by Bassam Tawil
Why would a member of the Jordanian parliament who hates Israel with a passion and supports a terror group whose charter calls for the elimination of Israel try to smuggle weapons? To kill Jews.
That is precisely why Al-Adwan is seen by many Jordanians and Palestinians as a "hero" and a "brave man."
It is not difficult to imagine the public outcry had an Israeli MP been caught trying to smuggle weapons into Jordan or any other country.
Sadly, the campaign of solidarity with the Jordanian parliament member who was caught while trying to smuggle a large cache of weapons into Israel signals the hatred that Jordanians and Palestinians feel towards Israel and Jews.
This hate is the direct result of decades of indoctrination and brainwashing of Jordanians and Palestinians. Israel does not harbor any bad feelings towards Jordan.
The opposite is true. Israel has always been supportive of the Jordanian monarchy and the stability of the Hashemite regime was and still is an important cornerstone of Israel's security.
As for the international community and the mainstream media in the West, they could learn from the failed smuggling attempt that Israel's security concerns are not unjustified and not exaggerated. This week, over 100 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel, a country roughly the size of Victoria Island.
What would the UK do if one rocket – let alone 100 – were fired into England? Or Germany, if rockets were fired at Munich? Or France, if rockets were fired at Nice or Cannes or St. Tropez?
Israel daily faces attempts by Hamas and other terror groups to carry out terrorist attacks to kill Jews. The next time people complain about "tough Israeli security measures," please remind them of that?
Imad Al-Adwan, a member of Jordan's parliament, is being praised as a "hero" by many Jordanians and Palestinians after he was reportedly caught trying to smuggle weapons into Israel.
On April 22, Israeli authorities arrested Al-Adwan, 35, when he tried to cross from Jordan into Israel through the Allenby Bridge border crossing. A video posted on social media showed the contents of three bags containing 100 kilograms of gold, 12 automatic rifles and 270 semi-automatic pistols discovered in his possession.
Al-Adwan is known for his staunch vocal support for the Iranian-backed Palestinian terror group, Hamas. In a video posted on social media, he said: "We send our greetings and respect to the Palestinian resistance groups, Hamas and the Arab symbol Abu Obaidah [spokesman of Hamas' military wing, Izaddin Al-Qassam]."
It is safe to assume that the weapons the Jordanian MP tried to smuggle were intended for the use of Hamas or other Palestinian terror groups in their Jihad (holy war) against Israel. His anti-Israel statements and support for Hamas had already turned Al-Adwan into a "hero" in the eyes of many Jordanians and Palestinians.
He has repeatedly referred to Israel as "the Zionist entity," implying that he does not recognize its right to exist. He has also denounced the Jordanian ambassador to Israel for dining with Jews and called for cutting off diplomatic relations between Israel and Jordan.
Now, Al-Adwan is being praised by Arabs because he allegedly tried to smuggle weapons into Israel. Why would a member of the Jordanian parliament who hates Israel with a passion and supports a terror group whose charter calls for the elimination of Israel try to smuggle weapons? To kill Jews.
That is precisely why Al-Adwan is seen by many Jordanians and Palestinians as a "hero" and a "brave man." This is a Jordanian member of parliament who apparently decided to take his anti-Israel agenda to the next level by smuggling assault rifles and pistols to terror groups. It is not difficult to imagine the public outcry had an Israeli MP been caught trying to smuggle weapons into Jordan or any other country.
Al-Adwan is a lawyer and holds a master's degree in international law. As such, one would expect him to be aware of the implications of attempting to smuggle weapons across an international border, especially into a country that has diplomatic relations and a peace treaty with Jordan.
Instead of demanding that Al-Adwan be put on trial in Jordan for breaking the law and harming his country's relations with Israel, several Jordanians are condemning Israel for arresting him and are demanding his immediate and unconditional release from Israeli detention.
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Bassam Tawil is Muslim Arab based in the Middle East.
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Pictured: The Israeli side of the Allenby Bridge crossing between Israel and Jordan. (Photo by Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images)
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