The decision to release the Jordanian parliamentarian who smuggled weapons into Israel was made after it became clear beyond any doubt that his story was not a story of terrorism, but a story of criminality stemming from a money operation.
Imad al-Adwan has been interrogated extensively by the Shin Bet since he was arrested at Allenby Bridge with 12 rifles and 194 pistols in his possession. His interrogation was cross-checked in real time with Jordanian security officials, with Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar in direct contact with his counterpart in Amman. The details that came from the Jordanian capital left no room for doubt that his version was credible, and that he was a criminal and not a terrorist.
Jordanian border Photo: Yehuda Ben Yiftah,
Al-Adwan came to smuggling not out of ideology, but out of economic hardship. He was heavily in debt and looking for a way out. He teamed up with criminal elements in Jordan, who persuaded him to rely on his diplomatic immunity to smuggle various goods into Israel. Since he began smuggling in February 2022, he has carried out 12 rounds of smuggling – from pigeons and e-cigarettes to gold and, most recently, weapons.
Al-Adwan's interrogations led to the arrest of six Jordanians, who supplied him with the goods and assisted him in smuggling. The Jordanians carried out the arrests not only to show the Israeli side that they were serious about getting the MP released, but because smuggling and criminal activity bother them too – as a sovereign state, and especially as a country that itself suffers from terror threats and subversion that could threaten the regime.
As soon as it became clear that this was not smuggling for terrorist purposes, and in light of the Jordanians' parallel activity, it was decided to accede to requests from Amman to transfer al-Adwan to them. This was after they committed to two additional immediate measures: the first – to revoke his parliamentary immunity (a move that was carried out yesterday, shortly after he was extradited from Israel), and the second – to prosecute him for a series of serious criminal offenses that will probably entitle him to a long prison in Jordan, an experience many times more dubious than the imprisonment he would have expected in Israel.
But this decision had another important component: the sensitive relations with Jordan. The Hashemite Kingdom and relations with it are of enormous importance to Israel in the security and political spheres. Open relations between the two countries may be cold, but secret relations are more intimate and close than ever. Jordan is a courageous partner in the war on terror and in a series of actions that directly and indirectly assist Israel's security and maintain the security of Israelis. Jordan is also the last sane check against Hamas and other elements taking over the Temple Mount and from the over-dominance of the Muslim Brotherhood axis led by Qatar.
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir (archive), photo: Jonathan Zindel/Flash90
For all these reasons, the decision to release al-Adwan was correct. Faced with the minor advantage of keeping it – insisting on upholding the law against every criminal – Israel has gained many credits in the Jordanian leadership, and even in public opinion and the press in Amman. These are no small matters, at a time when Israel is crying out for support and legitimacy in the world in general and in the region in particular.
It is unfortunate that as always, there are government ministers – led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir – who do not understand this elementary alphabet of running a country and the harm-benefit balance of foreign relations. Their belief that insistence will serve deterrence is childish and is not supported by any accumulated information or experience, and that it is precisely their presence at the decision-making table that is the real danger to security.
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