On the expulsion of the four Hamas leaders
Jordan-Qatar, Politics, 11/22/1999

The crisis between Jordan and the Hamas resistance movement was ended on Sunday evening by the expulsion of several Hamas leaders to Qatar and the release of 22 of its members who were arrested last August in the framework of Jordanian measures taken to end the presence of the movement in the country.

While observers see the Jordanian measure as being taken unilaterally without any coordination with the Hamas movement and as a sort of expulsion of the Hamas leaders, well-informed sources in Amman said that Amman took its decision following a political settlement with the movement in which Doha took part as a mediator.

The Jordanian sources cited as evidence of that Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmad al-Mahmoud accompanying the chairman of the political bureau of the Hamas movement, Khaled Mashaal, its spokesman, Ibrahim Ghoshe, and its two members Izzat al-Rashq and Sami Khater on board a private plane to Doha.

For its part, the Jordanian government announced in an official statement that the leaders of the movement traveled to Qatar after the government "decided to preserve their case and release them, in response to the directives made by King Abdullah, following consultations with the ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khaleifa al-Thani, who responded to the request of the movement's detainees."

While in its statement the Jordanian government avoided addressing the step of expelling the movement's leaders, the detainees' lawyer, Saleh al-Armouti, said that the Jordanian authorities "had actually expelled the four leaders in an unconstitutional measure because they have Jordanian citizenship."

In statements to reporters and to the al-Jazira televison station on Sunday, al-Armouti "ruled out that the Hamas leaders would have known about the decision to evacuate them from Jordan." He added that he had visited them on Saturday in prison and that they were "committed to not leaving the kingdom in any way."

Jordanian Deputy Premier and Information Minister Ayman al-Majali told journalists in Amman on Sunday that, "The decision for the return of the leaders of the Hamas movement to Jordan has not been taken yet." He added the "file of this cause has been total closed."

Meanwhile, the Jordanian measure expelling the Hamas leaders has embarrassed greatly the Muslim Brothers movement in Jordan, which has been for more than one month mediating for reaching a political settlement to the crisis.

In a press statement, the Muslim Brothers' general observer, Abdul Majid al-Zuneibat, said he was "surprised by the measure taken by the government" and that his "movement will release a statement today (Monday) announcing its position towards this case after the Muslim group gets to know about the justifications of the government's decision, the mediation of Qatar in this crisis and the position of Hamas in this respect."

According to the Jordanian constitution, "Jordanians cannot be expelled."

In Doha the four expelled Hamas members arrived late at night. Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasem Bin Jabar al-Thani said the four Hamas leaders will be prevented from carrying out any political activity. He said replying to a question put by the Qatari al-Jazira TV, "No political office, nor political activities or any other activity of the sort will be permitted."

In Gaza the leading figure in the Hamas movement, Ismael Abu Shanab, denounced the Jordanian decision to expel the Hamas leaders. He said, "This step is strongly denounced, and we condemn this unprecedented measure which is only similar to those conducted by Israel against the Palestinian resistance from their territories."

In Tel Aviv a high-ranking Israeli military official welcomed the measures taken by the Jordanian authorities against Hamas, noting that this measure will "limit the attacks launched in Israel, and that the Jordanians want the peace process to proceed between us and the Palestinians forward."

Previous Stories:
  Hamas accepts evacuation of its office, not members   (11/16/1999)
  Jordan: No settlement has been made yet for the Hamas case   (11/15/1999)
  Jordanian prime minister meets with Muslim Brothers delegation   (11/15/1999)

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