#Abdullah I of Jordan

[rabbitcruiser]

The parliament of  Transjordan made Abdullah I of Jordan their Emir on May 25, 1946.

Jordan’s Independence Day 

Jordan’s Independence Day is celebrated on May 25 every year, and is the most important event in the history of Jordan, as it commemorates its independence from the British government. After World War I, the Hashemite Army of the Great Arab Revolt took over the area which is now Jordan. The Hashemites launched the revolt, led by Sharif Hussein, against the Ottoman Empire. The Allied forces, comprising Britain and France supported the Great Arab Revolt. Emir Abdullāh was the one who negotiated Jordan’s independence from the British. Though a treaty was signed on March 22, 1946, it was two years later when Jordan became fully independent. In March 1948, Jordan signed a new treaty in which all restrictions on sovereignty were removed to guarantee Jordan’s independence. Jordan joined and became a full member of the United Nations and the Arab League in December 1955.

History of Jordan Independence Day

The first appearance of fortified towns and urban centers in the land now known as Jordan was early in the Bronze Age (3600 to 1200 B.C.). Wadi Feynan then became a regional center for copper extraction with copper at the time, being largely exploited to facilitate the production of bronze. Trading, migration, and settlement of people in the Middle East peaked, thereby advancing and refining more and more civilizations. With time, villages in Transjordan began to expand rapidly in areas where water resources and agricultural land abound. Ancient Egyptians then later expanded towards the Levant and would eventually control both banks of the Jordan River.

There was a period of about 400 years during which Jordan was under the rule and influence of the Ottoman Empire, and the period was characterized by stagnation and retrogression to the detriment of the Jordanian people. The reign of the Ottoman Empire over Jordan would eventually cease when Sharif Hussein led the Hashemite Army in the Great Revolt against the Ottoman Empire, with the Allies of World War I supporting them. In September 1922, the Council of the League of Nations recognized Transjordan as a state under the terms of the Transjordan memorandum. Transjordan remained under British mandate until 1946, when a treaty was signed, with eventual sovereignty being granted upon signing a subsequent treaty in 1948.

The Hashemites’ assumption of power in the Jordan region came with numerous challenges. In 1921 and 1923, there were some rebellions in Kura which were suppressed by the Emir’s forces, with British support. Jordan is generally a peaceful region today, and it has become quite a tourist destination in recent times.

Jordan Independence Day timeline

3600 B.C. Earliest Known Jordanian Civilizations

Fortified towns and urban centers begin to spring up in the area now known as Jordan.

1922 Jordan is Recognized as a State

In 1922, the Council of the League of Nations recognizes Jordan as a state under the Transjordan memorandum.

1946 First Independence Treaty is Signed

In 1946, Emir Abdullāh negotiates the first independence treaty with Britain which would later lead to Jordan's ultimate independence in 1948.

1955 Jordan Joins the United Nations

Jordan becomes a member of the United Nations and the Arab League in 1955.

Jordan Independence Day FAQs

What day is Jordan’s Independence Day?

Jordan’s Independence Day is May 25, every year. It marks the anniversary of the treaty that gave Jordan her sovereignty.

When did Jordan become independent?

On May 25, 1948, Jordan officially became an independent state.

Who is Jordan’s current leader?

The current ruler Of Jordan is the monarch, Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, King of Jordan.

How to Observe Jordan Independence Day

Light up some fireworks

Prepare some mansaf

Share on social media

One of the hallmark celebrations of any independence day is the show of fireworks. Be sure to be a part of the beauty!

As you probably already knew, Mansaf is Jordan’s national dish. As such, preparing it on such a special day as Independence Day is a brilliant idea.

Take pictures and videos of you in your dishdasha celebrating Independence Day. Share them on your social media!

5 Interesting Facts About Jordan

Home to the Dead Sea

A nexus between Africa, Europe, and Asia

Over 100,000 archeological sites

The world’s oldest dam

Jesus was baptized in Jordan

The Dead Sea, which is the lowest point on Earth, is located in Jordan.

Jordan is a pivotal point connecting Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Jordan has over 100,000 archeological and tourist sites.

Jordan is home to the world’s oldest dam, the Jawa Dam.

Jesus, who is the symbolic character of the Christian faith, was baptized in the Jordan River before beginning his ministry.

Why Jordan Independence Day is Important

Jordan is peaceful and liberal

The weather in Jordan is nice

Jordan is a tourist’s dream

Though a generally conservative country, Jordan is relatively liberal. The country is peaceful and tolerant of foreign cultures.

Jordan is a warm region. The weather is usually warm and pleasant at all times of the year.

Jordan has everything a tourist could dream of. Beautiful sights, calm weather, a welcoming culture, and amazing people make it a fantastic place for tourists.

Source

[famousdeaths]

Abdullah I bin Al-Hussein was the ruler of Jordan from 11 April 1921 until his assassination in 1951. He was the Emir of Transjordan, a British protectorate, un...

