Is there a tiny bit of hope that Jordan will extradite the unrepentant, monstrous Hamas terrorist Ahlam al Tamimi?
The Arabic press has been covering the letter written by seven Republican (why no Democrats?) members of Congress demanding the extradition of the woman behind the 2001 bombing of the Sbarro pizza shop in Jerusalem that killed 15, including 7 children. Tamimi, who was released in a truly immoral prisoner swap, has become a celebrity in Jordan, which has protected her from extradition even though the US and Jordan have an extradition treaty that is meant exactly for cases like hers, since she murdered American citizens.
None of the Arabic articles that I can find are even the slightest bit negative towards Tamimi. On the contrary, they all support Jordan sheltering the terrorist, many praising her for her “legitimate act of resistance” in murdering Jewish children. One political party in Jordan, the Islamist Parliamentary Reform Bloc, rejected the demand., calling it “blackmail.” Other opinion pieces are saying that this is a purely political move to shore up Trump’s chances and to help Israel “annex” territory.
Most interesting is Ahlam al Tamimi’s own response. Rather than express confidence in Jordan’s continued shielding of her, she says she is “terrified” that the kingdom might acquiesce to the US demands.
Al-Tamimi told Arabi 21, “Despite my great confidence in the Jordanian law and justice that treated me fairly, which told the American authorities that I will not be extradited and this reassured me, but the last news and what it included began to make me feel that my topic had started to take a political turn. "
The terrorist continued, "It is about financial support to Jordan, and the United States prohibits the delivery of allocations to any country that the US State Department says refuses to extradite anyone accused of a [major] crime.
“Is the law above politics or politics above the law?…Here my fear take over despite my confidence in the Jordanian law and the Jordanian judiciary, and the Jordanian people who support me, but I fear in light of the coronavirus crisis that ravaged the economic situation, …there is political silence that terrifies me,” she said.
Tamimi pointed out that there was no official response to this letter from the members of Congress, which was sent to the Jordanian ambassador in Washington.
That silence from the king and the Jordanian government is the tiny bit of hope that US pressure might result in justice finally being served. It indicates that the arrogant Jordanian response of the past is not happening this time. It indicates that now is the time to increase the pressure on Jordan, so this letter would be seen as only the opening salvo of many such demands and not only a single initiative that gets forgotten over time.
While the chances for true justice still seems remote, there is a small bit of satisfaction that this terrorist who has been so proud of murdering children is not sleeping well as night, worried that the government that has been protecting her is wavering.
Now is the time to add pressure. Now is the time for groups like the Simon Wiesenthal Center to call for justice. Now is the time for senators from both sides of the aisle to issue statements. Now is the time for newspapers to write op-eds calling on Tamimi’s extradition.
Only then will Jordan make the calculation that keeping Tamimi is worse than extraditing her. And given that most Jordanians support her, much more pressure is needed to achieve justice.
(As always, the latest news about the quest for justice is on the This Ongoing War site by the parents of terror victim Malki Roth, of blessed memory.)