Jordan: No settlement has been made yet for the Hamas case
Jordan, Politics, 11/15/1999

A new round of dialogue has failed between the Jordanian government and the Muslim Brothers group to reach a solution to the question of the Hamas resistance movement, amid a Jordanian governmental persistence on the need of the detained Hamas leaders to leave Jordan as a precondition to releasing them.

At the conclusion of his meeting with Jordanian Prime Minister Abdul Raouf al-Rawabdeh, the secretary general for the Islamic Labor Front, the political umbrella of the Muslim Brothers, Abdul Latif Arabeyat said, "Things are proceeding into a deadlock due to many numerous problems that stand against settling the case."

He told journalists in Amman that the Jordanian government refuses to allow any Jordanian to be a member in the Hamas movement, whether as a member or member in the political office, and that the Jordanian government asked for the expulsion of leaders of the Hamas movement after they are released. He continued that the "two sides have not reached an agreement on the way of representing the movement in Jordan."

The Muslim Brothers are making mediation with the Jordanian government in an attempt to settle the crisis which started at the end of August when the Jordanian authorities closed the offices of the Hamas movement in Amman. In September, the Jordanian authorities arrested the chairman of the Hamas political bureau, Khaled Mashaal, its spokesman, Ibrahim Ghoshe, and another 19 of its members, before it arrested last week political bureau member Izzat al-Rashq.

Meanwhile, the Jordanian English-language daily Jordan Times quoted a Jordanian official source as saying on Sunday that, "The alternatives proposed by the government to settle the question of the Hamas movement are manifested in the resignation of the Hamas leader from their posts or expelling them outside Jordan, or submitting this case to the court, as the last resort," adding that the government gave the Muslim Brothers a grace period of four days to give the final reply from the Hamas.

Last Tuesday, the observer general of the Muslim Brothers movement, Abdul Majiud al-Zneibat, told the Lebanese daily al-Nahar that, "Leaders of the Hamas movement prefer the judicial solution rather than the conditions set by the government."

Meanwhile, Jordan's King Abdullah said, "The question of the Hamas movement is proceeding towards a final settlement which serves the Jordanian interests and objectives." In an interview published by the London-based al- Wasat daily on Monday and its text was distributed by the Jordanian news agency, Petra, the king added, "The movement will not have its previous status, and this is for honoring our rules, and obligations and in the service of our national interest, security and safety."

The King added, "We respect the brothers in Hamas Movement and appreciate their struggle as a Palestinian liberation movement. The Chief of the politburo of the Hamas Movement is a Jordanian citizen who belongs to a non-Jordanian organization and any political organization or party, if it wants to operate inside Jordan, must have a permit or approval of the Jordanian authorities, even if it is Jordanian. "

The king did not give explanations of aspects of judicial settlement, but he indicated that his government "has carried out its duty and used its legitimate rights in dealing with this issue" and accepted the mediation of the Muslim Brothers from the concept of its desire to maintain dialogue and understanding, adding "Anyhow, the case now is on its way to be solved."

Previous Stories:
  Fleeing Hamas member arrested in Jordan   (11/10/1999)
  Failure expected for mediation between Hamas and Jordan   (11/9/1999)
  Hamas and Jordan   (10/29/1999)

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