Link: Abdullah I of Jordan

[deadpresidents]

I don't get it, why wouldn't Jordan support palestinians and take them from gaza

Like Donald Trump, you definitely don't get it. First of all, Gaza is the HOME of those Palestinians, so nobody should be forcing them to go somewhere else. Palestinians want a Palestinian state -- and they've wanted that as more and more land has been taken from them since 1917.

Just because Jordanians and Palestinians are largely Arab doesn't mean they are the same people. They have had a tumultuous relationship as they've tried to build their countries in the Middle East created (by Western powers) after World War I. A Palestinian extremist assassinated the first King of Jordan -- Abdullah I -- the great-grandfather of current King Abdullah II. King Abdullah II's father, King Hussein, was also a target for assassination by Palestinian extremists and fought a brief, brutal war in the early 1970s against Yasser Arafat's PLO (and Syria), and Jordan cracked down on Palestinian militants afterwards. There are already a couple of million Palestinian refugees in Jordan, and Jordan is not a large country. It could be destabilizing to the Jordanians to force more Palestinians to take refuge there. And, again, it's not their home -- their home is Gaza. They want to return, rebuild, and try to recover their actual home country -- not give it to Americans to build hotels and be forced to relocate and be refugees again in someone else's country.

[moonlightwithsunshine]

📍 Amman, Jordan

📸 17.07.2023

[suetravelblog]

Jordan Independence Day Amman

Jordanian Flag Independence Day – Edarabia May 25 is Jordan Independence Day, and the “most important event in the history of the country, marking its independence from the British government in 1946”. The 2023 celebration signifies 75 years since Jordan “officially gained full autonomy in 1948“. King Abdullah I bin Al-Hussein “Jordan’s independence took place during the reign of King Abdullah I…

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Al Jazeera:

United States President Donald Trump says he would like to “just clean out” Gaza, urging Egypt and Jordan to take in more Palestinians from the coastal enclave. Speaking with reporters on board Air Force One on Saturday, Trump said he had a call earlier in the day with King Abdullah II of Jordan and would speak with Egypt President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi later on Sunday. “I would like Egypt to take people,” Trump said. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say: ‘You know, it’s over.'” Trump said he complimented Jordan for having successfully accepted Palestinian refugees and that he told the king, “I would love for you to take on more, ‘cause I am looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess.” Israel’s genocide in Gaza displaced almost the entire 2.3 million people in Gaza, some of them multiple times. Trump said Gaza’s inhabitants could be moved “temporarily or could be long term”.

[...] Israel’s genocide in Gaza displaced almost the entire 2.3 million people in Gaza, some of them multiple times. Trump said Gaza’s inhabitants could be moved “temporarily or could be long term”.

Human disgrace Donald Trump endorses ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza by relocating them to Egypt and Jordan, as he would love to “clean out that whole thing.”

See Also:

AP, via HuffPost: Trump Wants Jordan And Egypt To Accept More Refugees And Floats Plan To 'Just Clean Out' Gaza

CNN: Trump suggests his plan for Gaza Strip is to ‘clean out the whole thing’

Rolling Stone: Trump Floats Forced Relocation of Gazans: ‘Clean Out That Whole Thing’

[sargeantposting]

A Logan Sargeant Primer: Part I (2000 - 2015)

Logan grows up in a ritzy suburb of Fort Lauderdale called Lighthouse Point with his parents and his older brother, Dalton.

The Sargeants don't have a deep motorsport history. Dalton and Logan get their first go-karts for Christmas in 2006, a gift from their father after their mother refuses to let her children ride dirt bikes anymore. Logan tells the NYT that:

“No one in the family was really even that much into racing. We just picked it up as a hobby, something to do on the weekend.”

The two brothers get more serious as the years go by-- within a few years, they're racing competitively. They both do well. Logan finishes in third place in only his first year of racing, and wins two titles in his second. 

Unfortunately, they figure out fairly quickly that there isn’t much more room to advance in American karting:

My older brother, Dalton, and I had been racing for a few years, and it had gotten to the point where we were asking around about where the next best level of competition was, and everybody was saying the same thing…. It was always Europe, Europe, Europe, Europe. To the point where my parents really started to think about it. At first it was just this idea, like Maybe we’ll move to Europe, who knows. I was just a kid overhearing stuff, so I didn’t know how serious the conversation must have been until this day I’ll never forget.

