Jordan's new conscription programme will start in February with 6,000 recruits who will serve for a mandatory three months and be paid a basic salary, officials have revealed.
Details are emerging a day after authorities announced a partial reactivation of national military service. It was last imposed in 1991, when Jordan was technically at war with Israel.
The announcement came amid an escalation in the Gaza war and Israeli pressure on Palestinians in the West Bank. Jordan has had a peace treaty with Israel since 1994 and is a major recipient of US aid and military support.
Army spokesman Mustafa Al Hiyari told reporters that the programme will start with men born in 2007. He said those who are not called up will have to obtain postponement permits to allow them to study or go abroad.
Recruits who enter the programme, he said, will not be allowed to use mobile phones while on military premises. But they will be allowed to take time off on weekends and will be given a salary of $140 a month. No women will be recruited.
Government spokesman Mohammad Al Momani said the authorities plan eventually to raise the number of recruits from 6,000 a year to 10,000.
“This is not just a military training programme. It is a national project,” Mr Al Momani said. He said those who dodge the draft will face at least three months in jail.
The announcement came as Jordan seeks to project a posture of tough policies against Israel in response to the war in Gaza. Jordan has halted co-operation with Israel on development and infrastructure projects, but still imports large volumes of water and gas from Israel.
This month Jordan publicly condemned remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which he expressed support for the idea of a “Greater Israel”, which would include Arab territory.
Jordan ended conscription in 1991, under which men between the ages of 18 and 40 had to serve in the army for two years. Jordan depends on the US for aid and has a defence pact with Washington under which thousands of American troops are in the country.
Jordan was the second Arab country to sign a peace agreement with Israel, after Egypt signed a peace deal in 1979.
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, Jordan has repeatedly said that there is no alternative to the two-state solution. The Jordanian military has carried out dozens of humanitarian airlifts into Gaza, joined by the UAE and European countries.
The war in Gaza, officials in Jordan said, has been accompanied by an Israeli campaign against West Bank Palestinians, raising the risk of another Palestinian refugee wave after the historic influxes of 1948 and 1967.
Jordan's armed forces have also been put into action to stamp out drug smuggling from Syria. In one incident this month, the army said it killed two people in a clash with a group of gunmen.
Jordanian troops periodically shoot down drones loaded with drugs that enter from Syria. Jordan's King Abdullah II and Syria's new leader Ahmad Al Shara agreed at a meeting in February that the two governments should co-operate on smuggling.
Jordan has also faced threats at home. This year the kingdom banned the Muslim Brotherhood, accusing the group of jeopardising national security because some of its ranks had sought to manufacture weapons in Jordan.
Announcing the new conscription plan on Sunday, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah said Jordanians must be prepared to serve and defend their country. He said the programme would strengthen national identity and young people’s connection to their homeland.
Jordan's official Petra news agency quoted retired generals and politicians as welcoming the plans. “In an era of rapid and turbulent change, where regional crises overlap and pressures intensify, we are in greater need than ever of a trained, aware and capable generation,” said retired Maj Gen Hisham Khreisat.
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
