Jordan Times
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Relatives of prisoners in
Israeli jails should contact ministry — Bakhit
AMMAN (JT) — Jordan's Ambassador to Israel Maarouf Bakhit on Monday invited
relatives of Jordanians detained in Israeli jails to contact the Foreign
Ministry with any relevant information, stressing that the issue would receive
immediate attention.
In response to His Majesty King Abdullah's directives, the government is giving
due attention to Jordanians detained or serving prison terms in Israeli jails
and is exerting all efforts towards ensuring their release, said the ambassador.
Last month, Israel released nine Jordanian prisoners as part of a recent pledge
to improve ties with the Kingdom.
The released men had all been imprisoned on security-related grounds. Seven have
already returned to Jordan while two others remained with family members in the
West Bank.
The prisoner releases follow the return of the Jordanian ambassador to Tel Aviv
earlier this year after an absence of nearly four years.
According to Bakhit, 14 Jordanians are still being held in Israeli prisons and
six of them said they wanted to remain in the West Bank with relatives once they
have been released.
Bakhit said embassy staff has been paying visits to the detainees on a regular
basis and pursing efforts with Israeli authorities to secure their release.