The Qatari news outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed has confirmed a previous report from Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV channel, revealing that Jordan is reportedly planning to expel Ahlam Tamimi, the woman behind the 2001 Sbarro pizzeria bombing. The report indicates that Jordanian intelligence authorities notified Hamas earlier today that they must either find another country to accept Tamimi by the end of the day or face her extradition to the United States, where she is wanted by the FBI for the murders of two American citizens in the bombing.
Tamimi was sentenced by Israel to 16 life terms for masterminding the August 9, 2001, bombing at the Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem. However, she was released in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange for the return of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held by Hamas. Since then, the family of Malki Roth, an Israeli-American victim of the bombing, has been fighting for Tamimi’s extradition to the United States.
During the first term of President Donald Trump, his administration considered using aid as leverage to force Jordan into agreeing to extradite Tamimi, but ultimately, no concrete action was taken. The reasons behind Jordan’s reported ultimatum to Hamas remain unclear, but the timing coincides with an invitation for King Abdullah II to visit the White House later this month.
Last week, Trump suggested that Jordan and Egypt should take in Palestinians from Gaza, a region he referred to as a “demolition site,” after over 15 months of conflict between Israel and Hamas. Both countries rejected the idea, with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi affirming that Jordan’s position against any displacement of Palestinians from Gaza remains “firm and unwavering.”
In addition to its reported plans to expel Tamimi, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed also reports that Jordan has refused to accept any Palestinians with Jordanian citizenship who were released from Israeli prisons as part of a ceasefire-hostage release agreement with Hamas.
{Matzav.com}