Ahmed Daqamseh, who killed seven Israeli children, widely praised on Jordanian social media

Jordan has released a former army corporal responsible for shooting and killing seven Israeli children in 1997, according to Reuters.

Ahmad Daqamseh, who was deemed mentally unstable by a Jordanian military tribunal and thus dodged the death penalty, is reportedly back in his hometown in the Irbid governorate in northern Jordan.

An Arabic hashtag of Daqamseh’s name has been trending on Twitter over the past few days, and the social media outlet has served as a platform for a generally homogenous response.

To get a feel for what Arabs were saying about the Jordanian soldier, take a look at the following tweet (translation below):

حياك الرحمن ببيت اهلك يا اجمل قصة بطل ،من ١٩٩٨ الى ٢٠١٧ .
الله يرحم والدك يلي ما لحق يشوفك حر، طليق ، بطل#احمد_الدقامسة pic.twitter.com/QErdy0v7vC

— أحمـد القُرعــان (@A7madQour3an) March 11, 2017

May Allah preserve you in the house of your family, you who embody the most beautiful story of a hero from 1997 to 2017. May Allah have mercy on your father who did not have the chance to see you free, released. The hero, Ahmad Daqamseh.

Indeed, people were amorously tweeting about Daqamseh. This user showed footage of his mother saying words of encouragement in court:

في عام 1997.. والدة الجندي الأردني #احمد_الدقامسة ( لا تخاف ولا تحزن ارفع راسك فوق ).
واليوم الشرفاء الاحرار هم من يصنعون مجد هذه الأمة. pic.twitter.com/bD5EbgGYw3

— Ghassan Naseem (@GhassanNaseem) March 12, 2017

In 1997, the mother of Jordanian soldier Ahmad Daqamseh said (to her son): Do not be afraid, and do not be sad. Hold your head high.

Though some users lauded Daqamseh in general, this user provided some important insight on why people might be celebrating a convicted killer:

هل تعلم ان البطل #احمد_الدقامسه اخر شخص اطلق النار على الاحتلال
هل تعلم انه اول شخص يسجن في بلده بأمر من المحتل

— بَطْلُمْيوس(@0ALMOMANI) March 12, 2017

Did you know that the hero Ahmad Daqasmeh  was the last person to open fire on the Occupation (of Palestine) and the first person to be imprisoned at the order of the Occupier (Israel)?

Another user tweets about how Israelis—with no mention of the fact that they were children—were mocking Daqasmeh while he was praying, prompting him to open fire:

In 1997, Jordanian Soldier #AhmedDaqamseh opened fire at Israelis for mocking him while praying. He walks free today after 20yrs in Prison. pic.twitter.com/KoW3imfjtX

— Shorooq N. (@ShorooqN) March 12, 2017

Meanwhile, on pro-Israel Twitter, headlines like the following were popping up:

Ahmad Daqamseh murdered the girls while they were on a school field trip to the "Island of Peace" in March 1997. https://t.co/VX0E0p2LEp

— TJTPI (@TJTPI) March 12, 2017

This user hinted that revenge would be sought:

Meanwhile, this user claimed it was the perfect time for Israeli special forces to take action:

Note: Mossad is the main branch of Israeli intelligence forces.

The overwhelming support for the former Jordanian soldier among Jordanians, who is seen as a hero who stood up to the Israeli occupation of Palestine, highlights the animosity between Israel and Jordan's Palestinian-majority population. That Jordanians/Palestinians could see a man who shot children as a hero, or, that Israelis could give a disturbingly lenient sentence to an Israeli soldier who killed a wounded Palestinian, sheds light on how bitter the Israel-Palestine conflict is and how much it permeates the social fabric of Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian societies.

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