1. Summary: JaFaJ can confirm that the Israeli government has decided to prosecute the Jordanian Member of Parliament, Emad Al-Edwan, on terror charges, despite pressure from Jordan’s King and the United Arab Emirates. Prime Minister Netanyahu is supporting the Israeli Attorney General (AG) in carrying out the prosecution. A recent story run by an Israeli news site Maariv, claims Al-Edwan would be released soon, but this was dismissed as unfounded by a senior Israeli security source.
2. JaFaJ has learned that the Israeli police have finished its investigation of Jordanian Member of Parliament (MP) Emad Al-Edwan. Al-Edwan has been detained by Israeli authorities since April 23rd when he was arrested for attempting to smuggle 200 pieces of highly powered weapons and 220lbs of gold from Jordan into Israel. [Ref. JaFaJ report [https://www.jafaj.net/jordanian-parliament-member-arrested-in-israel-for-smuggling-weapons-gold-the-untold-facts/]
Maariv Story “Unfounded”
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3. On April 28th 2023, Israeli newspapers Maariv ran a story claiming that Israel and Jordan had reached a “deal” to secure the release of Al-Edwan. Israeli journalist Jacky Hugi authored the report and claimed that the significance of Al-Edwan’s tribe’s has played a huge role in achieving the alleged deal. JaFaJ verified Hugi’s claims with a senior security official in Jerusalem. The official has confirmed that “This is totally unfounded, we have not made any deals with the Jordanians regarding Al-Edwan, and nobody can speak about this other than the AG’s or PM’s office at this moment.” The source continued, “In Israeli we have laws, this is a legal matter; Al-Edwan is not above the law.”
4. Furthermore, Al-Edwan’s tribe numbers a few hundred individuals “scattered across the entire central region of Jordan.” They do not pose any significant security or political threat to Israel or the Jordanian regime. [COMMENT: The so-called native Jordanians are the minority in modern day Jordan, with the Palestinians making up over 90 percent of the population. Nonetheless, the King’s decades-long rhetoric has been that the “tribes are so strong and that he alone could keep them under control.” In reality, the tribes do not have any military leverage and the Hashemite Kingdom has historically been preserved by foreign militaries including the Britons, the Pakistanis and the Americans. END COMMENT]
5. JaFaJ Intelligence sources have also learned that Israel’s police have forwarded all evidence, which includes recorded testimonies by Al-Edwan, to Israel’s Attorney General (AG), Gali Baharav-Miara. JaFaJ intelligence sources are reporting that the AG and her team are convinced that they have collected enough evidence to prosecute and convict Al-Edwan for several charges related to terrorism. An Israeli source has confirmed with JaFaJ that the AG met Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Netanyahu, last week and discussed the matter. Senior commanders of the Israel Security Agency, Shen Bit, and the Mossad also attended the meeting.
6. In the meeting, the AG discussed the evidence with the PM and outlined how she planned to prosecute Al-Edwan. JaFaJ sources confirmed that Netanyahu assured the AG of his support and that justice had to be served regardless of the pressure on Israel to release Al-Edwan.
7. Since the MP’s capture, JaFaJ has confirmed that Israel has been facing growing pressure to release Al-Edwan and sweep the entire matter under the rug. A JaFaJ source close to Jordan’s King Abdullah says that the King has mobilized his allies to pressure the Israelis, resulting in a barrage of phone calls to Netanyahu’s office from several European governments, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt. According to the source, they were “all trying to twist Netanyahu’s arm into letting Al-Edwan out and claiming that the whole issue was just a misunderstanding.” Even so, both the PM and AG appear determined to make Al-Edwan face justice.
8. “The most radical pressure is coming from the United Arab Emirates,” an American security source reported to JaFaJ. “Mohammad Bin Zayed [UAE’s president] seems to be in love with Jordan’s King.” The source continued, “He wanted the Jordanian Congressman [MP] released scot-free, he just doesn’t realize how much damage this has done to his image here [in the United States] and in Israel.”
9. JaFaJ sources have confirmed that Al-Edwan was transferred to a secure maximum-security facility where he is being held in solitary confinement.
10. Conclusion: Despite the King’s pleas and pressure from his Arab and Western allies, it does not seem likely that Israel would ever release the MP before trial. Unless something drastic changes, Al-Edwan will likely face justice in Israeli courts with the possibility of spending many years in prison. This signifies a shift in policy by Israel, which has been very tolerant of Abdullah’s provocations, threats and direct tampering with Israel’s security.