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The Arab world is reacting to an expected announcement by President Donald Trump that the United States will recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

According to recent reports, President Trump will make the statement this week but will further delay acting on a campaign pledge to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

The head of the Arab League, Jordan and the Palestinian president have warned of the consequences of a declaration.

Jerusalem’s fate is one of the thorniest issues between Israel and the Arabs.

A deadline for President Trump to sign a waiver delaying the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem expires on December 4.

Every president, including Donald Trump, has signed the waiver every six months since US Congress passed an act in 1995 calling for the embassy to be moved.

Donald Trump repeatedly pledged during his election campaign to move the embassy, and while he has said it was still his intention, he has not yet done so.

There are signs however the president will make a statement on December 6 announcing Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel while holding off moving the embassy.

Image source Wikimedia

Israel Settlements: Jerusalem Housing and Planning Committee Postpones Vote on Jewish Homes

Israel-Jordan Deal on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif Holy Site

Israel Sets up Checkpoints in East Jerusalem’s Arab Areas

The status of the city goes to the heart of Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians, who are backed by the rest of the Arab and wider Islamic world.

Jerusalem is home to key religious sites sacred to Judaism, Islam and Christianity, especially in East Jerusalem.

Israel occupied the area in the 1967 Middle East war and regards the entire city as its indivisible capital. The Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, and according to 1993 Israel-Palestinian peace accords its final status is meant to discussed in the latter stages of peace talks.

Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem has never been recognized internationally, and all countries, including Israel’s closest ally the US, maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv, the country’s commercial capital.

Since 1967, Israel has built a dozen settlements, home to about 200,000 Jews, in East Jerusalem. These are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

If the US recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, it will put it out-of-step with the rest of the international community and reinforce Israel’s position that settlements in the east are valid Israeli communities.

The move would also raise a question over how the US will treat resolutions dealing with East Jerusalem at the UN. The US has a power of veto and could use this to block future motions critical of Israeli policy in the east.

There is growing anger towards Washington among its allies in the Middle East.

Jordan, the custodian of Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, has warned of “grave consequences” if President Trump goes ahead, and has called for an emergency meeting of key regional and Islamic blocs the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference to discuss the issue.

Arab League chief Abul Gheit warned such a move would “nourish fanaticism and violence”.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has contacted world leaders urging them to intervene, saying “such a US decision would destroy the peace process and drag the region into further instability”.

The US has brokered decades of on-off peace talks, and the Trump administration is formulating fresh peace proposals – but recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital would compromise Washington’s neutrality in the eyes of the Palestinians.

It remains unclear though whether President Trump will recognize Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem.

The White House has neither confirmed nor denied the president’s intention, and in a rare public speech on December 3 his son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner refused to be drawn on the issue.

Secretary of State John Kerry has announced that Israel and Jordan have agreed on moves aimed at reducing tensions surrounding Jerusalem Jerusalem’s Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif holy site.

Issues relating to the complex have been at the center of violence between Israelis and Palestinians in recent weeks.

John Kerry was speaking after talks in Jordan, the formal custodian of what is known to Jews as the Temple Mount and as Haram al-Sharif to Muslims.

He said Israel had renewed a pledge to maintain existing rules there.

In the latest upsurge of violence, at least 8 Israelis have been killed and dozens wounded in knife or gun attacks by Palestinians, following rumors that Israel was planning to change the rules.Jerusalem Temple Mount Haram al-Sharif Holy Site

About 50 Palestinians, including several of the attackers, have been killed in recent weeks.

John Kerry, who is on a tour of the region, met Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and King Abdullah of Jordan in Amman on October 24.

“All the violence and the incitement to violence must stop. Leaders must lead,” John Kerry told reporters.

The steps he announced include round-the-clock video monitoring and Israel’s agreement to reaffirm Jordan’s historic role as custodian of the religious complex.

Israel says it has not challenged the status quo on the Temple Mount and has no intention of doing so.

John Kerry met Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu on October 22, and said the talks had raised ideas that were worth exploring.

On October 24, John Kerry will travel to Saudi Arabia for talks with regional leaders.

In the latest violence, Israeli police said they shot dead a Palestinian attacker in the northern West Bank on Saturday, October 24.