The conversation gets serious in 2012, when Logan’s dad, Daniel, asks the two if they want to move to Switzerland:

It was summer, and we were out to lunch. It was me, my dad, and Dalton. [...] So we’re at this restaurant, right? Chowing down on burgers (my favorite), and my dad gets to asking us about racing. Finally, he’s like, “What do you guys think? Do you really want to race in Europe? Are you 100% sure about this?” Me being 11 and naive, I was like, “Yeah sure.”  Looking back on it, I think I was lucky I was that young and that I didn’t really know what I was signing up for. All the different ways it could change my life, the level of sacrifice it would require from my whole family. Because if I had known, I don’t know if I would’ve made the same decision so easily. It all happened fast, like in the movies. One minute, it’s Christmas, I’m six, and me and Dalton are yelling at the top of our lungs, excited about the two karts sitting in the driveway, pointed diagonally at each other like in a magazine. Next minute, I’m 11 and Dalton’s 14. We’re sitting at the table eating lunch with my dad, and it’s decided — our family’s moving to Europe.

When Logan tells the same story in GQ in 2023, he says:

I was always just going with the flow. For me it was just: sure.

The Sergeant family leaves for Switzerland just as Logan finishes up fifth grade. While Logan always talks about the family move to Switzerland in the context of his parents making sacrifices for his career, it's a little more complicated than that.

 GQ’s profile steps around the subject, briefly mentioning that “in addition to the racing opportunities, [Logan’s] Dad had business there.” Unfortunately, business would be an understatement. 

At the time, Logan’s dad, Daniel, worked for the family business– an asphalt trading and shipping company named Sergeant Marine. One of the driving forces behind Sergeant Marine’s success would be Daniel’s older brother, Harry. 

When Logan’s detractors mention his family’s connections to Trump, they’re usually referencing Harry. The NYT describes his billionaire uncle as “a former [Top Gun] fighter pilot and onetime finance chair of Florida’s Republican Party who has been sued by the brother-in-law of King Abdullah II of Jordan and whose name turned up, tangentially, in the 2020 impeachment of former President Donald J. Trump. (Harry was not accused of any wrongdoing.)” 

Harry would leave the company around the time Daniel moved his family to Switzerland. According to The Florida Phoenix, “The entire family was embroiled in a long-running bitter series of lawsuits that ended with a 2015 bankruptcy settlement. Harry III walked away with a cool $56-million. In return he gave up any claim to ownership of Sargeant Marine and other family companies. There were 14 different lawsuits in several states in addition to the bankruptcy. The lawsuits produced salacious testimony that could only arise in a vicious dispute between millionaires. Harry III accused his brother Daniel of spending millions on his sons’ pursuits of race car driving and other ventures. Meanwhile, Daniel accused Sargeant III of being a spendthrift on things such as a $7.5-million mansion, private jets and exotic cars.”

Logan with his dad.

It would, somehow, get worse:

Oil and asphalt mogul Harry Sargeant III claims that industrial design plans along with recordings of "private consensual relations" were purloined from his private email account and traded off to a corporate intelligence agent as part of a years-long smear campaign against him spearheaded by his brother. Reigniting a long-running saga of brother-against-brother litigation, Harry Sargeant III claims that hundreds of pages of business records, personal discussions and "extremely sensitive videos and photographs" were illegally obtained from his email account. The material was used as currency for information-bartering between his brother Daniel Sargeant and a corporate intelligence chief at the nonparty legal service firm Burford, the lawsuit alleges. Harry is demanding damages for alleged invasion of privacy on the part of Daniel. The brothers had in years past worked together on managing the Sargeant family's global oil and asphalt empire, before intra-family disputes began to tear them apart. [...] The lawsuit claims the Burford investigator, a former corporate attorney, knows Harry well. According to the court documents, the investigator for years worked as an enforcement agent on a $28 million judgment secured against Harry by the king of Jordan's brother-in-law Mohammad Al-Saleh, who accused Harry of cutting him out of a deal to distribute oil to troops in the Iraq War. [...] Harry claims brother Daniel gave the corporate intelligence agent the treasure trove of Harry's emails  in exchange for inside information that would help the Sargeant family's asphalt company Latin American Investments in a separate multimillion-dollar legal dispute. Harry's underlying email account ran on a server of the family company Sargeant Marine. When he was ousted from the Sargeant empire, Harry had been told that the account was cut off at the root and all information in it had been destroyed, the lawsuit says. The lifted emails were instead provided to an "untold number of people" inside and outside of the family businesses in 2016, the lawsuit claims.

The information that Daniel traded his brother’s sex tape for would end up being useless. Daniel is currently out a $5 million bond and awaiting sentencing for the foreign bribery and money laundering charges he pled guilty to back in 2019. After bribing officials in three South American countries to secure asphalt contracts, the Department of Justice ended up making an example of the company– and Daniel– for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. 

While Logan cites his career as a big reason for the family move, it appears that Sargeant Marine had conveniently made shell companies in Switzerland to aid in their illegal business dealings that same year.

Logan, blissfully unaware of any drama, tries to make the most of the big move. They move to Lugano, Switzerland– Dalton and Logan go to the American School on weekdays and race on the weekends in the European junior circuit, bouncing them between Italy, Switzerland and Britain. In GQ, Logan says:

“I definitely felt like school was a lot more challenging than in Florida,” he recalled. “And we were missing a lot of school, for sure, but that’s part of it with racing. It is what it is.”

