Israel on Thursday repatriated four Jordanian prisoners who were jailed for life for killing two Israeli soldiers in 1990. According to the AP, Jordanian security officials confirmed the men arrived home to serve out their sentences.
Jordan's Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah al-Khatib stated the Jordanian government saved no effort to reach an understanding with the Israeli government to free the four Jordanian prisoners and transfer them to Jordan to complete their prison term.
"The Jordanian government diligent efforts gave fruit to settle the issue of the four Jordanian prisoners, who were jailed in Israel before the signing of the peace treaty between the two countries," said a Foreign Ministry statement, cited by Petra.
According to the understanding, the four prisoners Sultan Taha al-Ajluni, Amin Abdel Karim al-San'e, Khaled Abdel Razzaq Abu Ghalyun and Salem Yousef Abu Ghalyun, were sent back to Jordan to "ease their suffering in Israeli jails and to enable them to keep in touch with their families and relatives."
"The understanding states that the four prisoners could be freed after spending the remaining 18 months of their prison term in Jordan or if the Israeli authorities release other prisoners, who are convicted of similar cases," said the statement. The understanding was reached after completing Israeli legal and administrative procedures under Israeli law, it added.
Releasing the four prisoners is part of the government's unceasing efforts to free all Jordanian prisoners in Israel, the statement noted. This has been the best possible deal to be reached with the Israelis for the present time, Khatib told Petra. It is a staged solution to free them later on, he noted.