President Barack Obama has confirmed the death of American aid worker Kayla Mueller, who had been held hostage by Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Syria.

Kayla Mueller’s family said they were “heartbroken” to learn the news, and released a letter written during her captivity.

Paying tribute to her, President Barack Obama said “she represents what is best about America”.

Last week, Islamic State said Kayla Mueller had died in a Jordanian air strike, without providing proof.

Kayla Mueller was abducted while working in Aleppo, Syria in 2013.

“Our hearts are breaking for our only daughter, but we will continue on in peace, dignity, and love for her,” her family said in a statement.Kayla Mueller death confirmed

In a letter written in 2014, Kayla Mueller tries to reassure her family that she is safe and unharmed.

“I could only but write the letter a paragraph at a time, just the thought of you all sends me into a fit of tears,” she wrote.

“I know you would want me to remain strong. That is exactly what I am doing.”

Kayla Mueller’s death was determined after her family was contacted privately by her ISIS captors over the weekend, with US intelligence then confirming the details of the message.

“She has been taken from us, but her legacy endures, inspiring all those who fight, each in their own way, for what is just and what is decent,” President Barack Obama said in a statement.

“No matter how long it takes, the United States will find and bring to justice the terrorists who are responsible for Kayla’s captivity and death.”

Neither the White House nor Kayla Mueller’s family have given the circumstances behind her death.

She was the last known US hostage to be held by ISIS. Three others – journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and aid worker Peter Kassig – were beheaded by the group.

The militants’ claims that Kayla Mueller was killed by a Jordanian air strike were dismissed by Jordan as propaganda.

Kayla Mueller worked with a number of humanitarian organizations at home and abroad. She travelled to the Turkey-Syria border in 2012 to work with refugees.

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An American female hostage has been killed in a Jordanian air strike in Syria, Islamic State (ISIS) militants have said.

ISIS named the woman as aid worker Kayla Jean Mueller in statements online.

The group provided no other proof for the claim beyond pictures of the alleged site of the air strike, in Raqqa, the group’s stronghold in Syria.

The White House said it was “deeply concerned” by the reports but that it has yet to verify them. Jordan has questioned the ISIS claims.

A graduate of Northern Arizona University, Kayla Jean Mueller, 26, first came to the Turkish/Syrian border in 2012 to work with refugees.

She was abducted while working in Aleppo, Syria the following year.

The ISIS statement said she was killed in the building where she was being held. It did not provide images of a body.Kayla Jean Mueller killed by ISIS

If Kayla Jean Mueller’s death is confirmed, she would be the fourth American to die while being held by ISIS. Journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and aid worker Peter Kassig were beheaded by the group.

The Jordanian foreign minister Nasser Judeh tweeted that the ISIS claims were: “An old and sick trick used by terrorists and despots for decades: claiming that hostages [and] human shields held captive are killed by air raids.”

Jordan said it carried out aerial bombardments on ISIS targets in Syria on February 5, including on Raqqa.

The strikes were carried out in response to the killing of Jordanian fighter pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh by ISIS militants.

A video of Moaz al-Kasasbeh being burned alive in a cage was posted online by ISIS earlier this week.

Moaz al-Kasasbeh was captured by militants in December after his F-16 fighter jet crashed in Syria. The video is believed to have been filmed on January 3.

Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said Thursday’s strikes were “upping the ante” against ISIS.

Thousands rallied in Jordan’s capital, Amman, on February 6 in support of their government’s military response. Among those marching was Jordan’s Queen Rania.

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Jordan’s warplanes have carried out their first air strikes on Islamic State (ISIS) targets since the militants released a video showing the killing of captured Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh.

On their way back, the planes flew over the village of Moaz al-Kasasbeh.

Their flight coincided with a visit to the village by King Abdullah II, who was meeting the pilot’s family.

King Abdullah II has vowed to the step up the fight against ISIS. Jordan is part of a US-led coalition bombing the militants.

Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh was captured by the militants last year after his F-16 fighter jet crashed in Syria. ISIS this week released a video showing the pilot being burned alive in a cage, sparking outrage and calls for revenge in Jordan.