Logan loves Switzerland. In his Players’ Tribune article, he says:

We moved into a three-bedroom apartment. It was me, my parents, Dalton, and our dog Roxy, the world traveler. Big difference from Florida. We had a whole new life. I loved Switzerland. I had a lot of good friends at my school there. I can’t explain it, but I just felt more a part of things. Me and my friends were big Chelsea fans, and we’d be hanging out, playing soccer all the time. We played Call of Duty like every other kid in the world.

However… Logan is the only one. Daniel is out doing shady asphalt deals around the world and suing his brother. Dalton moves back to Florida after a year-and-a-half. Their mother follows soon after that. Logan ends up living alone at the school: 

Dalton was my older brother, so for as far back as I can remember, I was chasing him. Man, we fought all the time. Every race, we were up against all these other kids, but he was always the one I was really trying to beat. But the thing is, when you’re a kid you miss things. You just can’t see everything so clearly. Like, for instance, being a bit older than me, I think he felt the shift more strongly when we moved, but I didn’t know it. He stayed in Switzerland for a year and a half, did some European karting, and started testing Formula cars. Then one day he just decided he wanted to go home and race in America. I won’t lie, that was a shock at the time. But I get it more now. Making that big life change was hard on my mom, too. Just think, you’re living in this brand new place, don’t have many friends. Me and Dalton were at school all day. My dad was traveling all over the place with work, so he was hardly there. The reality is, she was on her own a lot. So she ended up going back to Florida, too. For about a year and a half after that, it was just me. I was living at the school during that time.

When talking about how his mom moved back to Florida while Logan was living alone in Europe as a teenager, he told the Players’ Tribune that:

Looking back on everything, I just see all the sacrifices they made, and it means so much. No matter what they were going through, my family always pushed me to keep going. I feel like that was probably the hardest for my mom, especially. She means the world to me. She’s a bit of a worrier too, and overthinks. I think I get that from her. She’s always been the person I could go to when I was doubting myself. So I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for her to encourage me to keep going, when I know she probably wanted our family to be together. I’m really grateful, not only that they believed in me that much, to move our entire family, but that they took my passion for driving seriously enough not to let me give it all up.

While Logan’s personal life may be troubled, his karting career is doing exceptionally well. In 2014, he wins the prestigious SuperNats18 in Vegas:

Infinity Sports Management, Facebook - SARGEANT DOMINATES IN LAS VEGAS. Logan Sargeant produced a stunning display last weekend in the TAG Junior category at the Supernationals race in Las Vegas. After finishing runner up in the race in 2013 Logan was eager to go one better this year and bring home the winners trophy. Although Logan got pipped in qualifying he still managed to win every heat ensuring he would start from pole position for the final on Sunday. From there he kept the lead and came home 5.6 seconds clear of the second driver. With this win in TAG Junior Logan become the first driver ever to win the TAG Cadet and TAG Junior categories at the Supernationals race.

2015 manages to be even more exceptional. Logan starts the season by being the first North American driver to win a WSK event by winning the WSK Champions Cup in La Conca, Italy.

Logan with his mother after winning the WSK Champions Cup.

The season reaches its peak with Logan becomes the first American to win an FIA Karting World Championship, the top junior series, since Lake Speed in 1978.

He gets to go to the FIA Awards:

Logan: And I couldn’t thank my mechanic enough. And also my parents, uh, they really helped me to be able to win the world championship and it’s just an amazing feeling. Interviewer: I mean, did you, did you, what did you do when you found out you won? Did you call your friends at home? Did you phone your grandpa? What did you get up to? Logan: Uh, no, I just gave my mom and dad a really big hug. Interviewer: Is it still sinking in now? Logan: Yeah, it’s, it’s a really emotional thing. [...] Interviewer: Tell me about when you were a little bit younger than you are now. You’re only 14 now. But why racing, why, why is this so important to you? Logan: Um, well, my dad bought me a, a racing kart when I was five years old and we started from there. We thought it would just be like a little hobby and, uh, it ended up becoming like a professional thing we did. So. Interviewer: So, so was there a moment when you, when you or your dad just thought ‘Wow, I’m quick. I can do this’? Logan: Um, well, not really. We just kept progressing and then, um, when we, when we decided to come to Europe to race, um, we moved to Switzerland and from then on we were just, uh, going to school, I started going to school in Switzerland. And, yeah, and then we just kept going and then ended up like this. Interviewer: Do you have any other hobbies? Can you fit anything else in? Logan: Um, well, other than school it’s really hard. But when I get my breaks and I go back to Florida for, um, I like to go fishing a lot and, yeah, that’s what I do. Mostly. 

