Jordanian court charges MP Imad al-Adwan with smuggling weapons into West Bank
A Jordanian court has charged MP Imad al-Adwan with transporting weapons in his car while travelling to the Israeli-occupied West Bank last month.
Adwan was an MP at the time of his arrest by Israeli border guards at the Allenby crossing in April, who found a cache of guns in his car.
His parliamentary immunity was subsequently revoked after Israel handed him to the Jordanian authorities on 7 May.
On Tuesday, the 35-year-old Adwan appeared before a Jordanian court in Amman to face charges of weapons smuggling, which carry a potential prison sentence of up to 15 years.
Adwan's lawyer, Ali al-Mubaeedin, stated that his client was questioned by the Jordanian prosecutor after firearms and gold were seized by Israeli authorities.
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Israel arrested Adwan on 22 April while he was travelling through the Israeli-administered Allenby crossing - also known officially as King Hussein crossing - in Jordan.
Israeli security forces allegedly found 12 rifles and 194 pistols in Adwan's car, Israel's internal security agency, the Shin Bet, said at the time.
The Jordanian court's prosecutor charged Adwan with smuggling weapons with the intention of illegal use and "committing acts likely to disrupt public order and threaten the security of the country", according to his lawyer.
Following his release from Israeli detention on 7 May to face trial in Jordan, the parliament in Amman voted to strip Adwan of his immunity from prosecution after a court request was issued against him.
Jordan's official Petra news agency reported earlier that "other defendants admitted to trading and smuggling weapons, gold and e-cigarettes in association" with Adwan.
Pro-Palestine
Adwan is a lawyer and member of the Jordanian parliament's Palestine committee. He is well known for his statements speaking on behalf of Palestine and Al-Aqsa.
He was arrested by Israel as Ramadan ended, a month which saw increased tensions in the West Bank and several settlers' incursions into the Al-Aqsa compound.
In 1994 Jordan became the second Arab country to recognise and sign a peace treaty with neighbouring Israel, after Egypt. Almost three million Palestinians, most of them refugees, live in Jordan, which shares a 307km-long border with Israel.
The Shin Bet said that since February 2022, Adwan had used his diplomatic passport 12 times to smuggle various goods, including "birds, pigeons, electronic cigarettes and gold", and since 2023 had begun smuggling weapons.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Middle East War. The territory has seen worsening violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict this year.
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