Israel Matzav

The fruits of peace

On March 13, 1997, Jordanian Army Cpl. Ahmed Daqamseh opened fire on a group of girls from Beit Shemesh’s Feurst School. The girls were on a class trip to Naharayim in the Jordan Valley, visiting the “Island of Peace,” a joint Israeli-Jordanian tourist resort under Jordanian rule. Seven of the girls were murdered.

Daqamseh was sentenced to life in prison, which is a de facto 25-year sentence in Jordan. Now, his lawyer, Hussein Mjali, has become Jordan's Justice Minister. On Monday, Mjali joined a demonstration calling for Daqamseh's release. In Israel, we are outraged.

The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem issued a statement saying that Mjali’s comments were received in Israel with “revulsion and shock.”

“The gravity of this call is all the more pronounced when coming from the minister in charge of law and justice,” the statement read. “Israel has turned to Jordan for explanations, and made clear its expectation that the convicted murderer bear the punishment imposed on him by the Jordanian justice system.”

Israeli Embassy spokeswoman Merav Horsandi said it “is difficult for us to comprehend how there are people who support the release of a cold-blooded murderer of young children,” adding that an early release would contradict the spirit of the 1994 peace treaty between the two countries.

“Israel cannot imagine a situation in which such a vile murderer will be set free by Jordan,” Horsandi said. Monday’s protest outside Mjali’s office was organized by Daqamseh’s family. The minister joined the protesters, saying he was participating in his capacity as the soldier’s former lawyer.“I’m committed to be here with you as his lawyer,” Mjali told the cheering group.

Mjali was appointed in a government shakeup last week in the wake of protests inspired by the Egyptian uprising. The protests ushered in a broad-based cabinet pledging greater democratic freedoms, including the rights of assembly and speech. He said on Monday he joined the cabinet because he wants to see greater freedom of speech in Jordan. It was not immediately clear if his appearance at Monday’s protest would have repercussions.

This is how the average Jordanian relates to their 1994 peace treaty with us seventeen years later.

What could go wrong?

Labels: Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty, Naharayim, terror attacks

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:22 PM