When interviewed after his win, Logan tells kart360 that:

Moving away from home is a very hard thing in your own personal life. You lose all of your best friends. You don’t have your "home" and you have to adapt to a different culture. It is hard to move to a country that speaks a different language than what you know, but racing is so important to me that I stuck through it and kept on going.

Logan clearly struggles on a personal level. He discusses his feelings in his Players’ Tribune article, saying: 

Coming up racing as a kid isn’t easy. That’s the most honest way I can put it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said to myself, I’m done. I’m ready to come home. I’m glad I didn’t, but there were plenty of times when I wanted to. I remember one big time was the summer right after Dalton went back. We took this trip to the Bahamas with some of our extended family and friends. We were on the water, and everything was feeling like old times. And I think I just had this pit in the bottom of my stomach, like dreading going back. There was a night when I went to my mom, and I was like, “I’m just ready to come home.” I remember her asking me more questions about what I was feeling. I don’t even remember what I said, to be honest. I just remember that she didn’t tell me what to do. She left it completely up to me. My dad used to always say, “If you put in the work now, it’ll pay off eventually — it’ll be worth it.” And he kind of reminded me of that on that trip too. It’ll be worth it. Those four little words … that’s what kept me going. After that I sucked it up, went back to Switzerland, put my head down, and I went for it."

When Logan makes the jump to single seaters the next year, his parents rent him an apartment to live in by himself in London. The only time he’ll spend more than a few weeks in the US since he was a 12-year old would be during COVID.

But Logan’s time in single seaters will be for the next installment.

Logan through the years.

[tiaramania]

“I really like Princess Iman of Jordan’s tiara!”

“Which Princess Iman?”

“Um…”

Princess Iman bint Hussein - born 24 April 1983, daughter of King Hussein and Queen Noor

Princess Iman bint Abdullah - born 27 September 1996, daughter of King Abdullah and Queen Rania

Princess Iman bint Hussein - born 3 August 2024, daughter of Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa

Congrats to Rajwa and Hussein on the birth of the newest future tiara wearer!

[jordanianroyals]

Close-up of Rajwa Al Saif's henna party outfit on 22 May 2023. The dress, by Saudi designer Honayda Serafi, took more than 2,000 hours to create, and includes several hidden messages of love, Vogue Arabia reports.

“Crafted by Saudi designer Honayda Serafi, Al-Saif’s henna dress is a vision in white and gold. The future queen of Jordan celebrated with family and friends in a look that takes inspiration from the traditional Najdi dress, known as Sahabi thoub, which originates from the Najd region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Keeping in mind the occasion and the family, Serafi made sure to combine the cultural beauty of the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to celebrate the union of Rajwa and Prince Hussein beautifully.

Featuring a handcrafted veil and dress, Rajwa Al-Saif’s pristine white henna outfit comes doused in 3D ornaments, made using a mix of silk, metallic threads and traditional reed strings (a signature element of Najdi embroidery). To create this masterpiece, Honayda Serafi took cues from the bride’s personality, attempting to reflect her innate grace, the rich traditions of her land, and her contemporary spirit.

Look closely, and you’ll notice that Al-Saif’s gown is replete with lovingly made details. Featuring a high round neck and full sleeves, the crepe gown features an inverted triangle-shaped bodice that is inspired by the traditional Najdi bodice design, normally worn as a separate piece. As the body-skimming gown continues, it flares out towards the ankles to create a mermaid-esque shape. The bodice of the gown is elevated using embroidery: soft organza flowers share space with geometric shapes and Arabic motifs, all of which are typical to Saudi Arabia and reflect the beauty and traditions of the bride’s homeland.

Rajwa Al-Saif’s veil has also been embroidered with meaningful designs, making this piece so personal to her journey. Seven Jordanian stars adorn her veil to signify the seven-pointed star that sits proudly on the Jordanian flag. What makes this symbol even more special is its religious meaning: The star on the Jordan flag signifies the seven verses in the opening chapter of the Holy Qur’an, and the seven mountains of Amman.

Along with the stars, the veil also features intricate palm trees as a reference to Saudi Arabia, and even some poetry. The words “I see you, and life becomes more beautiful” have been embroidered into Al-Saif’s veil, from Tunisian poet Abu al-Qasim al-Shabi, known for his Andalusian notes. If you’re a fan of Rajwa Al-Saif’s elegant wardrobe, you may already know that the bride-to-be has a soft spot for special symbols when it comes to her clothing. Back in August 2022, when Rajwa was officially engaged to Prince Hussein, she also commemorated the occasion with her clothing—an abaya that was embroidered with two gold birds, symbolizing two souls in love.”

The veil took 760 hours to complete

An exquisite piece of couture requires hours of effort, and Rajwa Al-Saif’s henna outfit is no different. According to the designer, Al-Saif’s veil took 760 hours to complete, and was worked on by a team of experts, craftsman and women. Extending to 10 meters, the piece was made using handcrafted tulle, a process that normally takes close to 2,000 hours of work. As for her billowing gown, the creation is the result of 340 hours of work.