State television pictures on February 5 showed the king sitting somber-faced with Saif al-Kasasbeh, the pilot’s father, at a gathering in Aya village, near the city of Karak, south of the capital Amman.King Abdullah of Jordan pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh

The king gestured to the skies as the warplanes flew overhead, the Associated Press news agency said.

Saif al-Kasasbeh told mourners that the aircraft were returning from a raid on Syria’s Raqqa, the de facto capital of the militants’ self-declared caliphate, which spans territory in Iraq and Syria.

While Jordan did not specify the location of the air strikes, a security official quoted by Reuters said they had targeted ISIS in Syria.

However, anti-ISIS activists in Raqqa said there were no coalition air strikes in the city on February 4.

“The response of Jordan and its army after what happened to our dear son will be severe,” King Abdullah said, after cutting short a trip to the US this week.

Jordan responded to the release of the gruesome video, which depicted the caged pilot engulfed in flames, by executing two convicts, including Sajida al-Rishawi, a failed female suicide bomber.

Jordan had earlier sought to secure the pilot’s release in a swap involving Rishawi.

However, it is now believed that IS had killed the pilot a month ago.

Saif al-Kasasbeh praised the king and condemned the militants.

“You are a wise monarch,” the Reuters quotes him as saying.

“These criminals violated the rules of war in Islam and they have no humanity. Even humanity disowns them.”

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Two jihadists, including a woman, have been executed in Jordan following the killing of one of its air force pilots by Islamic State (ISIS) militants.

The woman, failed suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi, and al-Qaeda operative Ziyad Karboli – both Iraqi nationals – were hanged at dawn, officials said.

The executions came hours after ISIS posted a video appearing to show pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh being burned alive.

Moaz al-Kasasbeh was seized after crashing during an anti-ISIS mission over Syria in December.

Jordan had attempted to secure Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh’s release in a swap involving Sajida al-Rishawi.

Sajida al-Rishawi had been on death row for her role in attacks in Jordan’s capital, Amman, which killed 60 people in 2005.Sajida al-Rishawi and pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh

Ziyad Karboli was convicted in 2008 for killing a Jordanian national.

The two prisoners were executed at 04:00AM local time, government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said on February 4.

Jordan earlier vowed an “earth-shattering” response after ISIS posted a video online showing what militants say is the pilot standing in a cage engulfed in flames.

Mamdouh al-Ameri, a spokesman for the Jordanian armed forces, said on February 3 that Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh had “fallen as a martyr”.

“His blood will not be shed in vain. Our punishment and revenge will be as huge as the loss of the Jordanians.”

Jordanian state TV reported that Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh was killed a month ago.

Jordan, which is part of the US-led coalition against ISIS, had tried to secure Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh’s release as part of a prisoner swap, offering to free Sajida al-Rishawi in exchange.

But ISIS had sought her release as part of a deal to free captive Japanese journalist Kenji Goto. A video that appeared to show Kenji Goto’s dead body was posted online four days ago.

Jordan’s King Abdullah hailed Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh as a hero, saying Jordan must “stand united” in the face of hardship.

The king decided to cut short a visit to the US after news of the pilot’s death, but he met President Barack Obama on Tuesday evening before flying home.

Many in Jordan have questioned its role in the air strikes against ISIS but the two leaders sought to reaffirm their joint resolve to destroy the group.

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Abu Qatada has been found not guilty of terrorism offences by a court in Jordan.

A panel of civilian judges sitting at Amman’s State Security Court cleared the radical Muslim cleric of being involved in a thwarted plot aimed at the Millennium celebrations in 2000.

The ruling comes after Abu Qatada was acquitted in June of conspiring in a 1998 bombing campaign in Jordan.

Abu Qatada was deported from the UK in July 2013.

The verdict follows a long legal battle by ministers in the UK to force Abu Qatada to face trial in his home country.

The trial was conducted at Jordan’s state security court, housed in a military base in Marka, a suburb of the capital Amman.

Abu Qatada was accused of providing spiritual support through his writings to men alleged to have planned a series of atrocities aimed at Western and Israeli targets in Jordan on Millennium Eve.

Jordanian and American investigators had the cell under surveillance and launched raids on homes in Amman in the weeks leading up to New Year.

Abu Qatada has been found not guilty of terrorism offences by a court in Jordan

Abu Qatada has been found not guilty of terrorism offences by a court in Jordan

Prosecutors said that books by Abu Qatada were found and they accused him of supplying funds to the plotters.

