Jordanian Ambassador to Israel Ghassan Majali on Tuesday visited Jordanian lawmaker Imad al-Adwan, who was arrested over the weekend by Israeli authorities for attempting to smuggle weapons into Samaria
According to a Jordanian statement, Amman is engaged in “intensive efforts…to find out the merits of the case and ensure detention conditions and investigation procedures are consistent with international laws that fully preserve the rights of the representative.”
Al-Adwan was detained on Saturday while attempting to cross the Allenby Bridge border by car.
An Israel Police spokesperson said only that a “security investigation” had been opened and that a court-issued gag order pertaining to the case would remain in place until May 2.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry declined to comment.
Al-Adwan is a member of the “Palestine Committee” in the Jordanian parliament.
Jordan's Foreign Ministry says a member of parliament has been arrested by Israeli authorities for alleged weapons and gold smuggling. And that's as much as is allowed to be reported by Israeli media.
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) April 23, 2023
Meanwhile, the diplomatic dispute between Jerusalem and Amman over the security situation on the Temple Mount remains hot, with a senior Israeli official having earlier this month accused Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi of fanning the flames.
On April 5, Israeli police arrested more than 350 Muslim rioters who barricaded themselves inside the Al-Aqsa mosque on the mount. On April 8, hundreds of Muslims again barricaded themselves inside the mosque, attempting to provoke a response from Israeli security services. However, police did not enter the building to clear out the extremists.
Safadi recently retweeted a statement published in the Jordanian parliament saying that the Palestinians are the No. 1 cause for Jordan and that “a just and comprehensive peace will not be achieved unless Jerusalem is liberated as the capital of an independent Palestinian state on the Palestinian national soil.”