Honayda Serafi: “I am very proud and honored to be part of this historic union”

Speaking on the occasion, Serafi shared, “I am very proud and honored to be part of this historic union between His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II of the honorable Hashemite family, and Miss Rajwa Khalid Alseif. May they be blessed with happiness and their union be crowned with success.” (x)

[royal-confessions]

“The grand reveal of Hussein of Jordan newborn daughter excluding the baby mama has to be the biggest royal faux pas of the year.” - Submitted by Anonymous

“King Abdullah’s family not waiting for Rajwa to be in the mood to take a public pic before posting the new baby Princess is the royal version of my family placing boyfriends and girlfriends at the very end of the family portrait in case they need to crop them out later.” - Submitted by Anonymous

“Why Is the first look of baby Iman just her and her dad? At least show a hand or the back of the woman who carried her for 9 months and birthed her 🙁 I apologize if it’s a cultural thing and maybe they will soon release a family picture but that’s the first peek at the baby and Princess Rajwa is absent.” - Submitted by Anonymous

“Lovely to know Hussein and Rajwa had a healthy baby girl!!!!!!!!! But come on now, the family photoshoot should have been postponed for when the mother was camera ready, we are used to Rajwa making us wait for her appearances lol so the video of Hussein and her baby girl was more than enough for a good while, and this are not any pics BUT her daughters first pics and she is not there.” - Submitted by Anonymous

“The reluctance Rania and Abdullah display against factoring Rajwa and Jameel into the public equation of the JRF is unorthodox, do they want to keep their club exclusive only for those born with a title? It could be they want their privacy but to leave them out of the first published pictures of Princess Iman is rather disheartening, Rajwa is the babies mom and Jameel is her uncle.” - Submitted by Anonymous

“The coverage from the Hashemites of the birth of Hussein & Rajwa’s baby leaves me feeling bad for her. So many photos of the family with the baby, zero of her. I understand that perhaps she didn’t want to be photographed but there’s very little reference to her either. As though she’s birthed the child and put to one side. Queen Rania’s instagram feed puts her in prime position. There are a lot of reasons to side eye Rajwa (probably not all of them are her fault either) but becoming a mother is no small thing. In this moment she should have more respect shown to her than this.” - Submitted by Anonymous

“If I wasn't a royal fan, I would assume Hussein had a baby sister and not a newborn daughter. What was that photoshoot of Rania, Abdullah and all their sons and daughters with Rajwa and Hussein's baby without the mother there?Not even a blurry pic of Rajwa, who is the mother of Princess Iman. And DO NOT say its cultural because there are PLENTY of pics of Hashemite princesses with their newborns at the hospital.” - Submitted by Anonymous

“You guys WTH! There are photos of baby Princess Iman and no Rajwa in sight!! I can’t believe it, how rude of Hussein, I feel bad for Rajwa who clearly doesn’t want to be photographed because by marrying to that dork her baby now has to be exposed into the public without her mother. Honestly what a gross royal family, I’ve never seen this happening with any other house. They have no respect for Rajwa I really feel bad for calling her lazy all this time.” - Submitted by Anonymous

“My heart breaks for Princess Rajwa because in which universe would a Royal Family, or ANY Family disregard the new mother by posting photos of the baby without a trace of her. Heck there is a photo of Rania holding Princess Iman before one of Rajwa and her Baby. If there is someone that still wants to buy into the fairy tale wedding and ignore this disrespect for Rajwa? I truly feel sad for her.” - Submitted by Anonymous

“I’m torn at the photos released by the RHC to celebrate the birth of Princess Iman bint Hussein because is great they gave Princess Rajwa space to recover but also out of the ordinary not to see the mother at the first official portraits of a newborn royal baby, since she won’t be the heir I believe they had juggle opportunity to wait for Rajwa to feel herself again instead of rushing the images with no mommy in sight 🥺” - Submitted by Anonymous

“Okay so we don't know what's going on behind the close doors but when CP Hussain was born their were picture of him and Queen Rania and mind you King Abdullah wasn't even in the race of becoming king so Hussain wasn't the heir , there are pics of Queen Noor holding her baby Hamza but no pic of Rajwa with her baby daughter is VERY telling” - Submitted by queenempath007

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Ok, so normally I just...ignore creators who can't be bothered to include women, LTGBTQIA, and BIPOC authors in Fantasy Book Lists, but today I'm tired and grouchy and this goddamn video pissed me off because it's a vast majority of white dudes and their fantastical man pain. SO. I would like to just toss out some NOT white male fantasy authors because frankly I am *so tired* of white dudes retreading Tolkien and Robert Jordan forever. So let's celebrate some amazing fantasy authors who tend not to make these lists.

