According to Jordan’s foreign ministry, Imad al-Adwan, a member of the Jordanian parliament’s Palestine Committee, was arrested on Saturday night by Israeli authorities for attempting to smuggle weapons into the occupied West Bank. Local news agency Ammon reported that the arrest took place at the Allenby Bridge crossing and Israeli social media has shared unverified videos showing 12 machine-guns and 270 other types of firearms that authorities reportedly found.
The Israeli government has not yet commented on the arrest and local media reporting has been restricted. However, the Shin Bet security agency is reportedly trying to establish whether this is an isolated incident or if al-Adwan has done this before, as well as who the weapons were intended for.
Jordan and Israel have officially established ties since signing a peace treaty in 1994, but their relationship has been strained recently due to violence between Israeli security forces and Palestinians on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount holy site in Jerusalem. As Jordan is the custodian of the holy site, this has created tension between the two countries.
Furthermore, more than half of Jordan’s population is estimated to be of Palestinian origin, and many of its citizens identify with the struggle of Palestinians in the West Bank. There have been mass demonstrations against Israel, particularly during times of Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
Al-Adwan’s arrest has drawn criticism from some Jordanian MPs, including Khalil Atiya, who opposes Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel. Atiya has stated that the arrest “harms the dignity of Jordanians” and is calling for a resolution to the case as quickly as possible. The Jordanian foreign ministry has also stated that it is trying to resolve the situation in a speedy manner.
