Jordan Affirms that Arrested Lawmaker in Israel Not Subject to Abusive Practices

Jordanian lawmaker Imad al-Adwan (Lawmaker Imad al-Adwan's social media account)
Jordanian lawmaker Imad al-Adwan (Lawmaker Imad al-Adwan's social media account)
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Jordan Affirms that Arrested Lawmaker in Israel Not Subject to Abusive Practices

Jordanian lawmaker Imad al-Adwan (Lawmaker Imad al-Adwan's social media account)
Jordanian lawmaker Imad al-Adwan (Lawmaker Imad al-Adwan's social media account)

Jordan's Foreign Ministry affirmed that lawmaker Imad al-Adwan, who was arrested by Israeli authorities a few days ago for allegedly smuggling weapons and gold, is in good health and not subjected to any abusive practices, physically or psychologically.

The deputy, who does not enjoy immunity outside of Jordan, asked to reassure his family that he is in good health.

The ministry spokesman, Sinan Majali, said in a press statement Tuesday that the Jordanian ambassador to Tel Aviv, Ghassan al-Majali, spoke in detail with Adwan about the circumstances of his arrest and the interrogation and made sure that the conditions of his detention respect his legal and human rights.

He pointed out that Majali, accompanied by the consul at the embassy, visited Adwan within the ministry's efforts in coordination with the concerned authorities to review the case and ensure his arrest conditions and investigation procedures met the international laws and conventions.

The case of Adwan remains unclear at a time when his family's tribe issued a statement confirming its absolute confidence in the government's efforts to ensure his return.

Amer Zaidan al-Adwan, the brother of the arrested deputy, issued a statement thanking Jordanian King Abdullah II, the government, and all Jordanians for their efforts to end the issue.

Jordanian sources stated that local authorities were interrogating Adwan's close friends and family members concerning the information about the alleged smuggling of weapons and gold through the Allenby Bridge into the occupied West Bank in his car.

Security authorities are trying to investigate the quantities and sources of weapons as Israel continues to interrogate the MP. Tel Aviv is also preventing any publication of the case.

Jordanian sources confirmed the reports that Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi refused to receive a call from his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen.

They asserted that Jordan wants to keep the case within the security channels away from attempts to politicize the matter.

Relations between Amman and Tel Aviv are witnessing diplomatic tensions after the Israeli escalation and the continuous violations by extremists of Islamic and Christian sanctities in Jerusalem.

The Bar Association said the Zionist entity has no legal or judicial authority to prosecute Adwan. The syndicate instructed affiliated Jerusalemite lawyers to follow up on the case and support the lawmaker until his release.

The Foreign Ministry confirmed earlier that it was coordinating with all concerned parties and working with all relevant agencies in the kingdom to ascertain the details of this issue and address it as quickly as possible.

The official statement did not address any procedures related to the incident or send a human rights team to follow up on the reasons for his arrest.

Last Sunday, Jordanian sources confirmed that Adwan had packed the weapons and gold in his car, which carries a parliament license plate, and traveled into the Palestinian interior across the border, amid official estimates that the case could be politicized.

The sources verified the information circulated about the charge of seizing quantities of weapons and gold in his car amid fears that the Israeli side would exploit the matter.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives still refuses to comment on the issue, and parliamentary sources justified the delay pending further clarification about the incident.

They noted that the parliament was coordinating with the Foreign Ministry and discussing all the developments.

Israeli media claimed Sunday that the Israeli authorities seized three bags containing 12 machine guns, 270 medium- and small-sized weapons, and 100kg of gold,



Syria’s Caretaker PM: Syria Has Very Low Foreign Currency Reserves

This handout image made available by the Telegram channel of the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) early on December 17, 2024 shows Syria's interim Prime Minister Mohammad al-Bashir meeting with the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator in Damascus. (SANA / AFP)
This handout image made available by the Telegram channel of the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) early on December 17, 2024 shows Syria's interim Prime Minister Mohammad al-Bashir meeting with the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator in Damascus. (SANA / AFP)
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Syria’s Caretaker PM: Syria Has Very Low Foreign Currency Reserves

This handout image made available by the Telegram channel of the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) early on December 17, 2024 shows Syria's interim Prime Minister Mohammad al-Bashir meeting with the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator in Damascus. (SANA / AFP)
This handout image made available by the Telegram channel of the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) early on December 17, 2024 shows Syria's interim Prime Minister Mohammad al-Bashir meeting with the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator in Damascus. (SANA / AFP)

Syrian caretaker Prime Minister Mohammad al-Bashir told Al Jazeera TV on Tuesday that Syria has very low foreign currency reserves.

Current and former Syrian officials have told Reuters that the dollar reserves have been nearly depleted because Bashar al-Assad's government increasingly used them to fund food, fuel and its war effort.

The central bank's foreign exchange reserves amount to just around $200 million in cash, one of the sources told Reuters, while another said the US dollar reserves were "in the hundreds of millions".