Jordan makes life even harder for many Palestinians. (But don't call it apartheid!)

Middle East Memo mentioned last week:

According to unofficial estimates, the number of Gazan Palestinians living in Jordan ranges from between 700,000 and 900,000. They do not enjoy full citizenship rights, and they are not allowed to work in the official state institutions or study in government schools and universities. Rather, they study under the "parallel" education system or the international system applied in Jordanian state universities.

Gazans in Jordan are given identity cards and a passport without a national number.

The story was about parliament said Gazans should be exempt from a new fee for work permits - but in the end Gazans in Jordan will now have to to live in Jordan:

The Lower House on Tuesday passed the 2015 amendments to the Residency and Foreigner Affairs Law under which personal numbers will be assigned to foreigners.

Under MPs' amendments to the 1973 law, foreigners residing in the country will be given personal numbers to regulate their entry, exit, registration, residency permits and the duration of their stay.

Lawmakers also set JD50 as the fee foreigners have to pay annually to have their residency permits renewed.

In response to some deputies' demand to exempt Gazans living in Jordan and Palestinians holding a temporary passport from residency permits, Interior Minister Salameh Hammad ...told the 150-strong House that no specific category of residents in Jordan shall be exempted from residency permits, saying that such issues lie at the heart of the country's sovereignty and are of "dangerous political dimensions".

How come no one calls Jordan an apartheid state for its laws against hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have lived there for nearly fifty years?

We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.

$5 : $5.00 USD - monthly $10 : $10.00 USD - monthly $25 : $25.00 USD - monthly $50 : $50.00 USD - monthly $100 : $100.00 USD - monthly $250 : $250.00 USD - monthly $500 : $500.00 USD - monthly