Khaberni - Jordan commemorates, on Monday, the sixth annual anniversary of taking over the Al-Baqoura and Al-Ghamr lands, after King Abdullah II ended a special regime on October 21, 2018, that had allowed Jordan to let Israel utilize them.
The area of Al-Baqoura is 820 dunams located east of the confluence of the Jordan River with the Yarmouk River, occupied by Israel in 1950, and was reclaimed by Jordan through a peace treaty. Al-Ghamr is located in the Araba Valley between the south of the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, covering an area of 4235 dunams, occupied by Israel during 1968-1970, and was reclaimed by Jordan under the peace treaty.
The decision to reclaim Jordanian lands at Al-Baqoura and Al-Ghamr with a royal decree that ended the operation of special annexes of the Araba Valley peace treaty between Jordan and Israel signed in 1994, was met with significant official and popular acclaim, through which Jordanian diplomacy confirmed its strength and vitality in handling sovereignty-related matters.
King Abdullah told the Jordanians during the Throne Speech at the opening of the ordinary session of the Parliament in 2019, "I announce today the imposition of Jordanian sovereignty over every inch of the lands of Al-Baqoura and Al-Ghamr," informing his people about the reclamation of Jordanian land that had been under the control of the occupying power "Israel". The Jordanian royal approach to reclaiming land continues steadfastly, regardless of the cost.
Six years ago, the operation of the special annexes for the Al-Ghamr and Al-Baqoura areas, which are located on the Jordanian border with occupied Palestine, ended. Israel had leased them for 25 years following the signing of the Araba Valley peace treaty with Jordan in 1994. The King did not accept the extension after this term ended and decided on their reclamation.
At that time, the King, dressed in military attire, accompanied by Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, the Crown Prince, went to the Al-Ghamr in the south and Al-Baqoura in the north. There, he prayed two rak'ahs on the reclaimed Jordanian land, and it began that the work there would be purely Jordanian henceforward.
The King's speech in front of the Parliament and during the Throne Speech was not the first concerning the lands of Al-Baqoura and Al-Ghamr, as they certainly had not been absent from his mind, and he was eagerly anticipating that day moment by moment.
Before the end of the Israelis' tenure in the areas, specifically on October 21, 2018, he posted on the site "X", directed at the Jordanians, saying: "Al-Baqoura and Al-Ghamr have always been on top of our priorities, and our decision is to end the Al-Baqoura and Al-Ghamr annexes from the peace treaty, stemming from our keenness to take all necessary for Jordan and the Jordanians."
At that time, the King emphasized that the Al-Ghamr area holds a special and dear place in the hearts of all Jordanians, saying: "Let's make it a Jordanian success story and a model for similar agricultural projects across the homeland." He pointed out during his visit to a large agricultural project being carried out by the Jordanian Armed Forces - the Arab Army in the Al-Ghamr area in southern Jordan, the importance for farmers to benefit from such diverse projects, and for them to be a source of support for them and not a source of competition.
