Israel Arrests Jordanian MP For Alleged Gun-Smuggling

A Jordanian MP has been arrested by Israel for allegedly trying to smuggle weapons into the occupied West Bank, Jordan’s foreign ministry says.

Imad al-Adwan was detained on Saturday night at the Allenby Bridge crossing, Jordan’s Ammon news agency reported.

Authorities said they found 12 machine-guns and 270 other types of firearms, according to unverified video on Israeli social media.

Israel has not commented, and local media reporting has been restricted.

A Jordanian foreign ministry spokesman said it was trying to resolve the case “as speedily as possible”.

Israeli media said the Shin Bet security agency was trying to establish who the weapons were destined for and whether the MP had done the same thing before.

Jordan and Israel officially established ties after signing a peace treaty in 1994, but their relationship has recently been strained over violence between Israeli security forces and Palestinians on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount holy site in Jerusalem, of which Jordan is custodian.

More than half of Jordan’s population is estimated to be of Palestinian origin. Many of its citizens identify with the struggle of Palestinians in the West Bank and there have been mass demonstrations against Israel, especially at times of Israeli-Palestinian tensions.

Mr Adwan, 35, is a member of the Jordanian parliament’s Palestine Committee.

A prominent Jordanian MP who is opposed to Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel, Khalil Atiya, said Israel’s arrest of Mr Adwan “harm[ed] the dignity of Jordanians”.