JORDAN: IAF STATEMENT CRITICIZING PRICE HIKES, GOVERNMENT POLICY, EGYPT 'COUP'

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06704839
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: January 8, 2018
• Case Number: F-2017-02456
• Publication Date: September 19, 2013

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CITE OSC RESTON VA 965588
WARNING: TOPIC: DOMESTIC POLITICAL, HUMAN RIGHTS, INTERNATIONAL
POLITICAL
SERIAL: PLL2013091871197636
BODY
COUNTRY: EGYPT, ISRAEL, JORDAN
SUBJ: (U) JORDAN: IAF STATEMENT CRITICIZING PRICE HIKES,
GOVERNMENT
Policy, Egypt 'Coup'
SOURCE: Amman Islamic Action Front in Arabic 18 Sep 13
(U)
TEXT:
[ (U) Text of Press Statement issued by the Islamic Action Front
[IAF] in Jordan on 18 September]
[INTERNET]
[OSC Translated Text]
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is
for national security purposes of the United States Government
only.
Any reproduction, dissemination, or use is subject to the OSC usage
policy and the original copyright.
The Executive Bureau of the Islamic Action Front [IAF] held its
regular meeting and after debating the issues on the agenda, the
conferees arrived at the following:
First: Domestic Affairs: The Government continues its policy of
persecuting and arresting Hirak activists and leveling against them
the most serious charges (subverting the regime). Following the
arrest of eight Al-Hirak activists - several of whom have been in
detention for more than three months - and their referral to the
State Security Court despite its unconstitutionality and refusal of
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the democratic world to recognize it - political activist Rami
Sahwil
joined the other detainees after he was arrested for taking a
solidarity stand with the Popular Committee To Defend Detainees.
Like
his eight companions, Sahwil was charged with subverting the
regime,
a charge that is not to the advantage of the regime to bring up as
if
the Jordanian regime is so frail that it can be subverted by a word
here or there.
The ongoing arrests, framing detainee, and ignoring the voices
calling for their release are not in harmony with the articles of
the
constitution that guarantee civil liberties, including freedom of
expression. They also contradict what the Government keeps
proclaiming about protection of the rights of citizens. They also
contradict international laws and charters and do not provide a
suitable climate for dialogue and national reconciliation. The
Government's actions are thus not in harmony with national
interests
that impose on everyone a high level of wisdom, forbearance,
tolerance, and avoidance of raising tensions. The conferees affirm
that the detainees should be released immediately, political
detentions should be stopped, and a suitable environment should be
created leading to national reconciliation that would enable us to
confront the challenges and crises facing the homeland.
The Government continues to follow a tax-collection policy that is
inflicting severe difficulties on the citizens by widening the
scope
of poverty and hardships. After its decisions to raise the price of
oil derivatives and of electric power, the talk is now about
raising
the price of bread, water, and livestock feed. We in the IAF stress
that we reject this policy that defied the basic needs of the
Jordanian people while exploiting the climate in the region. We
call
on the Government to stop this policy and not test the patience of
the Jordanian people. Raising the bread, water, and livestock feed
bills have serious repercussions on the lives and social security
of
the citizens.
We also wish to affirm that raising the prices of these commodities
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and services affects the consumption bill of all citizens directly
or
indirectly. Raising the price of bread for non-Jordanians will
impact
on the wages of the expatriate labor force that the citizens pay.
Moreover, the excuse of exporting livestock is not convincing. Not
all livestock is exported and what is exported is beneficial to
livestock breeders and the state treasury. All this serves Jordan's
national interests.
Moreover, the Government surprises us every now and then by raising
customs fees and rates on basic commodities. Reports indicate that
the Government raised customs fees on imported clothes from 5
percent
to 20 percent. This is a high and unjustified increase. We call on
the Government to stop its tax-
collection policy and promote job-generating investment projects
that
ensure revenues for the treasury, instead of resorting to policies
that exhaust the citizens by raising prices and fees.
Second: Palestinian affairs: The Zionist enemy continues its
aggression on the Palestinian people. land, and holy places. The
Al-Aqsa Mosque continues to be stormed and efforts to sharing it
are
in full progress. Meanwhile, the government that has religious
jurisdiction on the holy sites stands idly by content with appeals
and denunciations. We wish to affirm that if this approach is
required and acceptable to the citizens and the popular forces, it
is
unacceptable from the government after it has been demonstrated
that
this approach of appeals and denunciations is futile. It is high
time
for the Government to suspend the agreements signed with the
Zionist
enemy or, at least, to link these agreements to the suspension of
all measures against the holy sites. This is the least that should
be
done. It is the only language that the enemy understands and heeds.
The enemy continues its attacks on the Palestinian towns, villages,
and camps. The most recent incident took place in the Janin camp
where martyr Islam al-Tubasi was executed in cold blood. This
Zionist
disregard of the lives, land, and holy sites of the Palestinian
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people would not have continued if the Palestinian Authority [PA]
respects the Palestinian national interests or attaches importance
to
the Palestinian national principles. However, the PA has become a
pliant tool in the hands of the Zionist enemy and the American
Administration. The enemy scorns and disregards all the rights and
interests of the Palestinian people.
We call on the PA to finally give up the negotiations and
concessions
approach and return to the Palestinian people by working hard and
seriously with all the Palestinian factions and forces to
consolidate
national unity around a struggle program committed to the
Palestinian
national principles, headed by liberation and return. As for the
Gaza
Strip, the tragic conditions there are seriously threatening the
lives of the citizens due to the tightening of the siege on the
Gaza
Strip as part of a regional and international scheme targeting the
head of the resistance and trying to break the will of the
Palestinian people.
We in the IAF condemn the conspiracy being carried out by the
coupists in Egypt and their allies in the region and the American
Administration by destroying the tunnels, which are the lifeline
our
kinfolks in the Gaza Strip, closing the Rafah crossing point, and
depriving the Palestinians of the most basic needs for life, such
as
food, medicines, energy, and construction materials, thus turning
life there into an intolerable hell. We also condemn the media
campaign of instigation against the Strip and the resistance, a
campaign orchestrated by Zionist followers who invent lies and
repeat
them in an effort to demonize the Gaza Strip and the resistance
movement there in order to activate the tools and agents of Zionism
to pounce on the resistance in order to liquidate the Palestinian
issue in fvavor of the Zionist enemy. We call on all the forces of
good in the ummah to be wary of this plot whose motives, sides, and
forces moving it have been totally exposed. We call on all the
forces
of good to raise their voices high to condemn the blockade, the
instigation, and the plotting against the Palestinian people and
their valiant resistance.
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[Signed] The Islamic Action Front Party, Amman on 12 Dhu al-Qi'dah
1434 Hegira, corresponding to 18 September 2013.
[Description of Source: Amman Islamic Action Front in Arabic --
Official website of the Islamic Action Front, the political wing of
the Muslim Brotherhood group in Jordan; URL: http://www.jabha.net/]
(U) This product may contain copyrighted material; authorized use
is
for national security purposes of the United States Government
only
Any reproduction, dissemination, or use is subject to the OSC usage
policy and the original copyright.
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