He denied the allegations in a trial which was punctuated by a number of outbursts by the accused.

Although Abu Qatada will soon be free, he will not be returning to London.

The radical cleric, whose real name is Omar Othman, was granted asylum in the UK in 1994 but the security service MI5 increasingly saw him as a national security threat.

More than a decade ago Abu Qatada issued rulings justifying suicide bombings. By 2005 the Home Office said he was giving religious legitimacy to those “who wish to further the aims of extreme Islamism and to engage in terrorist attacks”.

While he was in the UK, Abu Qatada had been convicted in Jordan of conspiring in the two Jordanian plots. However, the convictions were eventually thrown out because they had been based on evidence which may have been acquired by torturing his co-defendants.

A treaty signed in 2013 by Jordan and the UK banned the use of such evidence from trials in Jordan involving British deportees.

That removed the final obstacle to deporting Abu Qatada described by British judges as a “truly dangerous individual … at the centre in the United Kingdom of terrorist activities associated with al-Qaeda”.

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Iraq’s government has lost control of its western borders after Sunni militants reportedly captured crossings to Syria and Jordan.

Officials said the rebels took two key crossings in Anbar on Sunday, a day after seizing one at Qaim, a town in the province that borders Syria.

The strategically important airport in the northern town of Tal Afar has also reportedly fallen to the rebels.

ISIS-led militants have cut a swathe through parts of Iraq.

Iraq’s government has lost control of its western borders after Sunni militants captured crossings to Syria and Jordan

Iraq’s government has lost control of its western borders after Sunni militants captured crossings to Syria and Jordan (photo AP)

Since the fall of Mosul in early June, ISIS – the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant – have helped win large areas in the west and north.

They have taken four strategically important towns in the predominantly Sunni Anbar province – Qaim, Rutba, Rawa and Anah – in the last two days.

Gunmen reportedly captured the border posts of al-Waleed, on the Syrian frontier, and Turaibil, on the Jordanian border, on Sunday after government forces pulled out.

The capture of frontier crossings could help Isis transport weapons and other equipment to different battlefields, analysts say.

The funeral of a senior army officer who was killed in the fighting for Qaim on Friday was targeted by a suicide and car bomb attack in Ramadi. At least six people were killed as they gathered to mourn Brig. Gen. Majid al-Fahdawi.

Earlier, US Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking in Cairo, singled out ISIS whose “ideology of violence and repression”, he said, “is a threat not only to Iraq but to the entire region”.

Calling it a “critical moment”, John Kerry urged Iraq’s leaders “to rise above sectarian motivations and form a government that is united in its determination to meet the needs and speak to the demands of all of their people”.

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Pope Francis arrives in Jordan at the start of a three-day visit to the Middle East which will also take him to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The Pope Francis is traveling to Amman, where he will celebrate Mass in a stadium, and later meet Syrian refugees.

The official purpose of the visit is to improve ties with the Orthodox Church.

However, correspondents say many will expect Pope Francis to use his influence to try to ease tensions in the region.

Pope Francis arrives in Jordan at the start of a three-day visit to the Middle East which will also take him to Israel and the Palestinian territories

Pope Francis arrives in Jordan at the start of a three-day visit to the Middle East which will also take him to Israel and the Palestinian territories

Pope Francis will be accompanied by a rabbi and an imam – friends from his native Argentina – and hopes to improve relations between Christians, Muslims and Jews in the Holy Land.

His journey comes only a few weeks after the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed.

Israel has issued restraining orders against several Jewish right-wing activists this week over concerns that they could try to disrupt the visit.

Police said offensive “anti-Christian graffiti” was discovered on the wall of a church in the southern city of Beersheba on Friday.

Pope Francis’ journey marks the 50th anniversary of the historic meeting in Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and the head of the Orthodox Church, Patriarch Athenagoras.

The meeting ended 900 years of separation and enduring antagonism between the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity.

On Sunday, Pope Francis will travel to Bethlehem in the West Bank and preside over Mass in Manger Square, near the site where Jesus is believed to have been born.

He will also meet the current Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch, Bartholomew, and they will sign a declaration of friendship.