I'll give the author (and a book to start with).

- Mercedes Lackey (Arrows of the Queen)

- Tamora Pierce (Sandry's Book)

- Fonda Lee (Jade City)

- India Holton (The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels)

- NE Davenport (The Blood Trials)

- Naomi Novik (His Majesty's Dragon)

- Moniquill Blackgoose (To Shape A Dragon's Breath)

- CE Murphy (Urban Shaman)

- Sue Lynn Tan (Daughter of the Moon Goddess)

- Chloe Gong (These Violent Delights)

- Judy I. Lin (A Magic Steeped in Poison)

- Tasha Suri (The Jasmine Throne)

- Xiran Jay Zhao (Iron Widow)

- Jordan Ifueko (Raybearer)

- Chelsea Abdullah (The Stardust Thief)

- Tracy Deonn (Legendborn)

- Gabi Burton (Sing Me to Sleep)

- Brittany N. Williams (That Self-Same Metal)

- Juliet Marillier (Dreamer's Pool)

- Stephanie Burgis (Scales and Sensibility)

- Allison Saft (A Fragile Enchantment)

- Chloe Neill (The Bright and Breaking Sea)

- Olivia Atwater (Half a Soul)

- Heather Fawcett (Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faerie)

- MA Carrick (The Mask of Mirrors)

- Kristin Cashore (Graceling)

- Marie Brennan (A Natural History of Dragons)

- Maya Ibrahim (The Spice Road)

- HM Long (Dark Water Daughter)

- Aparna Verma (The Phoenix King)

And these are just the ones I can see on my bookshelves by turning my head without moving from my chair. There are DOZENS of others who I apologize for missing and who are absolutely worth reading. If I missed one of your favorites, add it to the list with a reblog, and let's stop defaulting to filling fantasy author lists with white dudes.

[good-old-gossip]

President Donald Trump will apply pressure on Gulf states to bankroll the US’s takeover of the Gaza Strip amid frustration among advisors that the oil-rich allies haven’t coalesced behind the deal or made a counter-offer, a senior US official told Middle East Eye.

“The message is, ‘you don’t get what you want any longer from the US just for free',” the official said on Wednesday.

The Trump administration's plans for Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE to obtain waterfront property rights in a reconstructed Gaza Strip and for their construction firms to be awarded contracts to build apartment towers there would be in return for funding the “relocation” of Palestinians and Gaza’s reconstruction, the official, who was briefed by one of a handful of Trump advisors consulted on the plan, told MEE.

However, it is no small matter that international law dictates those territorial rights, and the US does not control the property rights for Gaza's waterfront or its maritime boundaries.

Trump’s press conference on Tuesday, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stunned allies and foes alike, including ordinary Americans.

The world was left guessing whether or not a president who campaigned on ending foreign American entanglements was serious about taking over Gaza or merely setting himself up for negotiation with Gulf states for the enclave’s postwar future and, in the case of Saudi Arabia, normalisation of ties with Israel.

Trump has been calling for weeks for neighbouring Arab states, Jordan and Egypt, to accept forcibly displaced Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. His own State Department has warned him that Egypt will not be swayed.

Likewise, Saudi Arabia has struck a hard public line on what it would take to get them to provide funds for Gaza’s reconstruction.

Asked in an interview in January if Saudi Arabia would fund Gaza’s reconstruction, Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the UK, said: “To reconstruct a Palestinian state, yes. To reconstruct a territory that the Israelis might just destroy again in a matter of years, I don’t think that would be a sensible thing to do.”

Trump said on Tuesday that after emptying Gaza of Palestinians and taking a “long-term ownership position” of the territory, the US would turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East”. “This might lead to a negotiation, but I take Trump seriously.

He and his people really believe this is the best path forward. I’m not surprised they are upset the Gulf is not on board,” Jonathan Panikoff, a former senior US intelligence official now at the Atlantic Council, told MEE.

But it may be the cold shoulder it received from the US’s Arab Gulf partners that is grating the White House the most.

Trump insisted on Tuesday that his vision would be “paid for by neighbouring countries of great wealth”. Emirati analyst Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, who has close ties to the UAE’s ruling Nahyan family, wrote on X: “We have just heard the most stupid idea come out of Washington DC regarding Gaza,” after Trump’s speech.

The plan was shot down by Saudi Arabia, which rushed out a statement early on Wednesday morning that rejected any efforts to displace Palestinians from their land.

It also upped Saudi Arabia’s demand that an independent Palestinian state be created before it normalises diplomatic relations with Israel.

The language, which said the Saudi position was nonnegotiable, marked a step up from previous statements that called for a pathway to a Palestinian state as a prerequisite to a deal.

“The Gulf isn’t pumping any cash into the Gaza Strip in the absence of a serious conversation on a two-state solution and, secondly, the fate of the current ceasefire,” Bilal Saab, a former Pentagon official in the first Trump administration, told MEE.

