Justice for Malki?
The Associated Press has reported the Trump administration is considering withdrawing aid to Jordan in order to secure the extradition of Ahlam Aref Ahmad Al-Tamimi wanted by the U.S. on a charge of conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction against American nationals.
Malki, Frimet and Arnold Roth. The other members of the Roth family have been blanked out to protect their privacy
One of the 15 American nationals killed in 2001 bombing of the Sbarro Pizza restaurant in Jerusalem was 15-yr-old Malki Roth who held duo Australian-US citizenship before making aliya to Israel from Melbourne with her family.
Malki was born in Melbourne but received U.S. citizenship through her mother’s birthplace.
In October 2003 Al-Tahimi was found guilty in a military court was sentenced to 16 years consecutive life imprisonment.
On August 9, 2001, she drove a suicide bomber to the Sbarro restaurant where Malka Roth was enjoying a meal with friends and left before the bag he was carrying exploded killing 15 and injuring 100 others.
On July 15, 2013, the U.S. Justice Department filed criminal charges in the District of Columbia against Tamimi for conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction against U.S. nationals outside the U.S., resulting in death.
The case of Al-Tamimi, who is wanted by the FBI may be on the agenda when Jordan’s King Abdullah II speaks to congressional committees when he is expected to voice his approval for the restoring of sovereignty to Israel over parts of Judea and Samaria.
The extradition issue is likely to be raised this week when Jordan’s King Abdullah II speaks to several congressional committees to voice his opposition to Israel’s plans to annex portions of the West Bank.
Al-Tamimi was released by Israel in 2011 as part of the prison swap with Hamas which secured the release of Gilad Shavit.
She has lived freely in Jordan since Israel released her in a 2011 prisoner swap with the militant group Hamas. Jordanian authorities have rebuffed U.S. requests to turn her over, despite an extradition treaty. Jordan has a large Palestinian population and it’s unclear if a threat over aid would cause it to rethink its position.
AAP reports: “Ahead of King Abdullah’s video congressional appearances, scheduled for Wednesday with the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs committees, the State Department said that billions of dollars of foreign assistance to Jordan could be used as leverage to get Jordanian authorities to extradite al-Tamimi.”
The next U.S. ambassador to Jordan, Henry Wooster wrote: “The United States has multiple options and different types of leverage to secure Ahlam Aref Ahmad Al-Tamimi’s extradition. We will continue to engage Jordanian officials at all levels not only on this issue, but also on the extradition treaty more broadly. U.S. generosity to Jordan in Foreign Military Financing, as well as economic support and other assistance, is carefully calibrated to protect and advance the range of U.S. interests in Jordan and in the region.”
Malki Roth’s parents Arnold and Frimet have been battling since 2012 to get justice for their daughter.
Arnold Roth told J-Wire: “Today’s reports that meaningful pressure is going to be applied where it should have been years ago, on Jordan, are very encouraging. The Congress, the White House and the State Department have all given very welcome signs that they are serious about bringing justice to a tragic saga that has been marked by painful injustice from its outset. My wife and I know more than most people how easily this current momentum can get diverted and the process go off the tracks. We’re hoping those with the power to do it will press ahead with bringing the Sbarro bomber in front of a US Federal court in the coming days or months. And we’re grateful to all who have given a hand in this tortuous process.”
