ALBAWABA - Israel handed over to Jordan's custody a Jordanian lawmaker who was arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 200 guns and gold into the West Bank.
The Jordanian government said Imad Edwan was extradited from the Allenby Bridge across the Jordan River on Sunday.
قال الناطق الرسمي باسم #وزارة_الخارجية_وشؤون_المغتربين السفير سنان المجالي إنه بدأت على جسر الملك حسين عملية تسليم النائب عماد العدوان من قبل السلطات الإسرائيلية إلى السلطات الأردنية الأمنية المعنية. pic.twitter.com/7wQirJuiU0
— وزارة الخارجية وشؤون المغتربين الأردنية (@ForeignMinistry) May 7, 2023
Israel's media said that its government has demanded that Edwan stands trial in his home country for the alleged smuggling attempt.
MP stripped of immunity
Upon Edwan's arrival in Jordan, Parliament convened an emergency session, which culminated in a majority vote to strip Edwan of his immunity as a legislator, setting the stage for his trial in the kingdom.
The Jordan News Agency Petra said that preparations were underway to question Edwan ahead of putting him on trial at the military State Security Court.
رئيس مجلس النواب يطلب من الحكومة والإعلام مغادرة جلسة النواب لظرف طارئ فيما يتعلق بالنائب عماد العدوان#خبرني pic.twitter.com/bzE28cwjvd
— خبرني Khaberni (@khaberni) May 7, 2023
Edwan was arrested two weeks ago at the Allenby Bridge border crossing as he was traveling into the neighboring West Bank by car. Israel said it found more than 200 guns and gold stashed away in the vehicle.
Israel has demanded that Jordan prosecute MP Imad al-Adwan after he smuggled over 200 weapons into the country, but agreed to the lawmaker’s release from Israel. The decision reflects the complexity of Israel’s partnership with Jordan, whose cooperation is critical in maintaining… pic.twitter.com/wc13WF6qOH
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) May 7, 2023
Edwan's release underlines the strong security ties between the two Mideast neighbors under a peace treaty in 1994.
Imad Al-Adwan is suspected of smuggling 200 guns and rifles destined for the West Bank. The Jordanian parliamentarian has a history of support for Palestinian terror organizations.https://t.co/bGz7Twx91X#Israel #Jordan #terrorism
— Israel Hayom English (@IsraelHayomEng) May 7, 2023
Tension over Jerusalem Shrines
The extradition follows rising tension over the continued storming of Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam's holiest shrines, by Jewish settlers, which are purportedly taking place under protection by the Israeli occupation forces.
Al-Aqsa is part of a compound that also houses the Dome of the Rock.
Israel also has reportedly been blocking Christian and Muslim worshippers from accessing their holy shrines in Jerusalem's walled Old City.
Jordan sees the Israeli moves as attempts to change the status quo in Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast War, and undermine the sanctity of the city's Christian and Muslim holy shrines, which are under the kingdom's custody.
