Jordanian newspaper sorry for Israeli job ad
Publication says policy is to 'oppose normalization' and apologizes for publishing a job advertisement for Jordanians to work in Eilat, which caused outrage on social media.
The job notice in Monday's Al-Ghad inspired outrage on Jordanian social media networks. "An administrative error resulted in the publication of advertisement looking for Jordanian laborers, who will come to Eilat," the newspaper wrote as part of its apology. The newspaper emphasized that the advertisement was not published intentionally, because it is not consistent with Al-Ghad's policies,"which, as everyone knows, oppose normalization with Israel."
Critics of the Jordanian newspaper point out that it did not publish its apology in a prominent place. "The newspaper should have published its apology on its fron tpage," Lamis Andoni, the Jordanian journalist for the New Arab, wrote.
According to Arab press outlets, this was the second consecutive week in which Al-Ghad published the Eilat job advertisement. The advertisement, which does not reveal the name of the company behind it, says 45 construction workers are needed for various projects in the city. The specific hiring criteria include permanent residency in Aqaba and a local ID. Interestingly, it does not call for a criminal history report.
Al-Sabeel, a newspaper affiliated with the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood and known for its loathing of the Jordanian authorities, published a collection of Jordanian responses from social media regarding the job advertisement. "Anyone who works there with them has no honor," wrote Kifah Marabiah. "One who disregards an Islamic duty does not belong to Islam." According to the newspaper, some social media users claimed that Israeli employers seek to take advantage of high unemployment among youth in Jordan in light of the Syrian refugees who have settled in the Hashemite Kingdom.
"Send us your phone number," wrote Mahmoud Obeid, seemingly in jest. He added, "In Jordan, we do not want Jordanian workers; instead we want workers from Syria and Egypt. So we are going to work in Israel. Our state has become troublesome for us. We have turned into a minority, a group of foreigners in our homeland."
Raeda Jaber wrote: "Working with them is strictly forbidden because it requires paying for the blood of the sons of Palestine."
Local Jordanian news outlets reported that the job advertisement provoked tension in the corridors of Al-Ghad's offices. Jumana Ghneimat, Al-Ghad editor-in-chief, was reportedly furious about the advertisement and sent a warning to those she deemed responsible. She emphasized that this issue "is not up for discussion" and will not happened again.
Israel and Jordan have recently increased cooperation on employing Jordanian workers in hotels in Eilat, which has taken away jobs from undocumented asylum seekers. In recent months, hundreds of workers arrived in Eilat from Aqaba in the framework of agreements between the neighboring states.
