners from the 1980s to 1990s. This means that these two countries share certain qualities that are of great importance to Israel and the wider region. Egypt, the most populous country in the area, is a … Read more
An extraordinary fleet carrying regional leaders arrived in Damascus over the past week, all en route to pay a visit to Syria’s new leader, Abu Muhammad al-Julani. Julani’s control over Syria is not yet complete: the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in the east, constantly targeted by the Turkish military, is a potential challenge to his … Read more
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi met with the new Syrian leadership on Monday. He spoke to Ahmed al-Sharaa, the head of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group that took over Damascus on December 8, whereby the former Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and his regime fell. Since then, Sharaa has been hosting a plethora of … Read more
The first public confirmation of interaction with HTS came at the conclusion of Blinken’s diplomatic tour of the region sparked by the sudden downfall of Assad’s decades-long rule. He signed off on a set of guiding principles for Syria’s transition with officials from eight Arab nations, Turkey, the European Union and the United Nations. Under … Read more
Israel has raised concerns that rebel advances in Syria could embolden extremist elements in Jordan, threatening the stability of King Abdullah’s regime, KAN reported on Saturday night. Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) Chief Ronen Bar and IDF Intelligence Directorate Head Maj.-Gen. Shlomi Binder recently visited Jordan amid these developments. Discussions within the cabinet have … Read more
Top diplomats from the United States, Turkey, the European Union, and Arab nations have agreed that a new government in Syria should respect minority rights, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday following talks in Aqaba, Jordan, and direct contacts with the rebels who ousted president Bashar al-Assad. The meetings occurred as … Read more
Jordan has announced the closure of the Jaber border crossing with Syria due to escalating security concerns amid intensified clashes in southern Syria. Interior Minister Mazen Farrayah stated that while Jordanian citizens and trucks will be allowed to return, outbound traffic to Syrian territories is prohibited. This decision follows a series of clashes near the … Read more
Chinese food delivery giant Meituan, which operates the Keeta brand in Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia, is set to expand to more Middle Eastern and North African countries, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Keeta, which launched in the Saudi Arabian city of Al-Kharj in September and has since entered the capital Riyadh, … Read more
A gunman was killed, and three policemen were wounded after a shooting near the Israeli embassy in neighboring Jordan, a security source and state media said on Sunday. Police shot a gunman who had fired at a police patrol in the Rabiah neighborhood of Amman, state news agency Petra reported, citing public security, adding … Read more