“Shooting off statements alongside Bibi Netanyahu is not the best way to conduct diplomacy towards Riyadh and Abu Dhabi,” he added. Anna Jacobs, a Middle East expert at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington DC, said that Gulf states had made it “crystal clear” to Trump that his statements on Gaza were a non-starter.

“They are not going to pay for the forced displacement of Palestinians,” she said.

The outpouring of criticism included the Arab League, which called Trump's proposal a "recipe for instability”.

The US president’s advisors spent Wednesday walking back some of his more stunning statements. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump’s speech "was not meant as hostile", describing it as a "generous move - the offer to rebuild and to be in charge of the rebuilding”.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Palestinians would only be "temporarily relocated” from the enclave and that Trump did not commit to deploying American troops.

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a fellow for the Middle East at Rice University's Baker Institute, said that, far from moving the needle in negotiations with the Gulf states about funding Gaza’s reconstruction, Trump may have caused them to harden their positions.

“If the idea was to shock the Gulf into action, I think it backfired,” he told MEE.

“Trump may think he created space to make concessions, but he made it harder for regional leaders to make a deal.”

✍️: MEE/Sean Mathews

[deadpresidents]

I cannot adequately express how batshit insane these past 15 days have been, and now this new idea for America's new imperialism. President Trump wants to displace the already-displaced Palestinian people and force them to move to Egypt and Jordan. I'm guessing he hasn't run this by King Abdullah or Sisi because, historically, this type of idea has been pretty unpopular with even the most Western-friendly Arab countries. Oh, and let's not forget that Gaza is HOME for these Palestinians. It's devastated because Israel tried to wipe it off the map, not because the Palestinians were looking for a way out so Donald Trump could build hotels and casinos.

And you want to put American troops on the ground in Gaza to just "take over"? Has nothing been learned since 1948? Or 1918? You don't think these folks are going to fight for their homeland? Against US? WHERE IS CONGRESS? They are still a branch of the government, right?

[vyorei]

Live coverage of the 12th of February 2024 is now closed.

Here is a recap of today's major events.

It is 12am in Ireland now so I have to go to bed.

I'll be back to resume live updates on Wednesday.

For continuous updates while I'm gone, click the link below:

[suetravelblog]

Jabal Amman Jordan

Rainbow Street Jabal Amman – planetofhotels Amman is my home base through May, and I’m settling into a new apartment. The fascinating city is full of surprises. There’s much to discover and learn about the local culture and lifestyle. Mango House – universes.art Amman is popular, and expatriates from all over the world live here. I won’t elaborate on apartment hunting issues I encountered, but…

[girlactionfigure]

If you have 26 minutes and want to become more wholistic about the conflict, watch the Israeli narrative that beats the Arab narrative by a mile. There are a few things that should be added here. The British switched sides from Jewish to Arab after 1939 for fear that the Arabs (much bigger population than Jews) would join the Nazi camp. The British were also disappointed that the French conceded to Nazis and London believed that it should take the whole Mideast to itself. When the French came back in 1945, they took Israel's side while Britain was on the Arab side until 1956, when Nasser's nationalization of Suez brought them back together against him. To understand how the British took the Arab side against Israel, think who took the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Israel. It was the Jordanian Army led by British general Glubb Pasha. My professor at AUB left Haifa while a kid with his family in 1948 to Alexandria. He used to tell us in class that they left everything in their house as is thinking they would come back from a summer vacation in Alexandria. They were told that the Iraqi Army was coming, would destroy Israel, then they could come back. The Arab armies did come, but they only took the West Bank that Jordanian King Abdullah I wanted to annex. His rivals, at the time the Saudis, vetoed the move at the Arab League, and that's why the West Bank stayed in limbo, a former mandate land without any recognized sovereignty over it (until today). In 1964, Nasser was engaged in war against Saudi and Jordan, in Yemen, and wanted to undermine Saudis and Jordanians, so he instigated the Arabs of the West Bank to secede by proclaiming Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza (then join him in union after Syria had exited the United Arab Republic in 1961). The Palestinians gathered in East Jerusalem and planned to proclaim their state in the West Bank and Gaza, but the Saudis shot down the creation of Palestine at the Arab League because they didn't want to allow their rival Nasser an easy win. Instead, the Saudis propped up their own Palestinian faction that doubled down by saying Palestine would not be West Bank and Gaza only, but all of Mandate Palestine. This was Yasser Arafat. After losing in 1967 and 1973, Saudi and Egypt came to the conclusion that the eradication of Israel was impossible, and decided to share the land with Israel and create Palestine on West Bank and Gaza only, but now it was the radical crazies (Iraq, Syria, Libya) who shot down such plan and propped up Palestinian radical militias. When these Arab regimes weakened, Iran picked up the tab in 1979, has been doing so since. The rest is history.

H/T @scartale-an-undertale-au