The pontiff’schedule on Monday is set to include a visit to the al-Aqsa mosque complex in Jerusalem’s Old City followed by the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall.

Pope Francis will be the fourth leader of the Roman Catholic Church to visit Jerusalem, after Popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, who went there in 2009.

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Two Jordanian journalists having a televised debate about the civil war in neighboring Syria literally turned — and overturned — the desk on each other during an on-air brawl.

Journalists Shaker al-Johari and Mohammad al-Jayousi were debating the conflict on Jordan’s Seven Stars program on Thursday.

Mohammad al-Jayousi accused Shaker al-Johari of supporting the revolution in Syria, and was in turn accused of backing President Bashar al-Assad in exchange for money

Mohammad al-Jayousi accused Shaker al-Johari of supporting the revolution in Syria, and was in turn accused of backing President Bashar al-Assad in exchange for money

Mohammad al-Jayousi accused Shaker al-Johari of supporting the revolution in Syria, and was in turn accused of backing President Bashar al-Assad in exchange for money.

The two men, obviously carried away by the debate, stood up and grabbed the edge of the studio table they had been seated at, and tried to fight each other.

In the scuffle, the top of the table broke off and the rest of it toppled as the moderator and studio workers tried to stop the fight and finally separated the two journalists.

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Violence broke out at the Zaatari camp in northern Jordan after Syrian refugees have clashed with police, officials say.

At least 22 Jordanian police have been taken to hospital after clashes.

Jordanian authorities denied reports that a Syrian refugee had been killed in the unrest.

Security forces used tear gas to disperse stone-throwing refugees who had set fire to tents and vehicles.

The sprawling camp, which houses some 106,000 refugees, has seen several protests since opening two years ago, mainly over poor living conditions.

Zaatari is located in the Jordanian desert, about 7.5 miles from the Syrian border.

Violence broke out at the Zaatari camp in northern Jordan after Syrian refugees have clashed with police

Violence broke out at the Zaatari camp in northern Jordan after Syrian refugees have clashed with police

It is the world’s second-largest refugee camp – behind Dadaab in eastern Kenya – and has become the fourth largest city in Jordan.

Jordanian authorities said the violence broke out after police arrested a group of refugees trying to leave the camp illegally.

“The rioters burned six tents and two caravans and tried to attack police stations,” the Public Security Directorate said in a statement.

Residents of Zaatari, however, claimed the clashes occurred because a Jordanian policeman had run over a Syrian child.

Eyewitnesses also said the number of refugees injured in the unrest was much higher than the three cases confirmed by officials.

Opened in July 2012 with some 100 refugee families, Zaatari is now made up of roughly 30,000 shelters and administration buildings.

It costs about $500,000 a day to run, with half a million pieces of bread and 4.2 million litres of water distributed daily.

Correspondents say life inside the camp can be harsh, as residents – mostly hailing from the Daraa governorate of Syria, face a number of challenges – the biggest being security.

A second overflow camp – Azraq – is under construction in the desert to meet demand. It too will have the capacity to host up to 130,000 people.

More than 2.5 million people have fled Syria since the civil war broke out there in March 2011.

Earlier this week, the UN confirmed that the number of Syrian refugees registered in Lebanon had surpassed one million, making it the highest per capita concentration of refugees worldwide.

This is followed by Jordan, which houses almost 600,000 refugees, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.

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President Barack Obama has pledged to Jordan an additional $200 million to help deal with the growing number of Syrian refugees in the country.

After talks in Amman, Barack Obama said the funds – if backed by Congress – would help provide more humanitarian aid.

Some 450,000 Syrians have fled to neighboring Jordan since the unrest began in 2011, putting huge pressure on the Jordanian authorities.

Meanwhile, Jordan’s King Abdullah ruled out closing Jordan’s border with Syria.

Barack Obama said he would ask Congress to provide additional funds as “budget support” to help the Syrian refugees.

He said this would help improve basic services at refugee camps along the Jordan-Syria border.

President Barack Obama has pledged to Jordan an additional $200 million to help deal with the growing number of Syrian refugees in the country

President Barack Obama has pledged to Jordan an additional $200 million to help deal with the growing number of Syrian refugees in the country

The US is already the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees.

