Jordan Times
Tuesday, October 5, 2004
No
political implications for Gazans' residence cards - Habashneh
By Alia Shukri Hamzeh, Jordan Times
AMMAN, October 5 - Minister of Interior Samir Habashneh on Monday reiterated
that there were no political implications behind the government's decision to
issue residence cards for Gazan refugees in Jordan.
Habashneh told members of the House public freedoms and legal committees at a
meeting that the government was committed to the national constants and rebuffed
claims the new decision was part of efforts to permanently settle Palestinian
refugees in the Kingdom.
“The reason behind our decision to give Gazans residence cards was to facilitate
their daily life activities until they return to their homeland,” the Jordan
News Agency, Petra, quoted the minister as saying. “The cards will be just for
identification purposes.”
Habashneh was responding to claims by some deputies that the recent decision
“was not carefully studied” and was harmful to both Jordanian and Palestinian
national interests, considering it would be seen as an attempt to permanently
settle the refugees.
“Giving Gazans residence cards is unacceptable. By doing this, the government is
allowing for permanent settlement of the refugees and thus it wavers their right
to return. It is also very dangerous at such a time because it coincides with
Israel's planned unilateral withdrawal from Gaza,” said Deputy Mahmoud
Kharabsheh, member of both parliamentary committees.
Kharabsheh said there was no clear mechanism in issuing temporary passports for
Palestinian refugees and the new cards.
Late last month, the government decided to issue residence cards to thousands of
Gazans living in the Kingdom for “humanitarian reasons.” The decision was made
in response to an appeal made by representatives of refugee camps to Prime
Minister Faisal Fayez.
Around 150,000 Gazans currently live in Jordan. In 1974, Gazans hosted by the
Kingdom were issued a card for identification and official transactions — which
was substitute for a travel document given by Egyptian authorities. Eleven years
later, the government issued them a two-year temporary passport, which replaced
the card. Under the new decision, Gazans can obtain both documents. According to
authorities the cards do not include a national number and do not give holder
the right to healthcare, education in public schools and other services offered
exclusively to citizens.
Habashneh explained to the deputies that granting some 50,000 Gazans temporary
passports was to enable them to travel outside the Kingdom. “It does not mean at
all that they were granted the Jordanian citizenship,” he stressed.
The several-hour meeting called for by Habashneh was described by some deputies
as “hot-tempered and not friendly,” but at the same time “open and very
transparent.” The meeting also discussed the situation of the correctional
facilities and the recent spat between the government and Islamists.
According to Deputy Jamal Dmour, head of the Public Freedoms Committee, the
lawmakers were able to discuss several issues “in total frankness” with the
minister.
The minister said the government was working on improving conditions of the
country's rehabilitation centers, noting that a new committee was set up to
recommend changes and endorse the establishment of two new centers costing JD1.6
million and with a capacity of 1,000 inmates each.
The issue of correctional facilities was raised following the death of an inmate
in the Jweideh Correctional Rehabilitation Centre. The National Centre for Human
Rights had issued a report saying inmates at some prisons were being subjected
to “beatings and lashings as well as suffering from other human rights
breaches.” The report claimed the prisoner was killed in September in a brawl
between inmates and guards.
Habashneh, who earlier criticized the report for “distorting facts and giving a
brutal image of Jordan to the world,” blamed the centre for acting as “judge and
jury over the case, even before the court had its say.” He also noted that a
committee of five judges was established to investigate the killing incident,
and that 11 officers are currently being interrogated.