Rockets in Aqaba

Just a quick rant, if I may. Many of you will have heard about the fact that three rockets were launched at Israel and a US Navy carrier from the port of Aqaba last Friday. The Jordanians have been swift in their response and seem to have caught 30 suspects, including the ring leader. Most of these people are Iraqis and people paid for by the Iraqis. The rockets all missed their targets and in fact one of them killed a Jordanian soldier.

I am quite appalled by this, as apart from it being a terrorist action, it is one which will only do harm to Jordan. One of their soldiers lies dead. The news of the rockets will deter tourists (Western and Arab alike) from coming to Jordan. This will affect so many people in this country, not just the big hotel chains, but small restaurants, hairdressers, fruit-juice sellers, general shop-keepers, the guys who sell coffee or water outside the sites, the camel drivers, car drivers, taxi drivers and all sorts of people.

These people have done nothing wong and, of all the countries in this part of the world, Jordan seems to have done its best to keep out of trouble, make peace with its neighbours, house millions of refugees, build a open modern state. Although bad, very bad things were done here in the early part of last century by the colonial powers (mostly the British), there has been plenty of time to heal old wounds, accept the State of Israel, make peace, get on with life and so on. While other peoples and countries seem to be content to trawl through history to remember all the wrongs ever done to them and to blame other people and countries for what is going on, Jordan seems to be a country which accepts the present and tries to make its best way forward.

No country deserves terrorism, but as far as I am concerned, Jordan would be one of the countries which would least deserve it. Keep up the good work, people of Jordan!