The number of Syrians who have fled the country to escape the conflict between the government and rebel forces reached one million earlier this month, according to the UN High Commission for Refugees.

The UN says half of those leaving Syria are children, most of them under 11 and often traumatized by their experiences.

Along with Jordan, the many Syrians are seeking shelter in Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.

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Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Farid Hijab has defected from President Bashar al-Assad’s government, the Jordanian government says.

Riyad farid Hijab was appointed less than two months ago and his departure is the highest-profile defection since the uprising began in March 2011.

Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Farid Hijab has defected from President Bashar al-Assad's government

Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Farid Hijab has defected from President Bashar al-Assad's government

His family is reported to have fled Syria with him.

A Sunni Muslim, Riyad Farid Hijab comes from the Deir al-Zour area of eastern Syria which has been caught up in the revolt.

 

Jordanian MP Mohammad Shawabka threw one of his shoes at political opponent Mansour Sayf al-Din Murad during a television debate before pulling a gun on him.

The incident occurred after the debate between MP Mohammad Shawabka and political activist Mansour Sayf al-Din Murad on the private satellite channel Jo Sat became heated, with the pair trading insults.

“You’re a Mossad agent,” said the activist, to which MP Mohammad Shawabka replied: “You’re a big crook.”

Jordanian MP Mohammad Shawabka threw one of his shoes at political opponent Mansour Sayf al-Din Murad during a television debate before pulling a gun on him

Jordanian MP Mohammad Shawabka threw one of his shoes at political opponent Mansour Sayf al-Din Murad during a television debate before pulling a gun on him

Mansour Sayf al-Din Murad stood up and began shouting at the activist. The host, Mohammad Habashneh, who was sitting between them, urged his guests to “calm down”.

But the MP took off his right shoe and threw it before pulling out a silver pistol and pointing it at the activist.

The opponents left their seats and tussled with one another while the host tried to separate them.

The two men continued to struggle as the show ended and the credits ran.

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Crystal Lagoons, the Chilean company that creates immense crystalline lagoons as Guinness world record-holding swimming pool San Alfonso del Mar, and real estate company Sama Jordan inaugurated Dead Sea Lagoon, the first resort that brings idyllic beach paradise to Jordan.

Dead Sea Lagoon is located at 31 km of Amman and has an investment of $160 million. It includes a 3-hectare lagoon surrounded by white-sand private beaches, palm trees and 1,000 home units, and is the first of a real estate revolution that Crystal Lagoons is developing in Jordan, including more than 40 projects in the entire Middle East region.

Dead Sea Lagoon will give an unprecedented turn to local tourism that until now was only focused on the therapeutic benefits of the Dead Sea, which is 10 times more salty than any other ocean and doesn’t have the necessary conditions for developing beach life.

Crystal Lagoons, the Chilean company that creates immense crystalline lagoons as Guinness world record-holding swimming pool San Alfonso del Mar, and real estate company Sama Jordan inaugurated Dead Sea Lagoon near Aman

Crystal Lagoons, the Chilean company that creates immense crystalline lagoons as Guinness world record-holding swimming pool San Alfonso del Mar, and real estate company Sama Jordan inaugurated Dead Sea Lagoon near Aman

Crystal Lagoons brings Idyllic beach paradise to the region thanks to its unique concept that allows to develop unlimited sized crystal clear water lagoons with cutting edge technology patented in 160 countries that provides the ideal conditions for bathing and practicing water sports, by ensuring the quality and clarity of large bodies of water at very low construction and maintenance costs.

Crystal Lagoons is developing several projects in the Middle East region as $5,500 million real estate project City of Stars Lagoons developed together with Citystars Holding and Pyramids Plaza in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. This project includes 30,000 home units, 6 five star hotels, museum, golf courses, shopping center and 10 giant crystalline lagoons that bring together 100 hectares of crystalline water in the middle of the desert. This project will exceed San Alfonso del Mar, in Chile, which has 8 ha of surface area and 1 km in length.

The company, which has offices in USA, Egypt, Dubai and Chile is developing other projects in the region in places as Egypt, Pakistan, UAE and Oman. Currently, Crystal Lagoons is present in 180 urban, recreational and public developments in 45 countries which an associated investment of $100 billion.

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